Winter Forage: A Path to Permanent Pastures

By following these best practices and adhering to label guidelines, producers can optimise their pasture management and ensure sustainable outcomes for future plantings.

Short Term Options for Long Term Gain

One of the key factors determining the success of establishing permanent pasture is the amount of weed burden in the paddock.
Clean up phases for pasture establishment can often be long and expensive, and all that hard work can be undone by missing a spray due to inclement weather; Not to mention the productivity cost if the country sat aside for permanent pasture, is kept in a fallow for extended periods of time to achieve the correct level of weed control.

A perfect option to minimise production loss and still provide robust and flexible weed control 
is the utilisation of an annual winter forage, such as a forage cereal, annual ryegrass or co-planted forages

All options will add productivity to your farming business, however it is critical to understand what weeds you are trying to eliminate before selecting species or variety.
For example, Forage cereals such as Sorcerer and Warlock provide excellent options for in-crop control of broadleaf weeds, however Tycoon or Magnate provide the flexible option for grass control compared to forage oats.

Mixes, especially Multi-Species mixes with a large variety of species prove challenging to provide robust options for weed control, if any! This needs to be considered for adequate weed control if leading into a permanent pasture.

Annual Ryegrass such as Hogan, Fuze or Vortex provide the simplest addition and can be easily added to a forage cereal program, providing a large increase to feed quality without compromising weed control. 

Annual Ryegrass's have a number of herbicides registered for reliable control of key weeds, allowing for the flexible control of weeds along with plant-back times for the intended future permanent pasture.
It is critical to always stick to the label when using herbicides, ensuring you are adhering to intended use patterns and restricted plant-back periods.