As seen in Farm Weekly, 24/04/2025

Your management and choice of pasture can boost livestock productivity and support long-term paddock rotation in mixed farming systems.

Pastures are an essential source of feed, whether grazed or cut for hay/haylage or silage.

Additionally, they provide valuable ground cover, protecting the soil from climatic events, retaining moisture, and improving long-term soil health and climate resilience.

Improving pasture and productivity can be achieved by sowing pasture following a cropping phase, replacing pastures entirely, or improving pastures to restore productivity.

Establishing a productive pasture in Western Australia requires careful planning, preparation, and management to suit local climate, soil conditions, and livestock needs.

Define what you want from your pasture, whether for grazing, hay, haylage, or silage production, cover cropping, soil improvement, or regenerative pasture, as this will influence your choice of species.

It is also important to select pasture species best suited to the local climate, soil type, and your livestock production goals, as well as your ability to manage and use the pasture effectively once it's established.

Understanding your soil is key.

Determine your soil type, pH, and nutrient levels and amend the pH if needed.

Pastures perform best with a range of pH 5.5-6.5.

If necessary, apply adequate lime or gypsum where appropriate and address any nutrient deficiencies before sowing.

Species selection suited to your region's climate, soil type, and enterprise goals may include annual or perennial ryegrasses, clover, including aerial seeded or sub-clovers.

Lucerne or Serradella for deeper rooting and nitrogen fixation, and Prairie grass, Fescue, Teff, or Rhodes in warmer regions or equine systems.

Custom mixes with IHSeeds can also be tailored for specific goals, whether for grazing or hay, cattle, sheep, or horses.

Steps to achieving a successful pasture with MaxiMix

  • Ensure you have adequate soil moisture with the possibility of follow-up rain.
  • When planting for early production, it is recommended to dry seed before the break. However, ensure paddocks were clean of weeds and competitive grasses in the prior year and that you have assessed the liability factors, such as a false break.
  • Choose the proper sowing method to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. Sow at correct depths, 5–15mm and use appropriate sowing rates per hectare.
  • Fertilise to assist early establishment vigour.
  • Once established, ensure plants are not prone to pulling, to allow the root structure to establish a strong hold. Then, graze at approximately 20-25cm high, down to 40-50% to increase tiller density.
  • Apply a rotational grazing program through winter and spring. Monitor pasture composition and condition regularly to identify if over sowing or renovation is needed in subsequent years. Select persistent varieties for long-term performance and allow pastures to rest during critical growth periods, taking care not to overgraze.
  • Cut mid-spring for silage, late spring for hay, or lock up, grazing through winter and early spring and then locking up the paddock to allow it to run to seed for the first year. This will provide the following year's regeneration, and if managed well, the pasture should continue to provide high-quality pasture into subsequent years.
  • Manage your grazing and rotate or strip graze to give pasture time to recover, regrow and store energy in the roots before the next grazing. This helps to maximise continued productivity and persistence.
  • Have a fertiliser plan, as paddocks grazed regularly need regular fertiliser applications. Be aware of fertiliser history and check soil test results. Consult local agronomists for advice.

Irwin Hunter & Co's MaxiMix is a unique combination of different pasture species that provides an excellent mix for achieving a highly productive and highly nutritious feed that extends throughout the season.

MaxiMix will maximise your pasture potential with its balanced combination of species chosen for their unique attributes including Tetraploid and Diploid annual ryegrasses and oats, as well as carefully selected aerial seeded clovers that not only fix nitrogen but are highly productive, palatable and nutritious and perform over a wide range of soils types and if allowed to go to seed in spring will provide the following years regeneration to sustain high quality pasture into subsequent years.

MaxiMix covers an extensive range of situations and provides more balanced growth to the pasture, giving the farmer the best option for maximum production coupled with maximum nutrition, achieving the best value and Bang for the Buck.

MaxiMix has a recommended sowing rate of 25-35kg/ha, 450+ mm rainfall and a pH 5+ (Increased sowing rates will increase interplant competition during establishment, offering earlier grazing and higher dry matter production supported by increased fertiliser).

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