Course details
| Name: |
Farming native pastures |
| Description: |
Three half-days for land managers with native pastures used for grazing. Participants will be able to recognise local native plants, their life cycles, potential management options and value to whole farm pasture production. Decision support tools will be provided to help participants make better management choices to improve economic performance while protecting conservation values. |
| Cost: |
$460 (GST incl)
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| Course aims: |
- To assist graziers to better manage their native pastures, generating greater profit while maintaining or improving their conservation value.
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| Learning outcomes: |
Participants will:
- be able to recognise their main native pasture species throughout the year.
- understand where native pastures best fit in their farm system.
- have tools to monitor plant phenology to inform better grazing management decisions.
- understand the management choices that drive change in composition, sustainability and production.
- be able to objectively assess the costs and returns from alternate management options.
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| Length: |
3 half-days |
| Course program/structure: |
Session One – Knowing your native pastures (3 hrs)
Introduction
- What is a native pasture?
- Native grasslands
- Modified Native pastures
- Highly productive native pastures
Plant Recognition
- Practical activity, outdoors using local species and information sheets for each species, with quality and management details
- where known. It will also include strategies for monitoring pasture composition.
Plant Phenology
- What is phenology? How pasture plant phenology affects pasture quality.
- How to record phenology using the phenology calendar.
- How to use this information on your property.
Session Two – Grazing your pastures (4 hrs)
How native pastures contribute to the farm system.
- Use the “Grazclock” computer decision support tool to gaps and opportunities in your annual feed budget. Time is allowed for participants to use the Grazclock.
Grazing management
- Defining stocking rate vs carrying capacity.
- Impacts of stocking rate, timing of grazing, selective grazing and different grazing systems. Includes paddock walk to look at
- effects of grazing on farm.
Session Three – Management Options & Economics (3 hrs)
Pasture modification and improving production.
- Native vegetation legislation
- Limits to production – soil fertility, rainfall etc.
- Impacts of fertiliser
- Impacts of herbicide use
- Threats from weeds
- Improvement risks
- Economics
- Use Pasture Cashflow Calculator (PCC) decisions support tool to determine relative pay back periods for various practices and improvement options discussed in the session above. Time is allowed for participants to use the PCC.
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| Resources and method of delivery: |
Participants receive a course manual and copies of two spreadsheet based decision support tools.
This course is delivered on farm combining:
- indoor presentation
- outdoor instruction
- Hands on use of computer decision support tools.
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Register
Contact us to register your interest in this course.
Other dates and locations are available on demand.
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