Medics perform solidly on the coast

Despite a very dry spring, a 30-hectare ridge paddock planted to ryegrass and Spineless Burr Medic at Lower Southgate last year performed solidly and agronomists are now recommending the legume be integrated into this year's autumn pasture improvement programs across the district.

BGA Agriservices agronomist at Grafton Adam Firth said traditionally higher Clarence River country had been somewhat neglected as return on investment was much less than the productive alluvial flat country.

"After an inspection of plant breeding farms in South Australia and a number of trial plots of our own at Grafton, medics were identified as a species that could tolerate our coastal climate and soil types and, once established, could improve the grazing quality and increase production levels of our poorer country," he said.

"Spineless Burr Medic was chosen for its ability to grow in acidic soils and produce large quantities of seed so it can be used as a self-regenerating annual pasture legume to compliment our summer growing subtropical grass pastures."

For beef producers Peter and Donna Drayton, the combination of being hard hit by floods and a plan to move toward growing weaners for longer, fuelled a trial of the new legume option last year.

The Draytons run 250 first-cross (F1) Brahman Hereford breeders on the 350ha "Drayton Pastoral" at Lower Southgate.

They join to Charolais bulls and have traditionally sold their cattle as weaners, targeting weights of 250 kilograms by nine months.

However, because of last year's poor market and the tough season, they held on to their weaners and carried 180 through winter.

They are starting to market those yearlings through Grafton saleyards and Mr Drayton said he would like to move away from depending on the weaner market.

"The weaner market has fallen away around here and the demand is good for the F1-cross we have as yearlings," he said.

"Being able to offer young cattle that are weaned and worked and already moving ahead gives us a niche, a point of difference at the saleyard and a very saleable item."

Crucial to that will be having the pasture quality to get the calves through winter - which is where Spineless Burr Medic comes in.

"Drayton Pastoral", which is divided into 14 paddocks, has some river flat paddocks and some swamp country growing water couch but the majority is clay-based soil ridge country with a setaria and clover mix.

On the advice of Mr Firth, the Draytons decided to include Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic in an autumn plant last March.

The medic was mixed in with ryegrass at a ratio of four kilograms to 18kg of ryegrass seed a hectare.

It was spun out with 100kg/ha of single super mix in a paddock which has received lime in the past few years.

The paddock was aerated twice prior to sowing.

In August, another 150kg/ha of single super was applied.

"We had good winter rain but went through a long dry spell in spring," Mr Drayton said.

"We got four grazings which was pretty good. We did plant it in one of our hardest paddocks because that is the job we'll need it to do."

Next month he plans to broadcast more area to Cavalier in the hope of getting it further established.

"It's too early to say yet if it is a success but I think it has the potential to turn this place around in winter," Mr Drayton said.

Mr Firth said the high seed bank could mean if an early autumn break arrived the legume would come away quickly.

"It is looking very promising and we'll certainly be encouraging a lot more graziers to put it in this year," he said.

"It is the only medic that suits our soils and the fact it went so well during such a tough season is exciting."

Recent wet years also appear to suit Shaw creeping vigna, a climbing tropical legume used to augment warm-season pasture.

Agronomists said dairies had made excellent use of the nitrogen build-up from creeping vigna and white clover to both boost winter natives and direct drill ryegrass.

And while it has traditionally been used on high-rainfall flats, some producers have been able in recent years to establish it on hillsides where average rainfall is lower.

Murwillumbah milk producer Corey Crossthwaite, "Tweedside", said creeping vigna was an important part of the pasture mix on his hills and unfertile paddocks where dry cows and heifers were run.

"It's high in protein, gives the paddocks a real kick along and it persists," he said.

However, seed supplies currently are limited.

CLARENCE River beef producer Peter Drayton was attracted to the idea of including Spineless Burr Medic in his winter pasture plant last year on the back of trials which showed it had the best statistics (among medics) for acid soil and its feed value was on par with lucerne.

"After three floods last year we were left with no summer growth," he said.

"Between weaners and breeders we had 450 head to get through winter so we planted ryegrass and clover about March and put medics into a 30 hectare paddock as a trial.

"Our aim is twofold - for a better quality feed through winter and the agronomic benefits of a legume to boost our summer pasture while reducing input costs.

"The ultimate aim is to be able to carry more calves through winter."