Macalister Demonstration Farm

Dairy Research Farm demonstrating best management practice

 

Macalister Demonstration Farm

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Grazing

"daily pasture growth"

The milking area of 73 ha is irrigated and is all sown to perennial pasture. The farm renovates about 10 ha per year, sowing one variety per paddock.

The rotation right tool is used to allocate feed in each paddock – down to 28 days in spring to 55 days in winter. Grazing management aims to graze to a 7 cm residue but will err on side of leaving residue rather than push the cows to eat into it. We mow to waste about every third grazing rotation. Very little silage is conserved and is mostly taken only to clean up any build up of residue.

Feeding is based on the Feeding Pasture for Profit principles that sets the grazing rotation on leaf stage. Pasture consumption around 13 tonne per hectare and 3.3 tonne per cow.

Feed supplements are used to get the desired grazing residue, diet balance and to make sure the cows are full.

The MDF transition feeds the cows cereal hay, 1 kg grass, and anionic salts.

Latest Publications

The MDF IoT Project: Introduction

December 29, 2020 By MDF

MDF Fortnightly Update 533

December 29, 2020 By MDF

MDF Fortnightly Update 532

December 29, 2020 By MDF

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About the MDF

The Macalister Demonstration Farm, formerly the Macalister Research Farm, is a farmer-owned co-operative established on April 13th 1960. A collaboration between dairy farmers of the MID and the Department of Agriculture at Maffra resulted in the … Read More

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