Productive, persistent and profitable pastures

A wide range of pasture types are found across Australia including:

• mainly native perennial grasses with some annual legume (eg sub-clover)
• annual grasses and legume-based pastures
• improved perennial grass pastures and annual or perennial legumes

Species composition and pasture quality and productivity can be manipulated in any pasture type. Use combinations of fertilisers, tactical grazing management, fire management, strategic herbicide application to maintain or improve pasture productivity, persistence and profitability.

Manipulating pasture composition by sowing new species is expensive. It can take up to 10 years to breakeven on the capital invested.

For long-term sustainable production, understand the needs of the pasture types on your property and implement appropriate management practices to encourage and maintain their quality, persistence and productivity.

Recognise the pasture species that suit your environment, enterprise and management style. Become familiar with their growth characteristics so you can employ management techniques to improve pasture growth and quality and manage weeds.

The four phases of pasture growth