News Releases
EverGraze Regional Packages
As the majority of Proof Site field work comes to a close, EverGraze is now working on making the messages from our national research relevant to local farms.
The approach: to develop at least six regionally relevant information packages. These will include south coast WA, northeast Victoria/southern slopes NSW, Central Tablelands NSW, northern NSW, southwest Victoria and Gippsland. Packages in other regions are being considered.
The regional packages will be made available on a new interactive website. The website will help farmers and advisers to find the information they need to make informed decisions. Pros and cons of practices will be described with regionally relevant evidence from research and linked to information, decision support tools and training.
Producers and advisers will be trained on developing whole farm implementation plans for pasture, livestock and grazing systems which achieve environmental, profitability and risk management objectives.
Packages will be made available on the EverGraze website in mid-2012.
What’s happening in EverGraze research?
During 2011-12, EverGraze research at Chiltern and Orange is continuing to investigate the economic and environmental benefits of rotational grazing and fertiliser on native pastures.
At Chiltern new work to determine the effect on meat quality of finishing lambs on improved versus native pastures is being undertaken.
Tamworth continues research on the productivity and persistence of lucerne/grass mixtures.
Our improved pasture sites at Hamilton, Wagga and Albany have, for the most part, come to a close. You will have the opportunity to hear the final results at field days at Hamilton on December 1 and Wagga in Autumn next year.
From now until 2014, the research teams will interrogate their research results with computer models, which simulate livestock systems over many decades. This will achieve a better understanding of practices which can be integrated into regional packages.
New species and varieties developed by Future Farm Industries CRC including lotus, new varieties of fescue, phalaris, cocksfoot and tropical pastures will be included in the models to determine the potential for these to improve EverGraze systems.
EverGraze thanks Angela
Back in 2003, EverGraze was a research idea initiated by the Dryland Salinity CRC with MLA. A group of leading scientists were challenged to put forward a potential perennial pasture-based livestock system that could increase profit by 50% and halve the recharge to ground water.
Over eight years EverGraze has evolved to more profitable, sustainable grazing systems tried out on many farms following the “Right Plant, Right Place, Right Purpose, Right Management” principle.
Through this journey Angela Avery, Victorian Department of Primary Industries, has been the EverGraze national research and project leader. As most people involved in EverGraze know, Angela does this job with extreme care, diligence and a deep commitment to her research teams.
Inevitability Angela’s senior agency research responsibilities meant she could not give EverGraze the time she had so passionately done in past years. Vic DPI and Future Farm Industries CRC have agreed reluctantly to her finishing up on 30 June, while we appoint a new EverGraze project leader. Such is Angela’s loyalty to EverGraze she will continue to assist the new leader.
On behalf of all EverGraze participants, I most sincerely thank Angela Avery for her superb leadership and remarkable achievements.
Kevin Goss
CEO, Future Farm Industries CRC
Angela’s contribution to the EverGraze National Advisory Committee has been quite extraordinary.
Angela’s unwavering loyalty, optimism and ability to find logic and direction has supported the NAC throughout its journey. Hard work, determination and sincerity are also qualities that the NAC has come to admire in Angela. Such qualities are rarely seen in one package and we will miss her.
On behalf of all of the members of the NAC, I would also like to thank her sincerely for her strength, guidance and friendship.
Chris Mirams
Chair, EverGraze National Committee
Hamilton Proof Site finishes five years of research
The Hamilton EverGraze Proof Site has finished five years of research into the productivity and profitability of perennial pastures and the results have been outstanding. Ralph Behrent, EverGraze Proof Site Leader at Hamilton, compiled the results which prove that the right perennial in the right place for the right purpose with the right management increases productivity, profitability and improves our natural resources. Download here
EverFarm
The EverFarm pilot project is applying EverGraze principles to real case study farms and using modelling to project a range of strategic change options. Download here
Changes at the helm
Geoff Saul has stepped down as the National EverGraze Coordinator.
Geoff has been instrumental in coordinating EverGraze extension since the inception of EverGraze in 2004.
We would like to thank Geoff for his hard work and dedication and wish him well.
Kate Sargeant has taken on the position of EverGraze Extension Leader.
Michael Friend also succeeds Joe Jacobs as Program 1 Leader.
A new organisational chart can be downloaded here
Future Farm
The CRC Future Farm Journal - Perennials in Profitable Farming Systems has dedicated most of its Issue 5 June 2010 to EverGraze stories from Australian Farmers.Download the issue here.
Results prove perennials worth
Latest research shows that well managed perennials have an important place in grazing systems of south-west Western Australia (WA), according to Paul Sanford, WA Proof Site Leader for the EverGraze More Livestock from Perennials project .For the full article, download here.
Future agriculture needs leadership
According to Andrew Campbell, former head of Land and Water Australia and a Director of the Future Farm Industries CRC, agriculture in southern Australia is ‘sleep walking off a cliff and it is time to wake up!’
In his opening address at the recent Grasslands conference in Geelong, Andrew was provocative and encouraged producers to plan and manage their businesses on the assumption that rapid environmental change will continue.
‘It is not a blip’, said Mr Campbell. ‘Climate, water, energy and food are converging as never before. Agriculture now, will not be good enough in the future’, he said.Andrew predicted there will be severe oil shortages before 2020 and we will need to double food production by 2050. For the full Grasslands conference paper, download here.
