by Travis Moodie, 2009 Joyce Gillespie Bursary recipient

I’m currently in my final year of a Bachelor of Animal Science and Management at the University of Melbourne.

At the start of my degree, my passion was for animals, although as I progressed through, my interests shifted towards pastures and grazing systems. So I have tried to focus my specialty around production systems and enrolled in subjects such as the ecology and management of grazing systems, animal production systems and farm animal biology.

Having grown up on the Mornington Peninsula, it’s fair to say my farming experience was somewhat limited, although my interest in grazing systems has unfolded and boomed over the course of my studies.

The subjects I took in my first and second years that had a connection with pastures prompted the kindling and emergence, much to my surprise, of an up-until-now hidden interest in pasture production systems. In my final year of study, each student is given the opportunity to conduct a research project specialising in an area of their choice, and I thought it was appropriate to investigate an issue related to a grassland industry.

My research project seeks to investigate the effects of current drought conditions on pasture yields in beef enterprises in Victoria. More specifically, in recognition of the recent poor productivity of perennial pasture species in the Upper Goulburn region, I felt it was necessary to sort out the issue of ‘ok, it’s not working, so where to from here?’.

The objectives of my project are to establish trends of pasture yields throughout the 1990’s on farms based in medium-high rainfall zones in southern Victoria and link these ‘bigger picture’ trends to associated changes in the climatic conditions for the Upper Goulburn region during the same period.

The project will also investigate current pasture management practices used by producers to highlight any research and development needs they may have. This may also establish potential advantages and disadvantages associated with the adoption of alternative pasture management practices. To collect this sort of information, I will be distributing a brief survey at the upcoming annual conference of the Grasslands Society of Southern Australia in Geelong.

Completion of the survey is completely anonymous and all collected information will be treated confidentially. I would be very appreciative if beef producers in particular would assist my research by completing my survey at the conference.

by Erin Mayall, 2008 Joyce Gillespie Bursary recipient

Erin was a Bachelor of Agriculture student at the Dookie Campus of the University of Melbourne in 2008 and completed her final year industry project with Heritage Seeds at their “Shrublands” Research Station at Howlong, NSW.

Student Research Abstract

The cooler temperatures experienced during the winter months still restrict the growth of rye grasses. As such, the limited supply of pasture feed over this period can pose significant production and financial challenges for pasture-dependent producers. Thus, there is a need to increase pasture dry matter through the winter months when low soil temperatures limit pasture growth.

The application of gibberellic acid, in conjunction with nitrogen, is a relatively new approach being tested by both producers and researchers. Evidence suggests that when correctly applied, and provided there are no other limiting soil or environmental factors, pasture growth can be increased. To date, no research has specifically examined the effects of gibberellic acid and urea on the winter production of Barberia ryegrass.

Barberia ryegrass

Barberia is a tetraploid hybrid ryegrass cultivar, which has more perennial properties than Italian ryegrass in its breeding. It is described as a mid-late flowering cultivar and is commonly used in short- to medium-term pastures in the Goulburn Valley. Barberia is a Heritage Seeds product marketed as a ‘long-rotation ryegrass’.

Plant growth processes are regulated by plant hormones and the phytohormone, gibberellic acid (GA), regulates many important aspects of plant growth and development, including germination, growth, stem elongation and flowering.

Experimental design

My trial investigated the effects of both applied nitrogen and exogenous applications of GA on the growth and development of Barberia ryegrass during winter.

Nitrogen was applied as urea and GA was applied as a foliar spray (ProGibb® SG, a product of Sumitomo Chemical Australia). The experimental design was a 2 x 4 fully-randomised factorial layout replicated four times, with the two factors being GA applied at two rates (0 and 20 g/ha) and nitrogen (N) applied as urea at four rates (0, 50, 100 and 200 kg N/ha).

The experimental site was initially irrigated, scarified and topdressed with 100 kg/ha of mono-ammonium phosphate; two days after a second irrigation in mid-April 2008, the experimental plots (6 m x 1.5 m) were sown with 25 kg/ha of Barberia ryegrass.

Prior to application of the treatments in late June, the trial site was soil sampled at 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm depths and the bulked soil samples analysed for their available nitrogen contents. Ryegrass growth was measured in mid-June (pre-treatment), late-July and mid-August using a plot forage harvester set at a cutting height of 5 cm.

Results

The results from this trial showed that prior to the application of the treatments, the soil nitrate-N levels were low (8.3 and 9.4 mg/kg for the 0-20 and 20- 40 cm horizons, respectively). Additionally, there were no significant (P>0.05) differences in ryegrass dry matter yields in mid-June (site mean: 0.12 t/ha) between the designated GA and N treatment plots.

One month after the application of GA and urea (i.e. late July), the dry matter yields of Barberia ryegrass showed significant but independent responses to both the GA (1.18 t/ ha compared with 1.02 t/ha for the control; LSD5% = 0.13) and N (0.83, 0.96, 1.17 and 1.47 t/ha for 0, 50, 100 and 200 kg N/ha, respectively; LSD5% = 0.18).

The regrowth measured in mid- August showed only a significant (P<0.05) response to the highest rate of N (0.99, 0.94, 1.10 and 1.36 t/ha for 0, 50, 100 and 200 kg N/ ha, respectively; LSD5% = 0.22) and a significant (P<0.05) decrease to the GA (0.97 t/ha compared with 1.22 t/ha for the control; LSD5% = 0.16).

The visual differences in growth coincided with a yellowing of ryegrass treated with both GA and the low and nil rates of urea. These observations suggest that these plants may have been nitrogen deficient; tissue testing would have confirmed this possibility.

In conclusion

Applying GA to ryegrass pastures, provided there are no limiting soil nutrients, particularly of nitrogen, is a strategy that producers could adopt to increase the dry matter production of their winter ryegrass pastures without the need to apply fertiliser nitrogen.

Depending on the soil type, fertiliser history and pasture management of each paddock, together with the availability of water and the financial circumstances of each farm enterprise, the value of GA applications may differ from paddock to paddock and farm to farm.

It is recommended that GA only be applied to ryegrass pastures, provided there are adequate supplies of nutrients within the soil, and adequate water available either as rainfall or irrigation water, to achieve the extra growth and ensure an economic return for the producer.

by Fiona Frawley, 2006 Joyce Gillespie Bursary recipient

This abstract summarises the research Fiona undertook for her Honours year in Agriculture and Commerce at The University of Melbourne last year.Australia produces 98% of the world's fine wool and quality fine wool attracts price premiums at auction.

Fine wool, however, can be more susceptible to breakage because of low staple strength or 'tender' wool.  Tender wool receives price discounts that range from 3 to 30%, which greatly impacts on farm wool income.

Producers first need to determine if staple strength is a problem in their wool clip by estimating the income forgone as a result of strength discounts before evaluating management strategies for overcoming tender wool.

This study examined industry and a case-study farm data to determine if poor staple strength is a problem in south western Victoria.  These data showed that almost one third of all wool sold had poor staple strengths.

The severity of price discounts for tender wool vary from one year to the next.  In years of high wool prices, and therefore high premiums and discounts, staple strength was a key contributor to profitability. 

In these years, the profits from wool of sound strength was almost double that from tender wool.  However, in years when wool prices and discounts were low, the profit differences from strong and tender wool were marginal, and had little effect on final profits.Strategies to reduce tender wool however add to the production costs.

It was estimated that to increase the staple strength of the wool of breeding ewes by 5 N/ktex costs $3.29/head.  In years of high prices, this cost is outweighed by the increased returns (for example, $8.98/ewe in 2001-02, and $7.09/ewe in 2002-03) but in years of lower wool prices, it decreased profits.

by Sarah Paterson, 2006 Joyce Gillespie Bursary recipient

This abstract summarises the research Sarah undertook for her Honours year in Agriculture and Commerce at The University of Melbourne last year.

The relative performances and interactions between different mixes of enterprises on a sheep-cropping case-study farm in western Victoria were analysed. The enterprises included in the study were a Merino stud, a commercial Merino flock, a first-cross prime lamb operation, and a cereal-oilseed cropping enterprise.

The profitability of combinations of these enterprises was examined using the following criteria: gross margin per hectare, operating profit, return on assets, risk, and alignment with the farmer's goals and objectives.

The risks associated with cropping compared with livestock enterprises, and the ratio of commercial Merino ewes to stud Merino ewes, most strongly influenced the best mix of enterprises for the case-study farm.

For this case-study farm, the following enterprise mix was predicted to provide the best increase in profitability for a level of risk that acceptable to the owner;

• 60 percent of land dedicated to cropping,
• 20 percent dedicated to the commercial Merino flock,
• 5 percent to the stud Merino flock and
• 15 percent to the prime lamb operation.

This enterprise mix was also deemed to be practical and feasible, and aligned well with the farmer's goals and objectives. This study showed that there are many combinations of sheep and cropping enterprises that can lead to successful and profitable farm businesses. Reasons why one mix of enterprises is adopted on one farm, and not on another, strongly relate to the goals and objectives of the farmer, together with the physical and financial resources of the farm.