Walk around a property in Balnarring, early July
Report by Sally Barnett
Brett Tonkin from RAGT, visited a property in Balnarring to discuss the merits of pasture management.
Brett gave many useful insights into different pasture species and their benefits to horses.
He encouraged all landowners to use soil tests, ideally every 3 years, as the starting point for decisions around balancing the soil as well as adding nutrients.
Armed with this knowledge and the understanding of the land conditions, wet vs dry, clay vs sandy for example, an appropriate choice of seed mix can be made.
The best time to assess pastures is around 2-3 weeks after the "autumn break” (first decent rain in autumn) and again in July/August to see which weeds are present and how much coverage of preferred species there is.
Walking paddocks is the best way to get your eye in!
Match pasture varieties to soil type and soil fertility for the best chance of survival.
Tall fescue is great for heavy clay soils and wetter areas whilst cocksfoot is a great perennial for lighter, sandier soils.
Make sure the tall fescue purchased is endophyte-free.
Prairie grass is a great option for over-sowing thinning pastures and is suitable for horses as it has no endophyte and is low in sugars.
Avoid ryegrass in the diet as it contains high amounts of sugars.
We discussed various ways to sow seed often determined by the size of the area to be managed.
Finally, timing is an important factor which can influence the success of the sowing process.
Following Brett’s walk-and-talk all participants enjoyed morning tea and question time on the deck.
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