 EverGraze a winner at Grasslands conference
EverGraze made its presence known at the recently held 50th Grasslands Society's Annual Conference in Geelong with its EverGraze Research Leader, Angela Avery, and the EverGraze National Advisory Committee Chair, Chris Mirams, delivering well received papers. EverGraze also took out the Best Trade Site and Best Poster (on Split Joining) with Chris Mirams winning the Best Paper Award. This focus on the quality work being done by the project has seen its website experience a 24% increase in traffic (a total 190 unique visitors) in just one week. The Grassland Society of Southern Australia Inc. is a not for profit organisation formed in 1959 to encourage the transfer of information and technology relating to grassland farming in southern Australia. EverGraze is a Future Farm Industries CRC, MLA and AWI research and delivery partnership.
Chris Mirams, Angela Avery & Geoff Saul at the recent Grasslands conference.
Right Plant,Right Place, Right Purpose
What is EverGraze? And how is it developing and testing new systems across Southern Australias high rainfall zones. To go to the article, click here
New focus on managing native perennials
Finding out how native pastures can be managed to improve farm productivity while helping the environment is the focus of a new EverGraze® research site located near Holbrook, new south Wales. To go to the article, click here
Pairing perennials proves profitable
Western Australian couple, Thys and Erin Gorter, have discovered the wonders of finishing prime lambs on perennial pastures. Thanks to their EverGraze® Supporting Site, the pair established a mix of lucerne and chicory and are now enjoying the savings reaped from reduced supplementary feed costs. To go to the article, click here
Sub-tropical pasture establishment - worth the wait
Brett and Bernadette Holz are making their firs foray into subtropical perennial pastures with an EverGraze® Supporting Site and they recently shared their establishment experiences. To go to the article, click here
Perennial pastures - more than just a pretty face
For South Australian graziers, Jeff, Anne and Cameron England, perennial pastures deliver more than just a green landscape in the midst of a dry summer. The England’s combination of lucerne, chicory, phalaris and cocksfoot provides year-round stock feed and has empowered the family to take marketing decisions back into their own hands. To go to the article, click here
Getting back to nature
Driven by a goal of working with nature, not against it, EverGraze® Supporting Site grazier, Matt Carter from NSW shared his success with native perennial pasture. To go to the article, click here
Perennial pastures prove production worth
Changing to improved perennial pastures and rotational grazing is helping Mark Buckett, Naracoorte, South Australia, increase lamb production and better use available feed. He recently shared some early results of his EverGraze® Supporting Site. To go to the article, click here.
 Federal Minister Hon. Tony Burke visits EverGraze
In late May, the Federal Minister for Agriculture Hon. Tony Burke received a first-hand briefing on the EverGraze project by visiting the project’s Hamilton Proof Site and touring a farm Supporting Site in the company of EverGraze’s National Advisory Committee and the EverGraze Regional Group.
The trip started with a visit to nearby Jigsaw Farms where he saw some EverGraze farming systems in action.
Once at the Proof Site, the Minister heard about the research underway at Hamilton from Ralph Behrendt who emphasised that productivity gains experienced at the site were superior to district best practice.
The Minister made the most of his opportunity to talk with farmers during the whole trip, and conducted interviews with some of them for his web-site. He gained a sense of the power of good science-farmer collaboration supported by the passion of farmers in the region for EverGraze.
Hon. Tony Burke chats with Andrew Speirs and Don Price
Keys to successful lucerne establishment
This article describes our experiences in establishing lucerne on the Hamilton EverGraze Proof site, some of the problems we faced and how we would do it again. To go to the media release, click here.
Split Joining proves flexible in a variable climate
Merino producers will achieve greater flexibility and reduce risk in their ewe operations by adopting a split joining strategy, according to recent research coming out of EverGraze — more livestock from perennials. The following article highlights the benefits and best approach for producers looking to adopt the innovative strategy in their flocks.To go to the media release, click here.
Big interest in Namoi native pastures
The key message of the EverGraze field days was to manage native pastures to promote desirable species while increasing the profitability of livestock enterprises using these pastures. To go to the media release, click here.
Lucerne establishment ~ Get the basics right!
There are some general principles when it comes to establishment of lucerne. Reg Hill, Australian Research Manager for PGGWrightsons Seeds highlighted that to grow lucerne successfully you had to get the basics right.To go to the media release, click here.
News Releases 2008
New site for Orange focuses on managing native pasture
A field day on 13 February at Panuara site will provide producers with an opportunity to see how the EverGraze project will manage native pastures to boost profits and enhance the environment. Further details
EverGraze getting the system right
At research „proof‟ sites near Wagga, EverGraze is evaluating the role of perennial pastures such as lucerne, phalaris, tall fescue and chicory in sheep production systems. Further details
EverGraze results on show
EverGraze Scientists were positive about the recent research results obtained from the ‘proof sites’ presented at a forum recently. Further details
New focus on managing native pasture
Finding out how native pastures can be managed to improve farm
productivity while helping the environment is the focus of a new
EverGraze research site located near Holbrook. Further details
Seymour gets the EverGraze Road Show Spectacular Rolling
Over 40 participants attended the first of a series of field days as part of the “EverGraze Road Show” to be held across Victoria this Spring. Further details
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