It was a chilly afternoon in Abba River for the June Grazing Matcher meeting at Jane and Peter’s farm, Boltham Downs.
It was consensus amongst the group that our catchment has had a slow start to the season. Dan Parnell explained that the below-average June temperatures have been causing a slow leaf emergence, with pasture taking its time with its growth. This is putting a lot of stress on farmers to keep animals fed. It seems most are relying on hay stores and anxiously waiting for growth in their paddocks, which was reflected in Dan’s pot-simulation farm!
Dan also gave a master class on calculating the cost of production annually to compare and monitor a farm’s efficiency.
Jeisane Accioly ran the group through the fundamentals of how to condition-score a cow and why it is important to do this. Condition scoring is a management tool designed to assess body reserves of an animal. It’s a great method for critically examining the nutritional status of a herd.
The Grazing Matcher program helps to increase farmer knowledge and skills in best practice grazing management to improve productivity and profits while minimising impacts to the environment.
