While grasses provide the bulk of the pasture yield and are visually obvious, there are a large number of non-grass species that are also present, such as ferns, sedges, rushes, legumes, daisies, orchids and pennyworts.  These non-grass species are often poorly recognised, yet usually outnumber the species of grasses and so significantly contribute to the biodiversity of pastures.  Many species provide out of season green feed and a different composition of energy, protein and minerals, helping to reduce or overcome some of the nutritional problems of north coast pastures.  On the other hand, not all non-grass species are desirable, as there are many invasive and/or toxic pasture species on the north coast, such as crofton weed, fireweed and mother-of-millions.

Kempsey-based district agronomist Carol Rose said many legumes and herbs could be difficult to recognise and urged landholders to take the time to attend the field day.

“Knowing what legumes and herbs you have, whether they are a valuable feed resource or poisonous and what influences their abundance is the first step in their management,” Ms Rose said. 

“This year presents an opportune time to inspect what you have in your pastures, as many plants are currently flowering and therefore are at their best in terms of identification.

“Seeing what you have is important in assessing management tactics in the future. Understanding your species also allows you to assess your potential production and any possible problems.”

“The composition of a pasture varies from year to year depending on climate, grazing and fertiliser, and other factors, giving landholders the scope to alter species composition to meet management and sustainability goals.  However, this is only possible if the individual species can be recognised.”

The Legumes and Herbs field day will highlight the recognition features of plants that are currently flowering and seeding in the pastures of the region, along with their strengths and weaknesses.  This field day is free.  However numbers are strictly limited and bookings are essential.   Bookings can be made by contacting Craig Stehn at Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare on 6651 1308.

The day runs from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm, with morning tea supplied. However, participants will need to bring their own lunch, chair and sun protection. They can also bring along pasture plants (preferably flowering) from their own property for identification.  Copies of the book “Legumes and Herbs of the North Coast of NSW” will be provided on the day.

As this is a new publication that we hope will continue, I would like to try and build up our mailing list.  Please forward this publication and email to any of your contacts who might be interested in soils news and events.To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute to or comment on this newsletter please email allthedirt.newsletter@dpi.nsw.gov.au

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MLA’s Livestock Supply Chain Coordinator Mark Inglis will deliver the “Beefing Up Performance” day, which looks at Meat Standards Australia. Meat Standards AustraliaTM (MSA) is “a beef (and sheepmeat) eating quality program that labels beef with a guaranteed grade and recommended cooking method to identify eating quality according to consumer perceptions.”

 Put together with the producer in mind, MSA combines much of what is known in the production, processing and cooking sectors, using a systems approach to deliver guaranteed eating quality. The workshop is designed to provide participants with a sound knowledge of the MSA Grading System and the ability to use decision making tools to analyse feedback in order to best meet MSA and customer requirements.

 The topics Mark will cover are: an introduction to MSA; consigning cattle to MSA; On Farm Management systems; MSA grading - How does it work; the MSA Feedback & Benchmarking system; carcase feedback; conforming to the MSA specifications; and improving performance.

 The MSA Beefing Up Performance day will be held at the Uniting Church Hall on Myrtle Street in Dorrigo on Thursday 23rd April. Registration for the workshop starts at 9:30am and the presentation will run from 10:00am to 3:00pm. There is no cost to attend and morning tea and lunch will be provided. Numbers are limited so if you’d like to secure a place please contact Kate Goode at Bellinger Landcare Inc on 6655 0588 or kate-belland@westnet.com.au

 This event is funded through the Australian Governments Caring for our Country program.

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For more information check out Maarten’s website.

This policy statement aims to increase awareness, explain the reasons for the listing, provide advice on how to identify, assess and manage this ecological community and highlight the EPBC Act implications of its listing.  The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is distributing the policy statement widely to enable landholders (e.g. farmers), environmental managers and other stakeholders to use it as a reference and help ensure sustainable management and protection for this critically endangered community.

For a copy of this document click on the link below.

Littoral Rainforest and Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia