Weed control in the planning years before sowing a pasture is by far the main requirement for successful pasture establishment.
The consensus among researchers and advisers, confirmed by trial results, is weed control is the single biggest factor in reducing competition to the young establishing pasture, and also in preserving soil moisture.
Stubble retention and management where pasture is going in after a crop can also play a part, but generally has less impact than limiting the ability of weeds to suck moisture from the soil.
South East Local Land Services senior land services officer Fiona Leech, Yass, said farmers should talk to their local consultant to see what pasture species was most suited to their paddocks and climate.
“People plant some weird mixes and you can tell them from day one only one of these species will survive,” she said.
Ms Leech said It was important not to sow unless there was at least 20 centimetres of moisture in the soil profile. She said if it looked like being a hot summer it was better for farmers to wait for cooler weather and for suitable soil moisture before sowing. According to Manilla-based consultant and former NSW Department of Primary Industries agronomist Lester McCormick, good control of summer weeds was important when planning to sow a tropical perennial grass. And it was important for farmers to vary the herbicide they used, but should always follow label rates.
"Most mixed farmers around here use grazing oats as a forage crop so there are more options for winter weed control, and use the following summer fallow period to reduce the population of liverseed grass and barnyard grass,” he said.
Mr McCormick said some new pasture varieties, such as a green Panic known as Megamax 059, provided more grazing tolerance and drought resistance than the traditional lines.
Changing rainfall patterns meant many temperate pasture species around 30 years ago were not surviving on the northern slopes any more so, due to drier autumns, farmers were now sowing hard-seeded legumes such as arrow leaf clover.
“The two options when sowing the hard-seeded legumes are plant the autumn before sowing the tropical grass, or second, in pod or unscarified with the tropical grass,” he said. “When sown in autumn the legume can use all the moisture needed for establishment of the grass in spring.” Hard-seeded legumes need granular inoculant to ensure the rhizobia survived summer.
