Following erratic wet and dry seasons, farmers can find efficiencies both in their paddocks and in the crop they grow, said Paul Sippel, sales agronomist at DLF Seeds.
“Many farmers don’t realise it, but recent generations of hay seeds with lucerne deliver outstanding performance and quality for hay growing, not just grazing,” he said.
“This is particularly exciting if you’ve downsized and have underutilised farm space — now is the time to get ahead of the upcoming market season for hay.”
It can be overwhelming to chose between a summer- or winter-active lucerne variety, or how to play the dormant season depending on quality versus yield.
For Kim Sizer, a hay grower based in Tamworth, it was a struggle to find a balance in lucerne variety to support her hay-focused operation.
Kim supplies both horse and cattle markets, which have significantly different demands in the type of hay required.
In her case, the sweet spot for the ideal variety was DLF Seeds’ Stamina GT5.
Paul travels around north-west NSW and the Hunter Valley working with hay producers from irrigated flats to broadacre country, helping them get the most out of their lucerne.
Paul’s advice for growers is simple: align cutting cycles with the variety’s dormancy.
Both Paul and Kim agree that leaf retention is the central ingredient that makes lucerne in hay so valuable.
“Lucerne is incredibly resilient, shown by DLF Seeds varieties,” Kim said.
“It can be pushed, waterlogged or exposed to disease and it still comes back. Matching the right variety to your system is what unlocks real quality.”
8°C