Product Used: Outback Forage Oats
Outback oats sown for cattle feed has produced excellent regrowth on the property of Brett Graham, at Arthurton, in the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. Mr Graham, who has the Broomfield Black Angus Stud, planted Outback oats besides Winteroo oats in a 20 hectare property last season. Winteroo are the normal oats grown, but he decided to try some Outback oats because of its ability to come back after being grazed hard. The oats were planted at a rate of 140 kilograms per hectare, into nine inch row spacings in early May. A small amount of rain had been received prior to the seeding but then conditions dried up until a reasonable drop in late May. “I was worried that it had germinated and dried up, but it all popped out and went ahead,” Mr Graham said. The paddock of oats were left until it was just under hip height and then the 20 hectare area was grazed by 120 head of cattle for a period of two months.
Initially the cattle ate the Winteroo down to a height of about a foot and then turned to the Outback oats and grazed it right down to the ground. “Outback can be flogged right to the ground and then it stools out a bit as it comes back,” Mr Graham said. “I was to get two grazings from the Outback oats.” In comparison, the Winteroo tended to just the one grazing option and would only come back if a large amount of rain was received during the spring period. Unfortunately on the property the rainfall in spring and early summer was almost non-existent so there was not a lot of additional regrowth opportunity available. Despite the dry conditions the Outback oats were still providing green pick for the bulls in the middle of December. Mr Graham said the Outback oats had a much coarser leaf and a lot more bulk than the Winteroo and seemed an excellent grazing oat option. Oats are planted on the property each season and are the major source of winter and spring grazing. “We get three times as much feed as other options,” Mr Graham said. “You have got to have a bulk of feed for cattle.” He said the oats contained high protein and high sugar levels and the cattle were “mud fat” on the feed. The oats were planted with 60 kilograms per hectare of urea and 120 kilograms per hectare of DAP. Luke Graham and Brett Graham of Arthurton, SA had good regrowth from Outback oats.
Brett Graham, at Arthurton, in the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia
