Grassroots September 2016, Vol. 16, No. 3 | Page 43
Congress
Mid-Congress Tour: Pasture innovation in the Southern Cape
Sigrun Ammann and Janke van der Colf
Outeniqua Research Farm, Western Cape Department of Agriculture: Research and Technology
Development Services, Directorate Plant Sciences
[email protected] / [email protected]
T
From pure pastures to integrated pasturecropping systems
he mid-congress tour looking at pastures in
the southern Cape was a full day tour
enthusiastically attended by some 50
delegates. The first stop on the tour was at the
Outeniqua Research Farm, one of seven research
farms in the southern Cape funded and managed by
the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. The
group was welcomed by Prof Robin Meeske, who
also gave an overview of the farm and the research
that is being conducted. The research programme
on Outeniqua is aimed at improving the
profitability of sustainability of dairy and beef
production from pastures, with both pasture and
animal research components.
Aside from its
research function, Outeniqua also successfully
manages a commercial dairy herd on a pasture
platform, competing with local producers on an
economic level. During the tour, delegates were
taken on a farm walk, looking at the various
pastures trials from the extensive evaluation and
characterization of pasture varieties (Sigrun
Ammann) to pasture systems trials including
nitrogen fertilization trials focusing on strategic
nitrogen application of minimum-till pastures. The
pasture systems that are researched and also used
on the farm for the production fields for the
commercial dairy herd are based on the no-till
concept (Janke van der Colf). The whole research
team was involved which includes the two
technicians, Dalena Lombard and Lethu Zulu as
well as the two post graduate students Charne
Augustyn and Bernhard Jordaan.
In terms of the animal science research, Josef
van Wyngaard discussed research being undertaken
on Outeniqua that is aimed at characterising and
quantifying methane emission from pasture based
systems, with the eventual goal of reducing such
emissions. Delegates were also shown the
apparatus used to measure these emissions – a
cleverly designed device that can be attached to the
cows with a harness. This allows measurements to
be taken while cows continue with their normal
grazing behaviour in an uninhibited way as part of
the herd.
Grassroots
The tour then continued to the farms of Van
GreunenBoerdery, where we were welcomed by
Nelius van Greunen. The Van GreunenBoerdery is
an excellent example of enterprise diversification
within agriculture. The farming business is based
on an interesting combination of farming
enterprises including pasture based dairy
production, potatoes, maize silage and berries. The
dairy pastures, cropping for the potatoes and the
maize silage fields are in a large rotation across
their various farms. This rotational system is
considered a very important component of
maintaining the productivity of their system. The
dairy pastures, consisting of perennial ryegrassclover, lucern and kikuyu depending on the
characteristics of the field, are grown for a number
of years followed by a break crop such as rape
mixed with oats. The break crop is then followed
with potatoes or maize silage. After the potatoes,
the break crop is planted again and then followed
with a new pasture establishment phase. The break
crop contributes to soil health in terms of parasite
control, specifically for the cultivation of potatoes.
Nelius van Greunen explained that the tillage
associated with the potato production allows them
to incorporate lime and other soil amendments deep
into the soil profile. They consider this to
contribute markedly to the success of maintaining
clover throughout the pasture phase, which lasts for
a number of years. In addition, pastures are oversown annually to maintain productivity over years.
It was pointed out that in order to have good winter
production they always aim to over-sow in late
summer/ early autumn, with delayed establishment
during late autumn generally avoided. This does
result in a grazing shortage during the over-sowing
period, but the shortfall is overcome with the rape
fields and silage. Another important aspect for van
GreunenBoerdery is the maintenance of organic
matter content of the soil and soil health, for which
they have found the addition of chicken litter
beneficial. The marginal areas are planted to more
perennial pasture species with deeper root systems
that require less irrigation. These areas are used as
fodder reserve areas when needed. Excess pasture
is made into silage and maize silage is also
produced for use in the winter months when pasture
growth is slow or during the over-sowing period.
September 2016
Vol 16 No.3