For many, sheep are integral part of their business and something they love, while for others sheep work is something that must be done.
And while the juggling act between sheep and cropping can be difficult and confusing, research conducted in 2016 showed that grazing cereals had no negative impact on yield, thus giving the opportunity for the two systems to integrate better on-farm.
As part of the Grain and Graze 3 project funded by the GRDC, trials were conducted at Warmur to investigate the effect of grazing on wheat and barley.
BCG livestock and farming systems manager Alison Frischke said the excellent 2016 season gave crops the opportunity to recover after grazing.
“There can be many benefits associated with grazing crops including in heavier crops due to managing canopy, minimizing lodging and reducing disease,” she said.
“Grazing crops can also be used to delay maturity reducing the risk of frost.”
This is especially the case for short season varieties sown early, that flowering will occur in the peak risk period for frost.
Six wheat varieties and eight barley varieties were included in the trial in 2016. BCG members can find the results in the ‘Cereal variety and nitrogen response to grazing’ article in the 2016 Seasons Research Results compendium.
Further research conducted at Kalkee showed an increase in yield in Fathom barley when grazed at growth stage 30 (end of tillering).
BCG research and extension officer Jess Lemon said the yield increase was likely to be a result of the reduction in the height of the crop which reduced lodging and header losses.”
The results, which are presented and discussed in detail in the ‘Grazing and row spacing effect on barley’ article demonstrate that cropping systems and livestock systems can work hand in hand to provide increased benefit to your farm business.
Given the prices of cereal grain in 2016, the opportunity to leverage with grazing, enables growers to access the higher lamb prices, without having a negative effect on crop yields.
With planning for 2017 sowing currently underway, BCG recommends that growers take into consideration how grazing some of your cereal crops might assist management in 2017, and how this could benefit your overall farm business.
Other grazing research conducted by BCG can be found at the links below:
Versatile oats of the Wimmera Mallee, 2016
Grazed wheat crop responses, 2015
Mallee grain and grazing oat evaluation, 2015
There are also a few resources produced through the Grain and Graze 3 project, which can be found at the following links:
