This year at Rokewood we are hosting two exciting new trials with RAGT (Seed Force).

Forage Brassica Variety Trial
The forage brassica variety trial includes:

• a new hybrid variety  RAGT – SFR11-045
• Mainstar
• Winifred

SFR11-045 is a new forage rape which RAGT will soon be introducing to the Australian market. With improved forage yield and forage quality its likely to offer growers an improved summer or winter brassica option within their farming system.

Forage Demo
The forage demo trial shows strips of a sweet sorghum (SF Calorific), a forage sorghum (SF Flourish) and Shirohie millet. Whilst these crop types are not commonly grown in the region, it will be interesting to see the results!

So far, the millet has established reasonably well compared to the sorghum which has been slow to take off due to the colder temperatures we have seen this December. Ideally soil temperatures for sorghum germination are above 16-18 degrees – whilst the average temperature at the site has been 14.8 degrees for December.

Several trials with SFS and other collaborators are being conducted this summer and it is hoped some early release seed will be available in autumn 2023.