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PGG Seeds' Pasture Technology Site: Sutton, NSW
The PGG Seeds Pasture Technology Site (PTS) is located on the Bingley family property, “Weerona”, situated near Sutton, just North East of the Australian Capital Territory. The PTS is managed as part of a working farm, so pastures and fodder crops need to perform. Species and cultivars used at the site are selected to suit the various soil types, fertility levels, topography, aspects, and the needs of the farming system. Information from the PTS can be obtained by attending paddock walks conducted throughout the year or by viewing a web page soon to be available on the PGG Seeds website.
The PTS was established in 2002 with species trials in one paddock, and since 2005 has been operated in its’ present scale of seven paddocks totalling 30 hectares. The site is managed by Chris Houghton Agricultural, an agricultural consulting firm in nearby Queanbeyan, in close liaison with PGG representatives Dean Baker, Sven Koljo and Gerard Lysaght.
Site Objectives:
To evaluate pasture and fodder crop species to determine:
- Their place in NSW Southern Tablelands farming systems.
- Their place across a typical grazing farm landscape.
- Management for optimum performance.
- Growth rates, annual production and long term persistence data.
- Performance as single species sowings or in mixes.
- The opportunity for sequenced planting of compatible species to optimise total dry matter production.
Above: David Bingley and his son Sam are in the midst of stacking round bales after baling a paddock of Crusader Italian ryegrass sown on May 6th 2007. It was cut on December 5th, receiving only 313 mm rainfall from sowing. Sixty-two round bales were removed from the paddock equating to an average dry matter production of 3670 kg/ha.
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