Testing Tropicals - NSW Southern Slopes

Summary

The Southern slopes of NSW has a winter dominant rainfall pattern but with a changing climate, is now experiencing increasing summer rainfall. Pasture species within this region are dominated by winter dominant perennials or annuals. Few perennial species are currently capable of utilizing summer rainfall with the exception to some summer active perennials (e.g., Cocksfoot or Phalaris which do not produce significant amounts of feed and compromise persistence) and lucerne (which is greatly constrained by soil factors).  ​

This producer demonstration site (PDS) aims to demonstrate tropical and sub-tropical pasture species in production systems of the southern slopes of NSW and what management adaptations need to be made to successfully incorporate these species into southern grazing systems. 

Objectives

By December 2026, in the south-west slopes of NSW:

1. Three or more tropical/subtropical pastures will be sown in commercial size paddocks on three different properties. These will demonstrate/assess the potential of these species to:

   • establish and persist in southern NSW farm systems

   • increase groundcover

   • produce summer feed in seasons of variable summer rainfall (fill summer feed gap)

   • impact on liveweight gain within farm systems

   • contribute to the farm system

2. Increase the knowledge and skills of 80% core producers and 60% of observer producers with respect to:

   • perennial pasture options for filling the summer feed gap

   • pre-sowing paddock preparation

   • pasture establishment

   • companion species selection

   • pasture management (including grazing management) in summer-active pastures

3. Conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of sowing summer pasture varieties within a farm system.

4. Build a publicly available resource area on the HLN website with information about the key learnings emerging from the trials (see objectives 1 & 2 above). Target website hits: 500

5. Conduct an annual farm tour of PDS sites to showcase outcomes and provide producers with an opportunity to interact with Tropical/summer-active pastures experts. Target number of producers on field tours: 100

6. Record farmer video blogs of the pastures at key stages in their management which will be published on social media and/or the HLN website to enable greater producer engagement. Target website and social media hits: 1000

Progress

Now in its sixth year, the Testing Tropicals in the NSW Southern Slopes Producer Demonstration Site project is helping producers understand where tropical pastures can fit within local grazing systems. Managed by Holbrook Landcare Network, the project has demonstrated that tropical pastures can persist and produce useful spring and summer feed despite challenging dry conditions. A key learning has been the importance of matching pasture species to soil type and paddock capability. At the Henty demonstration site, lucerne produced the highest biomass and feed quality, while Premier digit grass with yellow serradella performed well on shallow, gravelly soils where lucerne would be difficult to establish.

With the sites now moving beyond establishment, producers are turning their attention to practical management questions, including grazing pressure, stocking rates and maintaining pasture productivity. The project is also providing opportunities for participating producers to share their experiences and lessons with others, helping producers consider how tropical pastures could improve feed availability and make better use of challenging paddock areas.