Agronomy
Pasture renovation is a focus for a number of our clients at present, driven by factors such as consecutive wet years, flood inundation in some areas, weed pressure, species decline, long term pasture neglect, and the pursuit of maximum productivity.
Pasture renovation is a focus for a number of our clients at present, driven by factors such as consecutive wet years, flood inundation in some areas, weed pressure, species decline, long-term pasture neglect, and the pursuit of maximum productivity.
With beef prices expected to stay firm, US tariffs removed, and the outlook for a normal to wet season ahead, now is a great time to start addressing any pasture issues you may have.
While there are many schools of thought on how best to approach pasture renovation, the AgriSolutions Field Services team shares a few ideas below for your consideration.
The first rule of thumb – if you're going to do a job, do it once and do it properly. A little extra effort now will be both cheaper and easier than having to do the job twice.
In most cases, when establishing a new pasture, we don’t want survivors or volunteers from the old pasture in the finished product. Given the seed bank that has developed over many years (containing both desirable and undesirable species), a critical step is ensuring we start with a clean slate. A single spray-out or cultivation will not do the job, which is why break cropping with forage options is our preferred approach. Below is a generic example of how you can approach this, but please speak with your Norco AgriSolutions team before commencing, so we can tailor the advice to your region, soil type, budget, equipment, and desired productivity outcome.
Early Summer – spray out or cultivate the old pasture. When done correctly, a spray-out is usually more effective and reduces the risk of soil loss if heavy summer rains create runoff. Nufarm’s Crucial herbicide is a reliable go-to option here, and we may choose to spike it with additional chemistry depending on the weed mix and timeframes we are working with – your AgriSolutions team will guide you on this. Depending on the products and rates used, a double-knock may or may not be required.
Once the standing old pasture is killed off, consider a summer forage or silage option. Soybean is increasingly popular as it provides a break from grass species (soil-biology advantages) and fixes nitrogen into the soil (reducing nitrogen requirements for the following crop). This option also allows you to use grass pre-emergent herbicides under the crop, further reducing the seed bank of old pasture and weeds (building towards a clean slate for your new permanent pasture). Some growers take soybean through to silage (high dry matter production and high protein = rocket fuel for beef cattle). Others graze it off, or graze it first before taking it through to seed harvest. Many options exist. Forage varieties such as Hayman are popular, but other options are available. Before attempting a soybean crop, please talk with your AgriSolutions team about soil testing, inoculation, seedbed preparation, planting technique and rates, crop nutrition, and herbicide selection that controls weeds without causing plant-back issues or beef/milk withholding concerns.
If soybean isn’t your preferred option, millets are a very easy summer forage alternative. They are forgiving in most seasons, relatively simple to grow, and don’t carry the prussic acid risks associated with sorghum. We supply millet varieties that grow quickly with high early-season production, as well as varieties that persist longer into the season. Again, the AgriSolutions team will advise on soil preparation, seeding rates, planting technique, nutrition requirements, and weed control.
Once the summer forage crop is finished, you’ll have another opportunity to further reduce the seed bank and weed pressure in your paddock as part of preparing for a new permanent pasture. Cultivation or Nufarm’s Crucial herbicide will be required. By this stage, we will have completed two full kills of the old pasture (one prior to the summer forage crop, one after), putting us well on the way to establishing a clean paddock for new pasture.
At this stage of the plan, we are approaching autumn, which is not the preferred time to plant permanent pasture due to cooler temperatures and slow establishment. Therefore, we plant a winter forage crop at this time, such as ryegrass or oats. Norco’s exclusive ryegrass variety – Barenbrug’s Coaster – is hard to beat for value and robustness, but we can supply the full range of Barenbrug ryegrass varieties to suit your budget and production goals. Again, engage with the AgriSolutions team to discuss varieties, seed rates, planting techniques, nutrition, and weed control.
After the winter forage crop, we have one more window to control volunteers from the old pasture or weeds before establishing the new permanent pasture. Insert another application of Nufarm’s Crucial herbicide here.
Using the above approach, we have:
Thoroughly removed the old, less-productive species and weed problems, giving you every chance to establish a high-productivity permanent pasture; and
Produced large volumes of high-quality feed for your livestock along the way.
By this stage of the plan, we are now in spring or early summer and ready to plant your new permanent pasture. Through our partnership with Barenbrug Seeds, we can offer the highest-yielding and most persistent grass species available, mixed with legumes and herbs to match your production goals.
Returning to the earlier comment – “do it once, do it right” – young grass seedlings simply won’t persist if they need to compete with large established stools of old pasture or weeds. This is why minimising competition is critical, and multiple spray-outs are a safe and proven way to achieve this.
The final piece of the puzzle is ensuring your new pasture establishes quickly and vigorously