Product Used: Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic, Q75 Lucerne Winter Active
A blend of Q75 lucerne and Cavalier spineless burr medic has continued to hang on well in dry conditions on the property of Jim Long, at Warrak, east of Ararat in central Victoria. Mr Long said he planted the Q75 and Cavalier medic during the very wet conditions experienced in the area three seasons ago and was pleased with the pasture mix. He said the blend had initially been inspected at a field day conducted by a local distributor, and had shown promise, so was planted later that year back on the property.
The Q75 lucerne was sown at 5 kilograms per hectare and the Cavalier medic at 10 kilograms per hectare and both established well in spite of the very wet conditions of the time. Over the next three seasons, the area was rotationally grazed by sheep and was even able to be cut for hay in the spring of 2012. Mr Long said he spread some super over the paddock in the lead-up and harvested the area when the crop was between 15 and 20cm high. “It made beautiful hay,” he said. Q75 had initially been chosen for the blend as it had more winter activity than the more dormant varieties that had previously been grown.
In subsequent plantings, the Q75 has been sown at 5 kilograms per hectare and the medic reduced to 5 kilograms per hectare (from 10). Mr Long said the Cavalier was a prolific seeder and the pods provided the opportunity for more pasture to germinate throughout the seasons. During the very dry conditions late in 2012 and through the first five months of 2013 the lucerne / medic pasture hung on well and responded to the rainfall which eventually fell late in the autumn. The combination of lucerne and medic has worked particularly well in a dryland scenario because of their different growth stages across the year. While lucerne is predominantly a summer crop, the medic grows very well in late winter and through to spring.
Jim Long, of Warrak, VIC, in a crop of Q75 lucerne and Cavalier medic which has been used for grazing and hay.
