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LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• 54Q53 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• L56 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• Q75 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• L90 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• L91 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
• MULTILEAF® ML99 LUCERNE FEEDBACK
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• MEDIC FEEDBACK
• RYEGRASS FEEDBACK
• LEGUMES FEEDBACK
• FORAGE CEREALS FEEDBACK
• SPRING OPTIONS FEEDBACK
• SOWSMART BLENDS FEEDBACK
• ESTABLISHMENT GUARANTEE FEEDBACK |
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 Graham Osbourne - L91 Lucerne
New L91 lucerne variety ticking all the boxes. A new lucerne variety has ticked all the boxes for dairy farmer Graeme Osbourne of Tatura, in the Goulburn
Valley, after being planted earlier in 2009. Mr Osbourne said they put in a paddock of the new winter active
Goldstrike L91 lucerne at the end of July and he was really impressed with the growth in its first year of
production. “I think they have a real winner with this one,” he said. “They are getting the leaf, the small stems and the regrowth. I think this is nearly perfect.” The crop received good rainfall in the months after planting and was only watered once over the first four month period. By the start of December it was approximately 75cm in height although the wet weather in the weeks prior had delayed the first cut. “The L91 lucerne was very thick at ground level and its growth has been dramatic,” Mr Osbourne said. He said the lucerne would be used primarily to produce small square bales and be sold to horse markets. “The response from people driving along the road (where the lucerne is) has been amazing. It’s a green oasis in the desert. It just looks so good.” While some of the L91 lucerne will be used on-farm, the intention long-term is to turn the forage into chaff and put it into bags. “We have had a lot of enquiries,” Mr Osbourne said. “L91 should fit the job well. Looking at the plant in the paddock there are a mass of soft leaf and little stems - it looks perfect for horses.” Paddocks of the winter active Q75 and semi-winter dormant L56 were also planted on the property at the same time as the L91. Mr Osbourne said the different winter activities made it easier to manage over the summer as they would be ready to cut in rotations. “We can have a range of feed where everything is coming one after the other,” he said. The L91 was sown into a well-prepared paddock that had previously been a night paddock for the dairy cows. “After a good long preparation there was hardly a weed in the paddock,” Mr Osbourne said. “There was a lot of manure and broken down matter and all we needed to add was a bit of potassium and super.” He said lucerne was an excellent crop to grow and the cows milked well on both hay and silage harvested from the forage. While hay is the main option taken from the lucerne paddocks, silage will also be considered coming out of the cooler months if the weather is a bit uncertain. Mr Osbourne said lucerne was an excellent forage with the quality feed producing good results in the milking herd. “I think lucerne is the only crop farmers should grow.” He said it was also a good dryland option with paddocks that look totally bare, shooting away rapidly after rainfall.
Graham Osbourne of Tatura, Goulburn Valley, Victoria |
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