Inside information on any farming topic you could raise was available at the recent Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) Spring Field Day, where farmers and consultants shared their knowledge, including their wins and losses.
GAgG general manager, Jen Smith, said 186 people attended and listened to several presenters who were up-and-comers in the local industry.
“There was something for everyone from soils to lucerne, with the highlight being farmers learning from other farmers,” Jen said.
“A good number of the presenters were local farmers who shared their various successes and failures.”
The day’s topics included containment areas, soils and lime, pastures, weighty weaners, cereals, faba beans, and hay and silage.
Local rural business consultant, Chris Jehu, presented with Gelantipy farmer, Alfred Hackett on the containment feeding session, combining Alfred’s practical experience in the paddock with Chris’ figures and business analysis on how it was worth it.
The lucerne session was presented by Peak Pasture and Livestock agronomist, Nicole Frost, Ensay, and GAgG’s Rick Blackshaw, who operated a local dairy farm for many years.
The two spoke on the Valley Seeds replicated lucerne trial, run by GAgG agronomist Casey Willis, where the main aim was to see how the Valley Seeds’ V74 stacked up against other more well-known varieties.
“With lucerne the difference is in the winter dormancies,” Nicole said.
“It’s a lot more about how to keep the paddock right, how to sow it and get the best out of it for as long as you can.”
“Selecting a paddock that’s free draining with a pH of around 5.2 in calcium chloride (CaCl) and no aluminium is really important.”
Rick has worked on the Digging Deeper project in recent years and has travelled the region taking deep core samples across many farms.
He spoke about how important a deep-soil test down to a metre is to assess the acidity and other factors.
“Roots can grow down multiple metres,” Nicole said.
“Particularly in sand, definitely two to three metres pretty easily.
“Soil tests are about ensuring there is fertility – making sure phosphorous, potassium, sulphur and calcium are at good levels, checking for trace elements is also really important, looking at levels of copper, molybdenum, boron and zinc.”
The group discussions included paddock preparation and had the benefit of Rick’s dairy farming days to draw on.
“Paddock preparation is so important,” Nicole said.
“Making sure you have a fine, firm seedbed, we also discussed how to cultivate, whether we were using drilling, power harrows or broadcasting.
“It’s about working out what machinery you have and the strategies to use with them.”
She said using a knockdown spray of glyphosate first, then a pre-emergent a few days prior to sowing so it is incorporated as it’s sown was a good idea.
“This year in particular I’ve seen a lot of wire weed, which is flat, and shepherds purse, which is quite tall, and even bindis,” she said.
“Every year there’s a weed that’s prolific because the conditions suit it.
“Lucerne is a specialist crop, not a pasture, and you need to give the paddock the right treatment over two or three years to establish properly.
“Sowing an annual crop prior to the lucerne really sets it up from the start.”
Upcoming information day: GAgG will run a Profitable Pastures session at the Clifton Creek Hall this Saturday, November 8, from 9.30am, covering the topic ‘Turning Weeds to Feed’.
Pasture management, a Fireweed update, an MLA Weed Warriors demonstration and a TopSoils Kikuyu oversowing demonstration will be on show.
