An extensive monitoring program, native plant identification, and soil testing has helped producers across Eden Valley, Hutton Vale, and areas near the Barossa Valley in South Australia recover and sustainably manage native grass pastures that are critical within their livestock grazing systems.
In its biggest ever pasture walk, the Barossa Improved Grazing Group (BIGG) will be visiting three major project trial sites on September 21.
Technical facilitator Georgie Keynes says the farming systems group are excited to share learnings from the projects with Barossa livestock producers.
Two autumns after fire devastated grazing land in the Eden Valley regions, BIGG monitoring sites have demonstrated strong resilience of native grasses, with 90 per cent of burnt grasses having recovered.
ACCURATE identification is the first step towards improving native grass populations in pastures, according to native grass expert Millie \’Nicholls, Brinkworth. Ms Nicholls helped Barossa graziers develop their identification skills at a field day in Keyneton last month, visiting properties affected by the damaging Eden Valley fires. She said the field day was timed to make it easy to spot the often elusive native grass species.
A field day hosted by the Barossa Improved Grazing Group (BIGG) last week educated Barossa Valley producers on identification and management of native grasses and the role they plan in native pasture production systems.
