trials

• To allow producer groups to trial new grazing systems in their local environment at a commercial scale.

To promote the sowing of persistent perennial grasses on Kangaroo Island properties to:
• improve ground cover in late summer, autumn and winter, and to
• increase pasture water use to minimize soil acidification and salinisation.

• To investigate perennial pasture for Kangaroo Island.

To report on what has been learnt about growing kikuyu on Kangaroo Island.

• To investigate the establishment of kikuyu pastures on Kangaroo Island.

To investigate the question of whether kikuyu pastures pay.

To investigate the quality and quantity of kikuyu pastures.

• To compare an existing kikuyu stand to an adjacent paddock of annual pasture.

To give an indication of performance at different parts of the island.

To consider how the system choices in the BCG farming systems trial over the past eight years would play out with likely 2008 prices, and to highlight some of the consistent lessons that can be applied on-farm, to farming systems change in 2008.

The aim of better grazing systems in the low rainfall wheat/sheep zone should be to increase pasture returns without negative effects on the cropping phase.

To evaluate how new and existing wheat and barley varieties respond to grazing and post-grazing nitrogen (N) application rates.

To answer the question 'What if there is no break until June or July?'

To quanitfy the role of livestock in the financial performance of Wimmera and Malle farming systems.

To discuss the integration of livestock into the cropping program.

• To evaluate the suitability of different wheat and barley varieties for both grazing and grain production, when sown early in the cropping program in low rainfall western Victoria.
• To evaluate how the stage at which the crop is grazed affects its recovery.

• To assess the ability of conventionally sown Hindmarsh barley crops at Jil Jil and Nullawil to recover from grazing, the effects on straw and grain yield production and on grain quality.
• To consider the place of early sown feed versus grazing crops in low rainfall farming systems.

To compare the profitability of four different farming systems.

To report on the BCG Farming Systems project in 2001.

To present results from BCG's Farming Systems trials.

To update information on livestock ad the Farming Systems site.

To report on the Farming Systems trial 2003.

To report on the Farming Systems trial.

To report on the Farming Systems trial 2006.

To compare the yields of crops grown under four different farming systems common to the southern Mallee region.

To assess the Farming Systems trial for changes in the soil properties/health that may have occurred between each of the four systems since 2000.

To investigate whether higher fertiliser rates profitably produced greater amounts of better quality pasture than when district average fertiliser rates are used.

To evaluate a range of forage shrubs in the Victorian Mallee environment in terms of plant survival, canopy development, health, edible biomass, seedling recruitment and performance under grazing.

To measure effect of gibberellic acid application and grazing timings on the biomass production and feed quality of oats.

To comare the dry matter production available for forage and plant recovery after grazing of the forage barley variety Moby with that of Hindmarsh barley and Correll wheat.

• To examine the potential for both grain and forage cereal crops to supply feed for grazing enterprises.
• To determine the effects of grazing on grain yield and quality to help build informed decisions about when to graze crops to ensure maximum profit

To determine how post-grazing nitrogen application rates and post flowering rainfall affect the recovery of Mace and Trojan grain wheat crops after grazing.

To evaluate a vigorous hybrid canola variety in a low rainfall Mallee environment for its grazing value at different growth stages, and its ability to recover from grazing.

To assess the yield and grain quality effect of grazing on currently grown commercial cereal varieties via paddock scale demonstrations in the Rainbow district.

To evaluate the suitability of different wheat and barley cultivars for both grazing and grain production, when sown as part of a the normal cropping program in low rainfall zones of western Victoria.

To monitor the feed value and grain production from different types of grazed cereal crops in Northern Victoria.

The aim of this trial was to compare the performance of very early sown wheat varieties, their early grazing potential and ability to recover from grazing.

To evaluate the impact of grazing intensity on forage value, crop recovery and grain production of a wheat crop in the Victorian Mallee.

To demonstrate the feed value of a forage brassica as spring/early summer grazing option and to measure lamb growth rate performance.

To investigate the effects of grazing livestock in no-till paddocks on soil structure, soil compaction and soil moisture, weed seed burial and carbon/nitrogen cycling in no-till farming systems.

To investigate the effects of grazing livestock in no-till paddocks on soil structure, soil composition and soil moisture, weed seed burial and carbon/nitrogen cycling in no-till farming systems.

To address a number of issues when there is a clear indication that an April break is not going to occur.

To evaluate the yield performance of milling oat varieties, and the grazing value, hay and grain yield of grazing-hay oat varieties in the southern Mallee.

To investigate the potential for using oats to increase fodder production over the early part of winter, thereby reducing the risk of running out of feed. 

To develop a regionally viable farming system which incroporates the establishment of native perennial pastures, cropping into native pasture adn rotational grazing of the pasture and stubble.

To discuss how to achieve a dense medic dominant pasture.

To measure the trade-off between medic pasture growth and yield of a following cereal crop, with different termination timing of the medic pasture.

To explore the use of perennial shrubs as a feed source for profitable and sustainable grazing systems in low-to-medium rainfall areas of hte Mallee.

To test whether sheep grazing in no-till systems damages soil and reduces crop yields.

To reflect on sheep, crops and a month in spring.