Devondaler-June-2015

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12 JUNE <strong>2015</strong> DEVONDALE MURRAY GOULBURN Maximise pasture growth this winter NITROGEN is an essential nutrient important for plant growth. It assists chlorophyll production, which gives a plant its dark green colour. A lack of nitrogen usually results in yellowing of the leaves. In ryegrasses, nitrogen deficiency is often first noticed with yellowing of the oldest leaves, but then moves to the younger leaves in severe cases. Without sufficient nitrogen a plant cannot optimise sunlight for energy, limiting essential functions and restricting the plant from reaching its full growth potential. Soil micro-organisms are useful in helping to breakdown soil nutrients including nitrogen, however as the soil temperatures get cooler, they become less active. Supplementing soil nitrogen levels with fertilisers in the cooler months is common practice for maintaining adequate levels of nitrogen to continue plant growth. Urea is the most commonly used nitrogen-based fertiliser and the most concentrated providing 46 per cent nitrogen, Supplementing soil nitrogen levels with fertilisers in the cooler months is common practice. which usually makes it the best value nitrogen product (cheapest $/kg nitrogen) for pasture, provided it is used correctly. Urea is normally applied at between 60-120 kg/ha, in an application. The application rate can vary due to a number of reasons, such as existing soil nitrogen levels, grazing rotation length, feed demand, soil moisture and temperature, pasture composition and density and soil type. These all potentially influence the desired growth response per kg nitrogen applied. Responses from nitrogen applied in winter can vary significantly, but typically 1kg of nitrogen can result in 10kg of Dry Matter (DM) per hectare on grass pasture in good growing conditions. (example: 1kg nitrogen = 10kg DM; 100kg Urea = 460 kg DM). Where additional feed can be utilised, nitrogen is usually always the cheapest source of additional feed. Promoting growth with nitrogen only works when the plant is growing. There has to be growth for the nitrogen to be utilised, so more nitrogen isn’t always better. Other nutrients levels, such as phosphorus, potassium and sulphur availability, can also influence the response to the applied nitrogen. Low soil temperature can also lead to low sulphur availability. Similar to nitrogen, sulphur is also helps to make chlorophyll and sulphur deficiency can be confused with the symptoms of nitrogen deficiency. But unlike nitrogen, sulphur deficiency is usually first seen as yellowing in the newer leaves. So, best practice for applying nitrogen is as follows: ● Apply nitrogen when stock can be held off the area for a minimum 21 days. Annual grasses and brassica species in particular, can accumulate excess nitrate nitrogen and become toxic to stock that are not conditioned to eating them. These are likely to be dry, or young, stock that do not have high daily energy intakes from grain. ● Apply nitrogen with phosphorous, potassium and sulphur if there is a likelihood that these nutrients are also deficient. Asoil test can assist in identifying this. ● Be strategic with the nitrogen application. Nitrogen applications generally follow the grazing rotation, which along with reducing the ill effects to livestock, will also assist in achieving the greatest economic benefit from the nitrogen fertiliser. ● Consider the use of natural growth hormones, such as Gibberellic acid (such as ProGibb SG or RyzUp), to enhance nitrogen responses, particularly on pastures that are a winter dormant grass. NOTE: You may need to shorten your grazing rotation to achieve maximum benefit from these products. MG Trading is able to provide an end-to-end solution for your fertiliser requirements in most areas including blends, bulk deliveries, field bins and spreading options. Contact your local MG Trading Store, Fertiliser Depot, or Agronomist to see what can be done for you.
DEVONDALE MURRAY GOULBURN JUNE <strong>2015</strong> 13 Half a new dairy is better than none By SUE WEBSTER HALF a herringbone is better than none. Just ask Pat Purcell. The slick, new 16-unit swingover is a one-sided herringbone fitted to take a second side sometime in the future. The new shed abuts the old four-unit timber walk-through that at one time handled up to 140 crossbreeds at Pat’s farm on the floodplain of the Brodribb River at Marlo in East Gippsland. Milking used to take up to three hours. Now, with a herd varying between 50 and 80, milking through his new demiherringbone takes half that time. He has a relief milker two days a week and the old farm dog Pugsy, a blue heeler/terrier cross, comes in handy, although a new dog is awaiting training. The old shed is now used for storing junk and Pat is delighted with the shiny new piece of technology that has turned up on his farm. Oh … and I forgot to mention his age. Pat is 82. How long will he keep working in his new shed? “We’ll just have to see,” he said. He had four children but none of them want to take on the farm. Pat came into milking late in life. He was a farm hand as a teen, then at about age 18, he joined bush crews and roamed widely through East Gippsland until suddenly the Australian Paper Mill logging contract stopped. The sub-contractors went, so did all the equipment and Pat and his partner, Ella, went milking, initially leasing a farm at Orbost for two years. “I always wanted to be a dairy farmer,” he said. “And then, in 1982, we were driving around one day when Ella saw this ‘for sale’ sign for this farm. So we bought it.” And the place hasn’t changed much since then. There are no laneways and the cows just wander up for milking. There’s no renovation to the 80ha of ryegrass/kikuyu pasture which floods in high water. He doesn’t bother with conserving fodder, he just buys it all in. During floods he simply brings the animals up onto the high ground. Don’t ask him how much feed they get, or how much milk they produce. Components, rolling Pat Purcell is all smiles in his new dairy at Marlo. herd averages, dry matter …. he just smiles and shrugs. The small-framed animals look well-formed and well-fed. Fertility is close to 100 per cent off a Jersey bull chosen for calving ease. The herd is spring-calving and Pat rears all his own replacements. Even on this sometimes muddy country, he only cops three of four cases of mastitis a year. Some of the girls are old too, he admits, maybe up to 12 years. So how did they make the transition to the new shed? Pat rolled his eyes. “The first four months wasn’t very funny but they’re alright now.” Ella helped out with the milking in the old shed but grew increasingly weary. In 2011 she was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare cancer of the heart and in 17 days she was gone. Pat hit some bad health of his own. And that’s when friends stepped in. He asked Dawn, a widowed friend from the Latrobe Valley, to come and help run the place and a local dairy farmer, Geoff Morgan, offered to help Pat build the herringbone. An experienced concreter, Geoff did the raised platform and concreting, leaving Pat only to have to pay for the shed and fittings. “He built all that out of the kindness of his heart.” Meanwhile, the cows have milked out and there are no automatic cup removers. Pat notices the observation bowls are dry and quickly starts removing the clusters. “Better get these off or else they’ll go cross-eyed,” he laughed.
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Devondaler-June-2015

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