At it's simplest Pasture Cropping is a technique of zero-till sowing annual crops directly into living perennial pastures. Using this technique cropping and grazing are combined into one land management system and each enterprise enhances the other both economically and environmentally.
This project continues to build on the overwhelming interest demonstrated by farmers who attended the “Doing it differently” forum in 2007.This project includes participants from many Landcare and Catchment management areas and is assessing pasture cropping principles across a range of local environments including the persistence of perennial grasses in a winter dominant rainfall climate.
Demonstration sites have been established at: Avenel, Chesney Vale, Earlston, Lake Rowan, Meadow Creek, Benalla and Bungeet. A site at Markwood which was in the original project has not been in Projects 2 and 3. The Gecko CLaN has been managing Pasture Cropping projects funded by Caring for Our Country [CFOC] and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority [GBCMA] since 2008. The first two projects have now been completed.
A booklet of results ‘Pasture Cropping’ from project 1 is available via this webpage. A DVD was also produced and is accessible in 4 parts on Youtube at the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeckoCLaN
We recommend that you download this video only if you have broadband speed internet as dial up internet would take some hours to download the video parts.
At the completion of Project 2 another book ‘Development and Application of Pasture Cropping by Farmers in North East Victoria’ was published which is also available via this webpage.
The Gecko CLaN has been successful in obtaining further funding through Caring for Our Country [CFOC] to continue this project until June 2013.This project is concentrating on grazing management and to further farmer participation we have established 10 paddock sites across north-eastern Victoria. These are located at Bungeet, Earlston, Goomalibee, Moorilim, Mundoona, Nagambie, Swanpool and Wahgunyah in addition to continuing to monitor existing sites from the previous 2 projects.
For information on what pasture cropping is and how you may attempt it on your property we would encourage you to read the publications listed above as well as attending events that we hold at regular intervals.
To receive notification of these events contact Jacci Campbell, Pasture Cropping Project Officer on [03]5828 9274 email office@campbellfarms.com.au