Always learning
Jason Collins, manager of NAPCO’s Cungelella Station, has sown and trialled a number of pasture legumes to improve the sustainability of the Buffel grass pasture and improve animal performance.
Jason began Progardes® trials in 2010, with an initial planting of 250 hectares on an old Buffel grass paddock that was renovated with a savannah plough and Progardes® seed broadcast on the surface. Ten years later, this paddock is an excellent stand of Buffel and Progardes®, with a stable population of approximately 3-5 plants of Progardes® per square metre.
“The cattle regularly gain an additional 40 kilograms per head compared to steers on adjacent Buffel alone paddocks,” Jason says.
Following the success of the initial trial, Jason trialled a number of other pasture establishment techniques and some 4000 hectares of Progardes® have now been sown at Cungelella.
“Our results have demonstrated that seedbed preparation and having stored soil moisture are key to good legume establishment. This means reducing Buffel competition and ensuring good soil-seed contact,” Jason says.
Jason & Donna Collins, Springsure, Queensland
