As seen in Farm Weekly, 06/03/2025

As more farmers seek to enhance pasture diversity, improve persistence, and integrate regenerative agriculture practices, pasture mixes have become an increasingly popular solution.

Selecting the right pasture is a critical decision that impacts both short-term forage production and long-term farm sustainability.

With Irwin Hunter & Co's range of high-performing pasture mixes, farmers can achieve improved soil health, ensure greater yield potential, and enhanced livestock nutrition, all while contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices.

By carefully considering rainfall, soil conditions, livestock needs, and management capabilities, farmers can optimise their pasture systems.

Several key factors determine the best pasture type for a farm, including rainfall levels (particularly the prevalence of summer rainfall), soil type, soil limitations such as pH and salinity, livestock type, and the benefits of crop rotation, such as nitrogen fixation.

In addition to these factors, a farmer's ability to manage the pasture effectively, given their available resources and infrastructure, plays a crucial role in achieving optimal results.

Irwin Hunter & Co. offers several pasture mixes designed to meet the varying needs of farmers.

The Souwest Pasture Mix is the perfect mix combining productivity with diversity and is suited to a wide range of soil types and 500mm+ rainfall.

It is continually refined with consistently high-performing varieties of annual and perennial ryegrasses, Black and White seeded sub clovers; Balansa; Crimson and Arrowleaf clovers.

This balanced combination of ryegrasses and clovers has demonstrated consistent and reliable results across multiple locations and is an ideal mix for dryland sowing.

To maximise benefits, farmers are encouraged to allow the paddock to seed in its first year after grazing through winter and early spring, creating a strong seed bank for future seasons.

For farmers focused on high-quality hay or silage production, the Silahay Mix is the BIG pasture producer and provides an excellent solution that also offers grazing flexibility.

This mix features two of Irwin Hunter & Co's top-performing ryegrass varieties, Abundant and Dargo, complemented by Balansa and Persian clovers, ensuring optimal production and forage quality with early establishment vigour to produce high quality bulk for silage and hay in the spring.

Silahay pasture mix is suited to a wide range of farming systems, soil types with recommended rainfalls of 450mm+, responding well to fertiliser and provides high quality pasture achieving excellent pasture production.

Another cost-effective option is the Maximix, which offers exceptional value by incorporating both tetraploid and diploid ryegrasses with varying early, medium and late maturities.

Additionally, it includes aerial clovers selected for their upright growth habit, providing strong competition to the ryegrasses.

The inclusion of oats further enhances its effectiveness, making it an excellent choice for forage, hay, or silage production.

With this diverse composition, Maximix provides consistent production throughout the growing season, adapting to varying growing conditions and extending annual production while maximising livestock nutrition intake.

If the growing season ends early, the earlier-maturing varieties will have already contributed to production.

Conversely, the later-maturing varieties will provide additional forage in extended growing seasons.

This mix is designed to accommodate a wide range of conditions, offering balanced growth that maximises both production and nutritional value, ultimately delivering the best return and Bang for Buck.

Irrigation Mix is a specially formulated blend of selected high-performance Hybrid and Italian ryegrasses and White clover that benefits from consistent water availability under irrigation.

Irrigation Mix is designed to maximise forage production, improve animal nutrition, and extend the grazing or hay-cutting season by providing balanced pasture growth over an extended production season.

Adding the White clover, the perennial legume component, provides a balanced mix of energy, protein, and fibre to support livestock health and performance.

Contact your local farm supplier or Irwin Hunter & Co. for more information regarding the extensive range of pasture seed and mixes.