Species selection supports enterprise diversity

Case study: Peter and Regina Dooley
Location: Warncoort, Victoria
Property size: 818ha
Average annual rainfall: 600mm
Soils: Basalt country with loams to heavy clay soils and some rocky areas
Enterprises: Mixed farming system — cereal cropping (canola, red and white wheat, barley and linseed), prime lambs, dairy heifer agistment

Key messages

• Phalaris was shown to be a worthwhile pasture species in difficult soil conditions.
• Perennial ryegrass established faster than phalaris, but was not as tolerant of the sodic, cracking clay soils and crickets.
• When established, the phalaris-based pastures must be appropriately managed to encourage production, persistence and increase legume content.
• Trial and error proved that an initial annual ryegrass crop and minimal cultivation is a successful method for establishing phalaris in wet areas.

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Note: This case study was developed as part of the EverGraze project during 2009.