Researcher(s) |
Samantha Cullen |
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Year(s) | 2020 |
Contributor | Stirlings to Coast Farmers |
Trial location(s) |
Green Range, WA
Manypeaks, WA North Manypeaks, WA |
To demonstrate the feed value of high biomass summer forage crops for increasing stocking rates and live weight gain of prime lambs and beef cattle compared to current systems used in the high rainfall zone.
Manypeaks
At the Manypeaks site, Pallaton Raphno had a higher nutritional value than the ryegrass control, resulting in higher crude protein, digestibility, and metabolic energy.
The raphno and ryegrass at the Manypeaks site produced similar levels of biomass.
The raphno resulted in a weight gain advantage of 62.5g/head/day over the ryegrass.
Raphno produced higher biomass levels under grazing pressure, allowing for much higher stocking rates than the ryegrass, with 1400 lambs on 45ha (31 lambs/ha), compared to 360 lambs on 30 hectares (12 lambs /ha).
Lamb live weight gain measured in kg/ha/day was 5.35kg/ha/day for the raphno compared to 1.31kg/ha/day achieved on the ryegrass.
North Manypeaks
The summer crop (Millet) had a higher nutritional value, crude protein, digestibility, and metabolisable energy than barley stubble.
The control (stubble) produced 3.5t/ha compared to the millet which produced 1.2t/ha.
The millet growth was highly variable and showed signs of heat and moisture stress before the grazing period.
Despite the environmental stress, the millet resulted in an average ADG of 253g/head/day, compared to 120g/head/day on the barley.
Green Range
Successful cattle induction to raphno was challenging to achieve. Best results were attained when weaner cattle were moved off Raphno onto pasture each day over the first week, slowly introducing them to longer grazing periods.
Poor induction the first grazing event saw steers reduce their ADG from 2kg/day on rye clover pasture down to 0.08kg/day on raphno.
Second grazing event by growing weaner cattle received a better induction and Heifers slowly built up to and maxed out at 1kg ADG.
Optiweigh system is a game-changer to better understand different forages and how different grazing systems influence weight gain and pasture utilisation.
Lead research organisation |
Southern Farming Systems |
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Host research organisation |
Southern Farming Systems |
Related program | N/A |
Acknowledgments | N/A |
Other trial partners | MLA |
Crop types | Cereal (Grain): Millet Pasture: Mixed species Weed: Ryegrass None: No crop specified |
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Trial type | Demonstration |
Trial design | Unreplicated |
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# |
Treatment 1
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Growing season | Trial site | Dry matter (t/ha) |
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1 | █ Ryegrass | 2020 | North Manypeaks (WA) | 3.01 |
2 | █ Raphno | 2020 | North Manypeaks (WA) | 3.83 |
# |
Treatment 1
|
Growing season | Trial site | weight gain ((g/hd/day)) | weight gain (kg/ha/day) |
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1 | █ Ryegrass | 2020 | North Manypeaks (WA) | 109.38 | 1.31 |
2 | █ Raphno | 2020 | North Manypeaks (WA) | 171.88 | 5.35 |
# |
Treatment 1
|
Growing season | Trial site | Dry matter (t/ha) |
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1 | █ Barley Stubble | 2020 | Manypeaks (WA) | 3.55 |
2 | █ Millet | 2020 | Manypeaks (WA) | 1.2 |
# |
Treatment 1
|
Growing season | Trial site | weight gain ((g/hd/day)) | weight gain (kg/ha/day) |
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1 | █ Barley Stubble | 2020 | Manypeaks (WA) | 120 | 0.44 |
2 | █ Millet | 2020 | Manypeaks (WA) | 253.33 | 1.41 |
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Treatment 4
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Growing season | Trial site | weigh in ave (kg) | weight gain (kg/hd/day) |
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1 | █ late October 2019 | █ Raphno | █ 250 head | █ 5 Ha | 2020 | Green Range (WA) | 325 | 0.08 |
2 | █ September 2019 | █ clover/ryegrass mix | █ 250 head | █ 5 Ha | 2020 | Green Range (WA) | 305 | 2 |
3 | █ Nov/Dec 201 | █ Raphno | █ 120 head | █ 40 Ha | 2020 | Green Range (WA) | 300 | 1 |
SILO weather estimates sourced from https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/
Jeffrey, S.J., Carter, J.O., Moodie, K.B. and Beswick, A.R. (2001). Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data , Environmental Modelling and Software, Vol 16/4, pp 309-330. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-8152(01)00008-1.