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Locally specific guidelines for grain growers in the Mallee
Top tips for stubble grazing
Stubbles provide an important feed source for livestock over summer; however
good management is needed to prevent soil erosion. This edition of Farm Talk
presents 10 considerations for summer stubble grazing.
Non-toxic summer weeds such as
skeleton weed and volunteer cereals
can also be a valuable source of feed
in stubble paddocks.
However
research has shown that controlling
summer weeds early rather than
relying on grazing for summer weed
control will provide greater benefits
through increased grain yields.
1. Why graze stubbles?
Cereal stubbles can provide valuable
feed in the low rainfall Mallee
region, with studies showing that
stubbles can support grazing
livestock for six months of the year.
2. What value can stubble
provide as a feed source?
The grazing value of stubble
depends on the amount of residual
grain and green material including
summer weeds as the standing
straw and trash has minimal
nutritional value. An example of the
feed quality of different stubble
components can be seen in Table 1.
Research from the GRDC Grain and
Graze 2 program found livestock will
lose weight when the stubble offers
anything below 40 kilogram (kg) dry
matter (DM) per hectare (ha) of spilt
grain or 40 kg DM/ha of green
weeds.
3. How much feed will
stubbles provide?
The primary source of feed in
stubbles is grain left behind from
harvest.
Livestock
maintaining
weight require about 0.6 kg grain
per dry sheep equivalent (DSE) per
day and therefore 100 kg/ha of grain
Table 3 shows that soil water, soil
nitrogen and grain yields were all
reduced when grazing alone was
used to control weeds over summer
at Condobolin in 2012.
TABLE 2: Number of grains in a
0.1 m2 (32 cm x 32 cm quadrat)
when there is 100 kg/ha of spilt
grain
in the paddock would provide 100
DSE grazing days per hectare
assuming the last 40 kg/ha of grain
is not utilised.
Grain Type
Wheat and Oats
Barley
Lupins
Field Peas
Faba beans
Table 2 provides estimates of how
many grains per 0.1 square metre
equals 100 kg grain/ha.
# of grains
28
25
8
5
2
TABLE 1: Average digestibility, energy and protein of different stubble
components during the grazing period: Source GRDC
Stubble Component
Quality Parameter
Grain
Green
72.9
Standing
straw
39.8
Loose
trash
40.9
Digestibility (DMD %)
82.4
Metabolisable energy (MJ/kg)
12.7
11.0
5.3
5.2
Protein (%)
11.3
18.7
2.8
4.0
Published December 2015
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4. When should livestock be
removed from stubble
paddocks?
do not have time to get used to the
paddock and start camping.
It is important not to “set and
forget” livestock grazing stubbles.
Regular monitoring is required to
ensure that maximum value is
extracted from stubbles without
adverse impacts to livestock
production or the soil.
6. How can I manipulate my
paddock size to graze more
effectively?
When the available feed falls below
critical levels (e.g. 40 kg/ha of split
grain), livestock will need to be
supplementary fed to maintain
condition. Supplementary feeding
can continue in the paddock until
minimum groundcover targets are
reached.
A minimum of 50 percent
groundcover is needed to prevent
wind erosion. Stubble provides
protection for soils by slowing wind
speed, both above and within the
stubble. Trials have shown that
standing stubble at least 10
centimetres high is twice as effective
at reducing wind erosion as loose
flat stubble. Figure 1 provides a
guide to what 50 percent stubble
cover looks like.
FIGURE 1: 50 percent stubble
cover in a Mallee paddock
very high as the sheep were
constantly searching for spilt grain.
The sheep spent approximately 30
percent of the time grazing the
stubble paddock; however as the
level of grain on the ground dropped
below 40 kg/ha, time spent grazing
by the sheep also declined.
The large size of Mallee paddocks
means that without paddock size
reduction, the stocking pressure is
likely to be too low to graze
paddocks quickly, resulting in slower
grazing and higher risk of erosion.
Smaller paddocks also reduce
The GPS tracking also reinforced the
knowledge that sheep congregate
around water points and areas of
shelter, with grazing often radiating
out from these camp areas (Figure
2).
It is recommended that rotating
stock in and out of stubble paddocks
regularly can provide more even
paddock grazing, because the sheep
FIGURE 2: Paddock utilisation over
10 days by sheep grazing a 265
acre paddock with barley stubble
at Nandaly in 2015. Red areas
show over-utilisation and green
under-utilisation.
TABLE 3: Impact of grazing and summer weed control at Condobolin (NSW)
in 2012. Source: Farmlink
5. How do livestock behave
in stubble paddocks?
Summer
stubble
treatment
Stubble remaining
after summer
grazing (t/ha)
Fallow water
storage
(mm)
Mineral N
at sowing
(kg/ha)
Following
year grain
yield
(t/ha)
Livestock tracking with GPS in 2015
at Nandaly showed that sheep
behave very differently in stubble
when compared to pasture. Grazing
speeds and distance travelled by the
sheep in the stubble paddock were
Nil graze
+ herbicide
3.3
96
90
1.72
Heavy graze
+ herbicide
1.2
99
85
1.84
Heavy graze
- herbicide
1.2
74
87
1.49
Published December 2015
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Locally specific guidelines for grain growers in the Mallee
selective grazing, trampling and
camping.
Temporary electric fencing systems
such as the “Rappa” have been
successfully used by Mallee farmers
to reduce the size of stubble
paddocks. Fencing off high erosion
risk or low groundcover areas can be
used to extend grazing value of the
paddock.
