BeefBoosta

 

BeefBoosta™ is a soil specific legume blend designed for superior growth characteristics, quality and persistence in tropical & sub-tropical pastures to boost beef production. With the ability to suit many farm situations, BeefBoosta can significantly improve feed quality and pasture productivity through plant driven Nitrogen fixation, so you get more out of every paddock. 

With resilient and productive legume species, the BeefBoosta Range may help to re-establish pastures in pasture dieback areas. BeefBoosta can be added to an existing pasture or planted stand alone. Best of all it does not induce cattle bloat

BeefBoosta is the perfect addition to any Meatmaster or custom mix to help lift productivity and improve soil health.  With a multitude of legume species, environmental suitability is perfect to combat the natural variation that occurs across farms and within paddocks, ensuring that you get more out of every hectare

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BeefBoosta Range

BeefBoosta Heavy Soils
Heavy & cracking clays

BeefBoosta Medium Soils
Lighter medium textured soils

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Where to use BeefBoosta

• An addition to Tropical Grass Pasture System
• Tropical & Sub-Tropical medium to higher rainfall zones
• Legume component in a high performance custom mix
• Ideal for over-sow of pasture dieback situations
• Ideal for variable summer rainfall environments, with multiple flowering windows and good drought tolerance
• Beef Finishing Operations, with ability to use grazing management strategies
• Highly recommended for Tropical systems, for higher animal productivity & potential for pasture productivity improvement.

 

Benefits of sowing BeefBoosta

• Long term option to improve feed quality and productivity of existing tropical pastures
• High feed quality, lifting liveweight gain and farm productivity
• Plant driven nitrogen fixation, reducing impacts of pasture rundown
• Rehabilitation of Pasture Dieback affected area, providing much needed feed tolerant of the Pasture Dieback complex
• Mixed growing season peaks and flowering lengths, allowing BeefBoosta to take advantage of variable seasons
• Non-Bloating properties, keeping your mind at ease while stock gain weight.

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Performance

For Productivity The addition of tropical legumes to pastures (such as the legume species in BeefBoosta) have been shown to produce 40–100% more forage and 60–160% more liveweight per hectare¹. BeefBoosta™ is formed with non-bloating legumes for safer grazing.

For Soil Health BeefBoosta legumes can form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria, which enable plants to fix nitrogen (N) from the atmosphere through their root system and make Nitrogen available to other pasture species. The nitrogen fixed by legumes boosts the performance of pasture grasses to produce higher quality and quantity of dry matter, providing a nutritious source of feed for livestock.

In Pasture Dieback sites: recent trials² showed that cultivating, adding moderate rates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser and then re-sowing dieback-affected areas with legumes (such as within BeefBoosta) reliably improved plant biomass. Re-sowing with a mix of legume and pasture grass species was also frequently beneficial, in that it increased feed available for cattle.

1. MLA (2013)
2. MLA, Applied Horticulture Research Joint Trials

Management and Agronomy

BeefBoosta is suited to tropical and sub-tropical Medium to Higher rainfall or Irrigated locations with optimal growth between 21 - 38°C. BeefBoosta HS is suited to heavier, high clay content soils providing excellent productivity and persistence. BeefBoosta MS is more suited to lighter/medium soil types with lower clay content. Both BeefBoosta® types have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, greatly improving soil nitrogen levels and farm productivity. 

BeefBoosta Range contains legumes species that are tolerant of Pasture dieback, so it an option as a break crop to ameliorate existing Pasture Dieback areas. 

Barenbrug AgriCOTE coated seed provides a seed enhancement package providing trace nutrients, fungicide and insecticide to give seedlings the best-start possible by helping to protect seedlings from insect and disease pressure. Additionally, the ballistic properties of AgriCOTE, allow seed to flow more readily and is ideal for putting though conventional seed drills, bladeplough seeding, ground or aerial spreading. The use of AgriCOTE can greatly improve establishment success and allow the calibration of planting equipment to achieve desired planting rates with a higher degree of success. 

Growth Habit  
BeefBoosta includes legumes of varying growth characteristics. There is a good balance of drought hardy deep rooted shrubby type legumes and also trailing twinning legumes. This offers BeefBoosta to be a productive legume mix, with creeping legumes to take advantage of heavy grass pastures and shrubby types to improve drought hardiness and persistence.

Optimal Sowing Conditions  
Beefbooster has optimal germination with surface soil temperatures of at least 24°C with a critical temperature of 19°C and rising for germination. Temperatures above 35°C will greatly reduce successful germination and survival of juvenile seedling, care should be taken not to plant in the hottest summer weather – the seed must maintain close contact with wet soil for about 3-4 days.

Agronomic Management 
For best establishment, BeefBoosta should be sown into prepared paddocks at the same time as grasses in a custom mix. Seed can be drilled or broadcasted, being a small seed should be planted ideally at 5mm and no more than 1cm deep. Seed soil contact is important, the use of press wheels or rolling on non-hard setting soils will greatly improve germination and establishment. The AgriCOTE coated seed ensures nutrients are available to the seedling during the most critical phase of establishment, however significant gains in pasture growth and time to first grazing can be achieved by the use of starter fertilisers.

Oversow into existing pasture 
To oversow BeefBoosta into an existing pasture, it is best practice to halt the growth of existing pasture to aid establishment of legumes. This can be achieved by herbicide or cultivation, and allows legumes to establish with minimal competition from strong established grasses like buffel.

Fertiliser 
BeefBoosta is responsive to Phosphorous (P), Growth rates will continue to respond dramatically to increasing linear rates of P, especially in poorer soils. Legumes are highly dependent on Sulphur (S) and Potassium (K) for normal plant function, including nodulation and nitrogen fixation. A maintenance fertiliser program is recommended to replace nutrient(s) removed by grazing or hay cutting over time, particularly at high stocking densities or under intensive finishing situations. Soil test should be used to form foundation of fertiliser program.

Grazing Management  
Grazing management that seeks to avoid selective grazing will enhance and retain good pasture composition, adequate recovery after grazing and spelling before onset of winter or dry season to encourage flowering and seed set will greatly improve persistence and following season productivity.

Tropical co-species

Grazing Mixes: BeeBoosta should be included at 30% of the mix.
 Suits: All Meatmaster Range as well as custom mixes.
Species Suitability: Combines best with all clumping grasses in pasture mixes.

Regional Suitability

BeefBoosta HS: Suits heavy clay and cracking clay soil types
BeefBoosta MS: Suits lighter medium textured soils

Contact your local Barenbrug Territory Manager for suitability and expert advice.
 

Animal Health 

BeefBoosta and all of its components contain non-bloating compounds and properties; and are not known to cause bloat.