Craig Steers - Zulu 2 Forage Sorghum
Zulu 2 forage sorghum proved an excellent option for grazing and hay on the property of Craig Steers at Invergordon, in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria last season. Mr Steers said he planted a 2 hectare trial plot of Zulu 2 in November and was very impressed with the results.“We sowed it dry and had a heap of rain on it,” he said. The Zulu 2 was grown alongside some other grazing options and impressed with its quick early growth and palatability. “I thought it was quite good,” Mr Steers said. “It was growing as quick as the BMRs.” “It didn’t have the real thick stalks. The cows chewed it right down.” Mr Steers said the two hectare paddock would generally provide about six days worth of good grazing. The paddock was divided with an electric fence and the herd of 200 dairy cows grazed the Zulu 2 for half a day before being provided silage in an adjacent paddock. If the cows had not completely grazed the area Mr Steers said he would put young stock in the area overnight to finish the job. After six days of feed, the paddock received an application of 50 kilograms per hectare of urea and irrigation if there was no rainfall. The paddock did go six weeks without watering at one stage and showed excellent stress tolerance under the summer conditions. Mr Steers said it responded very well after grazing and they were able to graze the paddock three times over the season. “Towards the end it got away from us and I ended up cutting it for hay,” he said. “It really surprised me. I will certainly be growing that again.” The hay at the end of the season provided an opportunity to clean up the paddock, which was then rotated through into lucerne. Mr Steers said Zulu 2 provided a lot of bulk with the milkers doing particularly well on the forage. It also provided a range of options with the feed used for both grazing and hay production last season. Zulu 2 could also be used for silage production later in the season.
Craig Steers, Invergordon, Goulburn Valley, Victoria