In the last week, Milne sales manager, Paul Nenke, has been watching the crop go in and canola start to come out of the ground whilst driving around the wheat belt visiting farms. It is easy to notice the limited pasture growth, that has been affected by what is now looking like a false break. Germination of annual grasses has begun but the warm days, cold nights and lack of follow up rains have resulted in slim pickings for sheep turned out on paddocks. Paul discusses the issues around the limited pasture growth for those farms running sheep, and some strategies to navigate through the ‘gap’ period.
This dry spell has been reported from across the southern part of WA. Whilst some farmers have been lucky to have had follow up rains, many have not. It is this time of year that, though we are all busy seeding, we must also not forget how important the nutrition of our livestock is. A nutritional setback now will affect animals for the next 6 months, especially in the case of ewes that have been mated.
Right now, we are in a feed gap. The autumn period has been extended due to the false break. So, it is important to provide supplementary feeding to keep sheep moving forward during this time. If pasture is limited, a pelleted feed solution such as EasyOne® is a safe, cost-effective and time-saving option to maintain condition, or achieve growth and live weight gains, in sheep.
To help work out the feed that is needed we can look at Feed On Offer (FOO). Feed On Offer is a measure of the amount of pasture available to the livestock to graze and is represented as kilo available per hectare. The general rule is higher FOO = higher leaf area = faster pasture growth. A minimal FOO of 1000 kg per hectare is desirable leading into winter, where the ideal FOO should sit around 1400 kg. This year many farms will be well under this figure. Calculating FOO will allow you to work out the predicted energy uptake of your livestock from the pasture available and help determine the amount of supplementary feed required.
The Department of Primary Industries and RegionalDevelopment have a good video explaining how to assess Feed On Offer.
If the FOO is low in your pasture paddocks, there are a number of strategies to consider. Firstly, the paddock can be rested by moving the livestock to another paddock that has higher FOO. In a season such as this year, however, that may not be an option, so supplementary feeding, or confinement feeding become the best strategies. These strategies will not only keep sheep moving forward in terms of body condition, but will also allow paddocks time to generate more FOO once the rains come back.
A number of farmers are buying EasyOne® now to use in confinement feeding, or paddock feeding. This pelleted feed solution is a convenient, easy-to-use option to ensure sheep maintain good body condition with minimal risk of acidosis (grain poisoning) that is associated with grain feeding. For more information about setting up an easy and effective confinement feeding lot, read our article here. Given the 9mm pellet size, EasyOne® can also easily be trailed out in the paddock to supplement feed sheep. The Hyfibe® technology used in EasyOne® means there is no need for an introduction period and sheep can be on full feed from day 1.
Milne Feeds are also offering swaps and offsets for grain. One of the best offers at the moment is a straight swap of one tonne of lupins for one tonne of EasyOne® from our Welshpool mill. This is a great way for producers to convert their grain into a complete, consistent, nutritionally balanced feed solution specifically formulated to deliver productivity gains for growers.
For more information on sheep feeding solutions or graintrade, please contact Paul Nenke, on 0407 720 040, who is always available to chat about your individual requirements.
Below is some great drone footage, shared by 14 year old Xavier Nenke, showing just how dry and dusty some areas are at the moment.
