Clean slate offers perennial opportunity
Case study: Philip and Lucy Headlam
Location: Pipers Brook, northern Tasmania
Property size: 184ha
Average annual rainfall: 750mm
Soil types: Loams and sandy loams with a clay hard pan — fairly shallow soils
Enterprise mix: Self-replacing Coopworth and Coopworth x Corriedale ewes, store lamb production.
Philip and Lucy Headlam were excited about starting with a clean slate on their 184ha grazing property at Pipers Brook. And a strategic approach has seen them investigate all the options when it comes to establishing productive and persistent perennial pastures.
On-farm trials under real-farm conditions allow Philip and Lucy to explore which species will thrive in their environment. (Photo: Catriona Nicholls)
Key points
- Purchasing a bush block has allowed Philip and Lucy Headlam to develop the ideal grazing property, with a sustainable mix of productive pastures with native shelter belts.
- When looking for a suitable perennial pasture option, the Headlams look for pastures that are productive, persistent and maintain a high feed value throughout the growing season.
- On-farm pasture trials identify pastures that will perform under local soil and climatic conditions and existing management practices.
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Note: This case study originally appeared in the former Future Farm industries CRC Future Farm magazine during August 2013.