1. Pasture Production for Dairy & Beef
Findings from Greener Pastures
Martin Staines & the Greener Pastures Team

2. What was Greener Pastures
trying to achieve?
For farmers
• More profitable use of N to produce pasture and milk
• Options to reduce N losses from pasture systems
• Increased production through better management
For the general community
• Environmental policy based on hard data, not presumption
• Confidence that industry is managing N responsibly

3. What did we do?
• 2005-2009 for research/extension activities
– 2010 for analysing & writing up
• Research at Vasse Research Centre
– GP-1: 5 N Response Farmlets, 2 Innovation
Farmlets, component research
– GP-2: 2 Farmlets
• Research on 4 Commercial Partner Farms
– Wide range fertiliser experiments
– Partner farmers contributed critical thinking
• Developed in close collaboration with industry
• Input from Industry Steering Group

4. -1100
0
1100
2200
3300
0 2 4 6 8 10
53 WA dairy farms - Red Sky 07/08 & 08/09
Why do we care about pasture use?
Operating Profit $/ha
Pasture Utilisation t DM/ha

5. -1100
0
1100
2200
3300
0 2 4 6 8 10
53 WA dairy farms - Red Sky 07/08 & 08/09
Why do we care about pasture use?
Operating Profit $/ha
Pasture Utilisation t DM/ha
On average, 1 tonne extra pasture
used increased farm profit by $319

6. -1100
0
1100
2200
3300
0 2 4 6 8 10
53 WA dairy farms - Red Sky 07/08 & 08/09
Why do we care about pasture use?
Operating Profit $/ha
Pasture Utilisation t DM/ha
On average, 1 tonne extra pasture
used increased farm profit by $319
1 tonne extra
over 200 ha =
$64,000 extra profit

7. How to increase your pasture use
• Grazing management,
• Grazing management….
• & Grazing management!

8. How to increase your pasture use
• Grazing management,
• Grazing management….
• & Grazing management!
• Soil pH 5.5
• Soil P, K and S adequate
• Nitrogen fertiliser

9. Response to N fertiliser is
limited by the cow
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
PastureusetDM/ha
N fertiliser kg/ha/day
WA 0708 RedSky
GP '07 &'08

10. So what about
grazing management?

11. N fertiliser drives pasture growth
Right..?
More N
fertiliser
INCREASES
pasture growth rate

12. N fertiliser drives pasture growth
Right..?
More N
fertiliser
INCREASES
pasture growth rate ?

13. No N +N
N fertiliser (kg/ha) 0 50
Pasture growth rate (kg DM/ha/d) 40 55
Pasture just grazed (kg DM/ha) 1500 1500
Pasture at next grazing (kg DM/ha) 2500 2500
Days regrowth 25 18
Leaf stage 2.5 1.8
N fertiliser drives pasture growth
Right..?

14. No N +N
N fertiliser (kg/ha) 0 50
Pasture growth rate (kg DM/ha/d) 40 55
Pasture just grazed (kg DM/ha) 1500 1500
Pasture at next grazing (kg DM/ha) 2500 2500
Days regrowth 25 18
Leaf stage 2.5 1.8
N fertiliser drives pasture growth
Right..?
Extra N fertiliser
=
faster rotation speed???

15. No N +N
N fertiliser (kg/ha) 0 50
Pasture growth rate (kg DM/ha/d) 40 55
Pasture just grazed (kg DM/ha) 1500 1500
Pasture at next grazing (kg DM/ha) 2500 2500
Days regrowth 25 18
Leaf stage 2.5 1.8
N fertiliser drives pasture growth
Right..?
Extra N fertiliser
=
faster rotation speed???

16. More N
fertiliser
INCREASES
pasture growth rate Faster
rotation speed
REDUCES
pasture growth rate
N fertiliser drives pasture growth
… but don’t sell yourself short!

17. Grazing management to get the most
out of N fertiliser
No N +N
+N
+management
N fertiliser (kg/ha) 0 50 50
Pasture growth rate (kg DM/ha/d) 40 55 60
Pasture just grazed (kg DM/ha) 1500 1500 1500
Pasture at next grazing (kg DM/ha) 2500 2500 3000
Days regrowth 25 18 25
Leaf stage 2.5 1.8 2.5
Maintain your rotation speed
at 2.5-3 leaves with N fertiliser

18. Greener Pastures II
What we knew from pot & plot experiments
• Grazing at 3 leaves achieves higher pasture
growth than grazing at 2 leaves
• Most profitable N fertiliser use will be achieved by
grazing at 2½-3 leaves than 1½-2 leaves
Would it work in the paddock?

19. Comparing 3-leaf with 2-leaf grazing
3-leaf v. 2-leaf
Perennials 38 28
(34-49) (24-41)
Annuals 36 30
(29-45) (23-37)
ROTATION SPEED (d)
• Farmlet study Mar’09 to Mar’10
• 45 cows per herd
• Half irrigated, half dryland pasture

20. Pasture height & quality
Mean pasture height (cm)
3-leaf v. 2-leaf
Perennials 11 9
Annuals 13 10
Residuals maintained at 5 cm
3-leaf 2-leaf 3-leaf 2-leaf
CP% 20 19 18 20
NDF% 52 51 51 52
ME 12.5 12.3 11.8 11.7
PerennialsAnnuals

21. Does grazing at 3 vs 2 leaves
increase pasture use?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
3-leaf
2-leaf
Annuals (6 months)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
01Jun 01Jul 01Aug 01Sep 01Oct 01Nov 01Dec
3-leaf
2-leaf
+20%
+2%
NO, but…YES!
Perennials (10 months)
Jun Aug Oct Dec
JunApr Aug Oct Dec

22. What 20% more pasture use means
1 tonne extra
over 200 ha =
$64,000 extra profit

23. Key Messages
• Pasture management still key to increased farm
profit. Crucial to get the most from N fertiliser
• Correct rotation speed is important
– Annuals: 20% more pasture use at 3 v 2-leaf grazing
– Perennials: no difference at Vasse
• High fertiliser N doesn’t increase animal
production
• High fertiliser N & short rotations (<2L) bad for
animal production, cow health & environment

24. Where to from here?
• Economic analysis of all the data from
Greener Pastures: from production to profit
• Seasonal responses to N fertiliser
Fine tuning of the 1 kg/ha/day guideline
• Some long term fertiliser trials continue
• Publication of all results
• Consultation with industry to set the future
priorities for 2012+