Livestock agent and farmer Alan Poyner, Ulamambri, east of Coonabarabran, now largely markets his and his clients’ cattle at 450 to 500 kilogram liveweight compared with once typical weights of 300 to 350kg.
Extra weight of the produce is largely a market-driven factor, Mr Poyner believes.
However, he notes greater adoption of improved pasture and dual-purpose winter crop technology has grown with the need for higher quality and heavier animals.
Alan and Marly Poyner, “Kurrajong Vale”, purchased their 400-hectare property 12 years ago and today run about 200 heifers purchased at 250 to 300kg and turn them off at 450 to 500kg six to eight months later, mainly to Woolworths.
They aim to have good quality grazing whenever it rains and supplement grain and hay produced on-farm (also a grain-growing business) in dry times or when feed quality drops after a long dry. Lucerne is about half the property, with the remainder other than cropping improved native grass plus 40ha of tropical grass. While the main soil type is loam to clay loam basalt-derived, a fertiliser program that corrects sulphur and phosphorus deficiency lifted production and quality dramatically, Mr Poyner said.
Bloat is now generally successfully managed on “Kurrajong Vale” via water points being exclusively troughs and using bloat oil in them in bloat risk periods. Woolly pod vetch (a bloat-free legume) has been a success in the tropical grass pasture. Mr Poyner ensures regular seed set occurs although its high hard seed content helps ensure persistence should a drought prevent seeding, provided a good soil seed bank has been established.
Native perennial grass pastures carry a range of legumes including sub clover and naturalised clovers. Careful grazing management in spring is especially important for long-term legume persistence.
About 60ha are sown each year to dual-purpose oats and winter wheat. A high standard of fallow weed control is aimed for to help ensure the crops are sown on good sub soil moisture. Mr Poyner believes winter fodder crops are vital, and to ensure a high probability of timely sowing stored soil moisture is critical.
Eurabbie, a winter habit oats, is preferred for the earliest sowing from late February and Yarran is their preferred oat for sowing late March onwards. High soil fertility, especially correction of phosphorus and nitrogen deficiency, is vital.
Lucerne is generally under-sown with winter wheat with high success rates.
- Bob Freebairn is an ag consultant based at Coonabarabran. Email robert.freebairn@bigpond.com or contact 0428 752 149.
