Mixed pastures
Multi-species forages as alternatives to perennial ryegrass will be the focus of an Ellinbank series webinar next week.
Research scientist Anna Thomson will present the webinar.
Grassland is a crucial resource for the ruminant livestock industries within the agricultural sector.
In most temperate regions globally, this land is predominantly sown with ryegrass: a high yielding species that can provide good quality forage but is reliant upon the application of sufficient nitrogen fertiliser, and susceptible to drought.
Nitrogen fertiliser is expensive and has a high carbon and nitrogen footprint. Therefore, multiple research projects in recent years have investigated the replacement of monoculture pastures with mixed-species leys.
Their aim has been to achieve acceptable yields of good quality forage for livestock production whilst having a positive and long term impact on the environment.
In this webinar, Dr Thomson, who previously worked at the University of Reading (UK) before joining the Ellinbank team, will discuss her previous research into mixed-species pastures as part of a collaborative 5-year study: ‘The DiverseForage Project’ and also summarise the findings of other notable European studies on this subject matter.
The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 15 at 12.30pm.
In these situations, signs of ill-health are most commonly seen in younger livestock.
Typically, there may be a history of ill-thrift and ongoing scouring that has not responded to drenching.
The good news is most stock recover from infection and become immune to this disease. Death can occur but treatment with antibiotics is often successful.
Steps can be taken to prevent losses from yersiniosis and other similar diseases.
Simply optimising pasture utilisation during these colder months, practicing good parasite control, and minimising stress will help protect livestock.
It is important to remember that other causes of ill-thrift and scouring can look like yersiniosis, so it is best to contact your veterinarian to investigate these cases.