Finding a contractor to advise on pasture establishment

4 posts
Tue, 01/29/2013 - 16:07 #1

Member for

11 years 10 months
FarmerJ
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 01/29/2013 - 15:40

Finding a contractor to advise on pasture establishment

Hey there!

I have a small property in West Gippsland area which we run horses on. There is a 7 acre back paddock which I'm looking at planting a pasture crop(maybe lucerne) for cutting as hay. Horses only consume money so I'm hoping I can offset some costs by selling feed to other horsey people.

I'm ok with the details as far as the cutting and baling goes, but have no idea where to start or look for help on the pasture establishment side of things. From what I have researched, we basically need to plan ahead to get on top of weeds and ensure we have suitable soil profile before we can sow.

I dont know a lot of local farmers to query for information unfortunately, my partner in the property lives on it and manages the horses but I currently live and work in Melbourne and spend weekends working on the property. Who do I talk to about assessing the paddock, soil, weed control, suitable pasture crop, establishment costs and time frames etc.

Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated!

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Wed, 01/30/2013 - 10:25 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi there,

I am sure that one of the Farmstyle consltants will be able to help you with this. If you click on the consulting header at the top of the page it will open a page where you can leave your details and I'm sure that they will be happy to get back to you.

cheers

Barb

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Fri, 02/01/2013 - 18:27 #3
charlie
Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44

Hi Farmer J,

If you plan on sowing improved pastures you will need to start to plan 12 to 18 months in advance. This will give you time to control weeds, build up soil fertility and correct and soil ph or structural problems.

I would try and see if your local rural store has an agronomist, they will be able to assist with all of the matters (planning and preparation, soil testing, species selection, management) you have raised. Some times they can be a bit reluctant dealing with smaller holdings as they provide the advice for free and make their money by selling farming products.

If you don't have any luck with a local agronomist my next step would be to try and find a local territory manager from a seed company. They travel around the country side and provide free advice which is usually pretty sound as they want the pastures they sell to perform well so farmers keep using them.

I hope this is of assistance and please let us all know how your pasture program works out.

Charlie

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Wed, 02/06/2013 - 11:46 #4
FarmerJ
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 01/29/2013 - 15:40

I managed to get onto an independant seed specialist who's coming out to take a look at the paddock and provide me with an idea of whats required. Hopefully it will be end up being a worthwhile project. Thanks for the advice.

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