Species selection supports enterprise diversity
Case study: Richard and Emily Gardner
Location: Tunbridge, Tasmania
Property size: 2600ha
Average annual rainfall: 465mm
Soils: Highly variable shallow duplex soils — sands to heavy clays
Enterprises: Mixed farming system — 750 cow dairy, sheep, irrigated and dryland pastures and cropping (poppies, grazing winter cereals)
Key messages
- Diverse enterprises including livestock, dryland and irrigated cropping (including poppies) give greater flexibility and less exposure to risk.
- Choosing pasture species has required balancing seasonal productivity, feed quality and persistence under both irrigated and dryland conditions.
- Winter-active lucerne offers a persistent and productive option for prime lamb production, hay and silage production and a five-year rotation leading into a two-year poppy phase.
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