19 April 2007

The release by the Grain & Graze program of five new fact sheets about perennial pastures and their potential in the Central West/Lachlan region of New South Wales reflects increasing producer interest in these species and their place in mixed farming systems.

According to Grain & Graze Central West/Lachlan regional coordinator, Jodie Dean, while the release of the fact sheets ensured information put together by producers and NSW DPI would reach farmers across the region, the data in them would also complement other Grain & Graze research on pasture cropping and alley-farming with Old Man Saltbush.

"The first of the fact sheets covers the reasons for making more use of perennials in livestock production while the others provide specialised information on native perennial species, introduced perennial species, Old Man Saltbush and lucerne," Ms Dean said.

"They need to have that range of information because of the Central West/Lachlan region's large spread of environments from east to west and its varied rainfall zones.

"The further west you go, for instance, the more native pastures you find, while that situation reverses as you move east, where introduced pasture species are more common."

Ms Dean says many producers in central west New South Wales are aware of the production benefits of perennial pastures - introduced and native - but the fact sheets will also stress their potential to lower water tables and salinity risk, prevent wind and water erosion and increase biodiversity.

Traditional grain crops tend to be shallow rooted while the roots of perennial pasture species reach much deeper into the soil profile, accessing and utilising water lost from annual-based systems and reducing the risk of salinity.

And salt tolerant species - like Old Man Saltbush - thrive in and around saline areas to lower water tables and dry out the soil profile, eventually allowing more salt sensitive species to be grown.

"While perennial native species are fundamentally important in maintaining or hopefully improving biodiversity in the landscape, they can be much more productive than many farmers think," Ms Dean said.

"They have developed over many centuries to cope with local environments and many of them can perform as well as introduced species when they are fertilised and mixed with productive legumes.

"They're also valuable because they are there all the time, they protect soil from wind and water erosion, they are deep rooted and some are drought evasive, which is why they are the basis of the associated research Grain & Graze is doing, including pasture cropping and alley-farming with Old Man Saltbush."

Ms Dean said the five fact sheets could be viewed at http://www.cwfs.org.au/graingraze0.0.html or
www.grainandgraze.com.au/Regions/Central_West_-_Lachlan/index.aspx with free copies available from her on 02 6895 1015 or email grain.graze@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

For information about the Grain & Graze Program, contact Jodie Dean, Grain & Graze Regional Coordinator for the Central West/Lachlan Region, on 02 6895 1015; Richard Price, National Coordinator, on 02 6295 6300, mobile 0409 624 297; Gillian Stewart on 02 6263 6042; Lynne Sealie on 02 6263 6021 or visit www.grainandgraze.com.au.

Grain & Graze Regional Coordinators

Avon Region - Linda Leonard - 08 9690 2191
Border Rivers Region - Rachel Charles - 07 4671 7900
Central West/Lachlan Region - Jodie Dean - 02 6895 1015
Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins Region - Cam Nicholson - 03 5258 3860
Eyre Peninsula Region - Alison Frischke - 08 8680 6223
Mallee Region - Zubair Shahzad - 03 50 219 103
Maranoa/Balonne Region - Stephen Ginns - 07 4620 8122
Murrumbidgee Region - Katrina Sait - 02 6924 4633
Northern Agricultural Region - Philip Barrett-Lennard - 08 94750753