Falklands : Pasture Improvement: A Layman's Thoughts
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 18.08.2005 (Article Archived on 02.09.2005)
For the past 16 years, prices that Falklands’ farmers could realise from wool have dropped considerably.
PASTURE IMPROVEMENT: A LAYMAN’S THOUGHTS
By J. Brock (FINN)
For the past 16 years, prices that Falklands’ farmers could realise from wool have dropped considerably. Those who had spent thousands and/or secured huge loans to purchase their own holdings had to put up with dwindling profits and sure losses if they kept wool as their main product. Some farmers diversified into tourism, truck farming, or small businesses or gave up and moved into town. However, thanks to Dr. Bob Reid, a former Director of Agriculture in the Falkland Islands, some farmers began improving pastures so they could raise meat breeds of sheep.
To help in the effort, tonnes of rock phosphate were imported into the Islands and farmers began to experiment with different types of legumes as fodder for new breeds. The rock phosphate was given to farmers as a part of a pasture improvement programme that could last for 10 years. This incentive helps sheep farmers to realise that more sheep can be grazed on less land by ensuring that the fodder is mort nutritious than white grass.
Normally sheep fed on white-grass, which was low on nutrition and it took five acres to feed one wool sheep. Meat breeds, however, needed higher value feed, which was expensive to import into the Falklands. It was partially due to Dr. Reid’s inspiration that farmers learned how to improve not only the fodder but to enrich the nitrogen poor soil by using legumes.
Recently FINN visited a trial pasture project at Swan Inlet, East Falkland and learned what was being done on a small holding to improve pasture and to feed more sheep on less land.
Andreas Short conducts grass trials and pasture improvement on his 900-acre farm. When SAINT arrived, Malcolm Ashworth was processing an area that was slashed and drilled. He was driving a mowing machine that had a drilling attachment on the back. The theory was that drilling lotus – a legume that brought nitrogen into the soil – would help it to establish a healthy root system and prevent frost damage during the colder months of the year. Once taken hold, the lotus will put nitrogen in the soil and gradually the white grass will disappear because it does not thrive on nitrogen-rich soil.
Last year at this time, Andreas had another area of ground mowed and he then had lotus seed hand scattered over the ground. No sheep were run on the area and this autumn there were patches of lotus clearly visible amongst the white grass. Again, when it takes hold, the white grass disappears.
A visible change of colour was present in an area where Andreas had scattered lotus seed without mowing. Sheep were run on this ground and that kept the grass clipped down. It was explained that as the grass was kept short, so their root systems shortened. This would give lotus a chance to take hold.
When Mr. Short took over Swan Inlet an area that was completely ploughed was visible, so he re- ploughed it and put lotus seed on the soil. Though this showed the greatest promise, it was not the best method for pasture improvement.
Another area that had been slashed and drilled and was now producing adequate fodder for Dohne Marino sheep that Andreas hoped would be the core of a stud flock. On hand to answer questions through the day was Andrew Pollard, Damian O’Sullivan and Neil Judd. It appeared that the slashing and drilling was the best method for the lotus and there was a difference in colour between the area that had been ploughed and the adjacent one that had been slashed and drilled.
Mr. Short explained that he now ran double the amount of sheep on his land that a normal farm of that size would have and this was all due to the improved pasture that he cultivated. Lotus has another property in that it has hairy leaves and not palatable for Upland Geese, which feed on young white-grass, and takes nutrition away from the sheep.
An experimental Swede plantation did not work so well due to dry conditions. Swede would be an ideal fodder and it could have supported more sheep per acre. Due to limited space on the farm, there will be no re-planting of Swede. The area is to be drilled or scattered with lotus.
If the trials go well, Mr. Short will be able to have a stud flock and use them for their seamen. Dohne Marino sheep have more meat and finer wool than Corriedale sheep, which are the Falklands’ main breed. Mr. Short’s sheep came from imported embryos from South Africa. He had imported 100 for £15,000.00 and achieved a result of 35 lambs. All are thriving on the lotus.
|
