The market for oaten hay and grain has risen substantially in recent years. This trend has been largely driven by an increasing demand for export hay and the recent drought in southern Australia which depleted hay stocks and increased demand for seed.
There has also been a resurgence in demand for milling oats due to an increased interest in their many health benefits and demand from Asian consumers.
In 2016 BCG established a trial at its main research site at Warmur to evaluate oat varieties in the southern Mallee for multiple uses – early feed, hay and grain production.
At the Main Field Day on September 14, oat specialist Pamela Zwer spoke to growers about new oat varieties and their suitability for Wimmera and Mallee environments.
Dr Zwer has led the national oat breeding program at SARDI for almost 20 years which focuses on improving oat varieties for grain and hay yield potential, disease resistance, and hay and grain quality.
She provided information and tips for growers on growing oats, disease management and the agronomic benefits of including an oat crop into the rotation and encouraged them to sign up to the Oat breeding newsletter to receive the most current information.
Dr Zwer’s full presentation is now available to listen to on BCG’s podcast channel, ‘BCG in Focus‘. Click on the link below for more.
