Adaptive Forage Planning
Seasonal growing conditions in Victoria have always been highly variable. Fluctuating seasonal conditions and fodder prices associated with climatic variability have increased the difficulty of farming in this environment. In addition, the usual cost-price squeeze felt by businesses still requires businesses to perform at an optimum level.
The gap between herd requirements and average pasture production potential has altered, with more years where pasture production will not meet herd requirements. This means that the variability of pasture growth is having a greater impact and the Adaptive Forage Planning Project (AFP) was set up to explore the options open to farmers.
The AFP project aims were to;
- Provide information (e.g. weather forecasts and market information) to help dairy farmers make feeding decisions. These decisions will include whether they should grow crops to feed the cows or change feed purchasing strategies.
- To provide information to help growers choose and manage appropriate crops that manages the risk of a changing climate, including changing market signals.
- To help both cropping and dairy farmers understand each others businesses to enable them to work more effectively together to achieve better outcomes for both groups.
To achieve the project aims a variety of methods and activities were used. Examples of some of the methods or activities are;
- A large contribution to “milking the weather” climate newsletter which is published around 4 times a year. This contribution is to help dairy farmers know how to make use of the climatic information to make decisions on their farms.
- Produce regular articles and media updates to inform dairy farmers and their service providers about climatic and market signals to inform feed growing and purchasing decisions.
- Run field days on a variety of relevant topics to help assist forage growers to select and manage forage options. Examples of some of these field days are;
- What to sow and should I water it?
- Cereals – Know when to cut?
- Grazing cereals on dairy farms
- Conserving cereals
- Getting the best from cereals
- Cereals vs Ryegrass
- Adaptive forage planning discussion night
- Run one irrigation and two dryland forage demonstration sites to help forage growers assess the suitability of different forages for their circumstances.
- Dairy, Fodder and Feed Grain farmers update, which aimed at helping both the cropping and dairy industries understand each others businesses better.
During the life of the project there has been some high quality information generated which has been developed into a useful resource of factsheets.
Read more:
Notes from the Adaptive Forage Planning Discussion Day 1, 9 & 10 September 2009
Notes from the Adaptive Forage Planning Discussion Day 2, 17 and 25 November 2009
Notes from the Adaptive Forage Planning Discussion Night 3, 18 February and 15 March 2010
For more information, contact:
Tom Farren, DPI Tatura, phone: 03 5833 5297
Greg O'Brien, DPI Ellinbank, phone: 03 5624 2222
Frank Mickan, DPI Ellinbank, phone: 03 5624 2222
Rachael Campbell, DPI Colac, phone: 03 5233 5507
