Pasture / Livestock
Video: TOPSOILS – Peter Honey at Orbost
TopSoils group member Peter Honey aim is to have a farm that supports us and the land. Water is essential for plant growth and having healthy soils that have water holding capacity and nutrient holding capabilities.
Video: TOPSOILS – Vanessa Ingram-Daniel at Marlo Plains
TopSoils group member Vanessa Ingram-Daniels runs a cow calf breeding enterprise that uses rotational grazing systems. TopSoils has helped her understand the importance of soil tests, how to feed the soils and maintain ground cover.
Video: TOPSOILS – Jo Trevaskis Regenerative Farming at Wairewa
Top Soils group member Jo Trevaskis is a 5th generation farmer at Wairewa, working with her family using regenerative farming practices. Sharing her experiences and learning journey with the curve balls of fire and drought.
Video: Farm Focus – Livestock Containment
Livestock Containment Areas are often associated with drought, but they are useful in any season. Hear from Mark Williams, mixed farmer in the South West of Victoria, discussing his livestock containment area and its’ uses, design and functionality in his farm system.
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This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Podcast: Innovation & Decision Making: How do you implement change, without betting the farm?
Kirsten DiproseMaking the right decision at the right time is critical to good business and innovation, especially when you add drought or other volatile factors into the mix. So when a new opportunity arises, how do you know you’ll make the ‘right’ choice?
This episode looks at the latest research about on-farm decision-making, as well as stories from farmers, farm consultants and agricultural entrepreneurs about how they made the decision to adopt a new technology or practice.
Farm consultant with Southern Farming Systems, Cam Nicholson shares his decision-making framework of using the ‘head, heart and gut’. Emma Ayliffe, agronomist and founder of Yacker, an app that connects farmers, talks about the value of peer-to-peer research (ie. Calling other farmers!). And Jacob Birch, Gamilaraay man, academic and entrepreneur speaks about how to be culturally appropriate in the decision-making process, especially as the native grains and other indigenous industries grow.
GUESTS
CAM NICHOLSON is a director of Nicon Rural Services, a consulting business near Geelong working with the grazing and cropping industries.
Cam has worked in pasture agronomy and soils for 35 years and has been involved in many farmer programs for the GRDC, MLA, Landcare and the current Future Drought Fund. He provides consultancy advice to farmers and lectures on animal and pasture systems at Marcus Oldham College.
His most recent work has focused on understanding and discussing risk in farming businesses, carbon accounting and decision making. Cam recently helped revamp information and tools for MLA on pastures and soils.
EMMA AYLIFFE is a farmer, researcher and consultant based at Tullibigeal, NSW. After moving from South Australia to New South Wales working as a cotton agronomist, Emma moved to Tullibigeal with her partner where they bought her first 1700 acre farm with the support of Craig’s family.
In 2020-2021, Emma was Australian Young Farmer of the Year. Emma prides herself on being an innovator pushing the boundaries and coming up solutions with farmers problems.
JACOB BIRCH is an academic, entrepreneur and Churchill Fellow passionate about re-awakening, and bringing into a modern context, the native grain foodways that sustained his Gamilaraay ancestors for thousands of generations.
Jacob’s received First Class Honours for a multidisciplinary research project that investigated the nutritional qualities of Australian native grains for human consumption, and Indigenist research methodologies which give agency to First Nations voices and experience.
Jacob led a national consultation to inform the AgriFutures commissioned Australian Native Grains Strategic RD&E Plan.
This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Video: How to use fertiliser N successfully – Lee Menhennett, Incitec Pivot Ltd.
At what price is there a place for bagged N in pastures (beef/cattle)?
- If additional nitrogen is being supplied as fertiliser – what application rates should be used, how many applications per year, when should these applications occur (timing, growing conditions) and which pastures should be targeted?
- Is there any role for using soil testing to monitor N levels in pastures and, if so, how do we make it accurate?
- What are the environmental implications of increasing nitrogen levels in a perennial pasture system and how to minimise them? N losses, denitrification, leaching.
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Video: Maximising legume N contribution in mixed pastures- Dr Belinda Hackney, NSW DPI
How much N do we get from clovers and when?
- If relying on legumes in the pasture system to supply the required nitrogen, how can nitrogen fixation be maximised?
- If using both N fertiliser and clover, what rules apply to maximise production & profit?
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Video: How to maximise the potential gains from N in perennial pasture systems? – Lisa Warn, Ag Consulting
How important is nitrogen in terms of improving pasture growth?
- Pasture nitrogen requirements – how much is needed?
- N cycle - when is N supplied & when is it deficient? How do clovers and organic nitrogen fit into the cycle?
- What is the speed of the N cycle through mineralisation and what affects this rate?
- What yield advantage can be gained by supplying more nitrogen to perennial pastures?
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Video: How do I know if my perennial grasses need rescuing?
Maintaining a high proportion of desirable perennial grass in a pasture requires active management. This video runs through the key things you need to get right, so you can lift or maintain desirable grass content and make your pastures more productive, persistent and able to resist weed invasion.
More information www.sfs.org.au or Contact E:office@sfs.org.au
Video: How do I winter clean pastures to remove annual grass weeds?
Some annual grass weeds can reduce the quality, productivity and persistence of your pastures. Winter cleaning is an effective tactic to reduce annual grass weeds. Watch this video to learn the process of winter cleaning and what you need to consider when using this herbicide method.
Video: How do I spray-top to reduce annual weeds in pastures?
If you want pastures without troublesome annual weeds then watch this video on spray-topping. It shows you the critical factors to help you improve perennial grass and clover content and extend the productive life of sown pastures.
Video: How do I identify sub-clover cultivars?
This video helps you develop basic skills in sub-clover cultivar identification and narrow down what sub-clover cultivars are growing in your paddocks. Not being able to identify problem sub-clover cultivars means up to 30% winter production could be forfeited if growing outdated varieties or oestrogenic sub-clovers that impact on sheep reproduction go unrecognised.
More info www.sfs.org.au or office@sfs.org.au