Research on grazing cereals is producing some excellent results in five regions - Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins (VIC), Northern Agricultural Region (WA), Mallee (NSW, VIC, SA), Eyre Peninsula (SA) and Murrumbidgee (NSW).

New Grazing Winter Cereals Feed Budget Calculator

The calculator has been developed to assist in developing a grazing plan for grazing winter cereals. The calculator enables two different calculations to be made, either;

• The number of stock to graze a paddock over a set period of time.
• The number of grazing days for a paddock with a set number of animals.

Download the Grazing Winter Cereals Feed Budget Calculator »

Grazing Cereals Can Pay Off

• Grazing cereals (for grain recovery) can increase income/ha in medium-high rainfall areas.
• You can reliably graze dual-purpose cereals with near zero expected yield loss.
• A whole range of cereals can be utilized by livestock without negative effects on profits or the crop.
• There is an opportunity for livestock managers to improve production and profitability of their flocks.

Trial results suggest there's a substantial and untapped store of early winter grazing in paddocks of wheat, barley and triticale sown for grain.

The trial in Western Victoria showed grazing Yerong barley at the vegetative growth stages - up to stem elongation:
� had no adverse effect on eventual grain yield and even improved yield slightly,
� reduced stubble levels slightly, promising easier sowing in the following season, and
� reduced the need to graze new or re-germinating legume pastures in early winter.

Grazing at or after the start of stem elongation provided more dry matter for livestock, and dramatically decreased stubble loads, but came at significant loss of grain yield. 

Media Releases on Grazing Cereals	Grain & Grazing - The Best of Both Worlds Dual purpose cereals are helping the Caithness family of Bairnsdale, Victoria successfully run cattle in a traditionally wool growing district. 15 June 2007.
	To Graze or Not to Graze is the Question At average prices for grain and stock, grazing a wheat crop could be more profitable in 70 per cent of years in low rainfall, poor soil zones in WA's Northern Agricultural Region.19 May 2007.
	Eating His Grain and Keeping it Too A Victorian prime lamb producer uses dual purpose barley in winter to boost ewe condition before lambing. 18 April 2007.
	Graze and Still Get Grain Trials from the Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins region in Victoria found that grazing Yerong barley up to stem elongation had no adverse effect on eventual grain yield and reduced stubble levels slightly. 13 March 2007.
Trial Results on Grazing Cereals	Trial Results Corangamite/G-H 2006  (pdf - 804KB)
	Trial Results Grazing Cereals Eyre Peninsula SA (pdf - 71KB)