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DCF 1.0

Bos indicus cattle

Cattle in long pasture with forestry in the background

Cattle grazing

Bullocks 412

January 2012

January 2012

The Triple P program used high amount of artificial and costly inputs to boost carry capacity. High pasture utilisation meant grasses were mostly eaten or cut for hay and silage in spring. If little summer and autumn rain fell, the hay and silage is fed back adding to costs of production. This photo in April 1997 shows hay feeding to maintain the Triple P stocking rate trial herd.

Moffitts Farm pastures are defying conventional advice that to maintain recommended plant available phosphorus level superphosphate must be applied annually. No superphosphate has been applied on Moffitts Farm since 2000. Photo shows steers grazing a tall fescue pasture in February 2011.

This summer active tall fescue pasture is the last paddock to be grazed in the Moffitts Farm post-spring rotation. It is fourteen weeks since the last graze and despite lack of rain and hot conditions up to mid January 2013 there is still a reasonable content of green leaves.

Comfortable livestock are always content in their paddocks