Based in Southland, Sheep and Beef Farmers Dean and Jaimee Bishop graze stock year-round. To make their operation viable, they need pasture that grows through summer, autumn and winter, without seeding too quickly in early spring. And, they have found a winning formula.
The Bishops are in their fourth season, leasing the farm from Jaimee’s parents. They manage nearly 3750 ewes and 406 cattle. Over summer, another 1,200 to 1,500 stock units (beef and sheep) come in for grazing. Supplementary crops include 10 to 12 ha fodder beet, 8 ha swedes, and 10 ha kale.
According to Dean, their biggest challenge has been the wet winters that are typical of the region.
“Our mixed-age ewes are all grass-wintered, and we found it difficult to achieve consistent growth and quality in the pasture to meet the needs of these animals during this period.
“When we took over the farm, it was majority grassed but we lacked consistent quality. With the objective of having good grazing 12 months of the year, it made sense to us to get more of the farm resown into quality pasture” says Dean.
Having identified paddocks on the farm that outperformed the rest of the farm, holding quality in summer and freshening up quickly in winter, Dean consulted with PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative Todd Anderson.
Here Dean notes that PGG Wrightson have been his ‘go to’ team for products and advice since he started farming four years ago.
“We use Todd a lot, planning seasonally and for the future. He gives good advice. If he can’t answer a question, he’ll go and find answers,” said Dean. “Same with the Lumsden store team and our Livestock Rep.
“You are only as good as the people you have around you. PGG Wrightson covers the full cycle of our farm, they are pretty good at getting us the inputs we need, and they are only ever a call away.”
PGG Wrightson records showed that the paddocks that outperformed had been sown with a custom seed mix Legion AR37 perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, white clover and red clover.
With Todd backing up the selected varieties, Dean went with the same mix.
“Legion is commonly used in northern Southland.
“It’s very reliable and used in multiple farming operations as an all-season grass,” says Todd.
Produced by Agricom, Legion AR37 was bred solely from late heading perennial ryegrass plants that had been individually screened for persistence, rust tolerance and vigour.
Known benefits of Legion AR37 include summer, autumn and winter growth, and density for periods of set stocking and winter grazing, making it a good choice for general sheep and beef pasture. Low aftermath seeding and summer leafiness, plus good tiller size and leaf length makes it well suited to dairy operations too.
Cocksfoot is persistently productive in drier conditions. If managed to minimise seedhead development and maintain clover content, it can be a good summer pasture for grazing dry stock. It exhibits better drought tolerance than a perennial ryegrass.
“Adding cocksfoot provides Dean with insurance for a dry season. It’s a sturdy option for dry conditions.
“White and red clover provides a good boost for the stock. In Dean’s case, this is ideal for milk production in the ewes, while providing a good pick for the lambs.”
Both the sheep and cattle are grazing the Legion pasture. Dean says the stock are more content.
“Good quality pasture is more noticeable in the behaviour of the cattle. They are not pacing, and they’re not thrashing the water troughs. You often find them sitting and chewing the cud. Perfectly content” he said.
“We’re also culling good weight cattle” he adds. “These good weights are consistent, and better than previous seasons.
“On the sheep side, the ewes are in good order and we’re getting 50 % of the lambs off mum come weaning time in mid-December.
“The Legion mix hangs on for most of the year, giving us the 12 months of grazing that we want to achieve. We went into a second grazing of the Legion this last winter.
“It goes to show that renewing pasture is a worthwhile investment. It’s not a must and it’s not a cost, you get out what you put in. And we’re getting beneficial returns.”
Going forward, Dean’s plan is to continue regrassing the farm with Legion. Another 30 ha of Legion will be planted this autumn, taking them up to over 100 ha overall.
“We will turn over the low performing paddocks and plant them with Legion” Dean continues. “We don’t see any point in cropping them first – this pasture gives us year-round performance and a better return.
“Legion is a product that suits our system, and it is backed by good advice and practical support. When these things work well, it makes life simple” he concludes.