Grower’s View
Matt Curtis, Mildura, Vic
“If you have one big paddock, sheep
congregate around the water, clear
that out and then don’t touch other
areas. By using temporary fencing I
can exclude access to areas with low
groundcover. I can put the sheep
where I want them.”
7. Can water point design
improve stubble grazing?
Good design and location of water
points can prevent livestock camping
and improve the uniformity of
grazing. Water points should be
located in the middle of a paddock
on heavy soil or rocky surface. If this
is not possible then water points can
be located half way along a fence
line to allow for the natural grazing
arc of livestock. Do not put water in
the corner of a paddock into the
prevailing winds. A good rule of
thumb in large paddocks is that
stock should not walk any further
than 500-700m to access water.
Key factors in water point design are
to ensure there is always clean, cool
water available and that livestock do
not have to wait to drink, either
because of insufficient flow rate or
the trough is too small. To achieve
this, the flow rates shown in Table 4
are suggested for a trough size of 2.6
to 3.6 metres.
8. What should I do with
stock when minimum
groundcover levels are
reached?
Stock should be removed from
paddocks when groundcover levels
within the paddock fall below 50
percent. Stock containment areas
are commonly used to allow
stubbles to be rested before they
become too bare and vulnerable to
erosion. Other benefits of stock
containment areas include reduced
damage to pastures by allowing for
deferred grazing of pastures at the
break of the season; reduced spread
of weed seeds if buying in fodder;
and to hold stock in a dry period
rather than selling. When a suitable
yard is not available, a small
paddock can be “sacrificed” as a
makeshift containment yard.
Perennial plantations such as old
man saltbush can also provide a
range of benefits including the
ability to contain stock from grazing
paddocks during high risk times.
Recent research showed saltbush
plantings on heavier soil types of up
to 7 percent of the total farm area
can increase the whole farm profit of
mixed cropping and livestock farms.
TABLE 4: Suggested water flow
Mob size (Dry rates
Suggested flow
Sheep
Equivalent)
1000-2000
rate litres (L) per
second
1-1.5
2000-3000
1.5-2
300-5000
2-3
>5000
3
9. How do I set up and
manage livestock in a
containment area?
Stock containment areas should
provide a minimum area of 5m2 per
sheep and 20-25m2 for cattle.
Containment areas should be
located on a site which has good
drainage and shelter and located
near feed storages, with good access
to water. Including a separate yard
for feeding makes it easier to fill
feed troughs and mix additives
before stock are introduced. Locate
water troughs to the opposite side
of the pen to where the grain is fed
and also so water from cleaning can
flow out of the pen.
Ensure troughs have adequate water
supply and storage, as a rule of
thumb, allow up to 14 litres per
head for sheep and 160 litres per
Published December 2015
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Locally specific guidelines for grain
growers in the Mallee
head for cattle per day (based on
lactating females).
Grower’s View
Table 5 provides some examples of
nutritional
requirements
and
common
feed
sources
for
containment
feeding.
Grain
introduction procedures need to be
followed to avoid grain poisoning
(acidosis). Feeding in troughs will
reduce contamination and wastage.
Allow 15m to 20m of double-sided
trough per 100 sheep or 25 to 30 cm
of feed trough space per head for
cattle. Roof capping, folded roofing
iron and suspended cloth make
cheap feeding troughs. If feeding
hay use hay feeders or a mesh ring
to reduce wastage.
John Arentz, Managatang, Vic
Animal health considerations when
in containment include vaccination
against
enterotoxaemia
(Pulpy
kidney) if the ration is high in grain
and ensuring ewes in late pregnancy
are meeting higher nutritional
demands to prevent pregnancy
toxaemia. Minerals such as calcium,
salt, vitamin A and vitamin B1 are
also important and supplementation
may be required.
10. How do I manage
livestock grazing saltbush?
Monitoring of saltbush plantations
on constrained soils in the Mallee
has shown saltbush generally
provides 0.5 to 1.5 t/ha of feed
during the autumn feed gap period.
While appreciable quantities of feed
can be produced from saltbush, the
Mixed planting of perennial forage
shrubs is another option to improve
the quality of the food on offer.
Although these shrubs generally
have lower production, including
these shrubs in mixed plantings with
old man saltbush can improve the
overall feed quality on offer to stock.
Useful contacts
Michael Moodie
03 5021 9108
[email protected]
“We have 100 hectares of saltbush
plantings. Having all the ewes
removed from the cropping
paddocks during spring and summer
leads to much more groundcover in
these paddocks and no soil erosion.”
Mallee CMA
03 5051 4377
[email protected]
John is also trialling mixed shrub
plantation as a means of providing a
more diverse diet for livestock.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by the
Mallee CMA, through funding from
the Australian Government’s
National Landcare Programme.
fodder has low energy levels and
livestock need to be supplemented
with high energy feed sources such
as hay or grain. Some growers in the
Mallee have successfully used wide
row spacing (6 to 10m) with interrow sowing of pasture in higher
rainfall years to reduce the
requirement for supplementary
feeding.
Daniel Schuppan, Landmark
Jamestown.
Zac Economou, University of New
England.
A full list of research cited in this
Farm Talk is available at
www.msfp.org.au.
TABLE 5: Feed energy values and maintenance requirements. Source: Court,
Webb and Hides (2010)
Feed
Wheat, triticale, lupins,
barley, peas
Oats
Oaten hay
Cereal straw
Metabolisable Energy
MJ/kg
Amount (kg) required to
maintain one DSE per day
12
0.6
11
7
4
0.7
1
1.8*
*It is unlikely an animal will be able to eat this much due to low digestibility and high fibre content
Published December 2015
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