Pasture cropping

Pasture cropping is a technique of sowing crops into living perennial pastures (usually native) and having these crops grow symbiotically with the existing pastures. Pasture cropping works on the simple principle that nature has always used; grow annuals between dormant perennial grasses. With pasture cropping, as soon as the crop is harvested, the paddock reverts to animal production as the grass base is still intact. The landscape has a permanent plant cover all year.

Pasture cropping is a new system relying on the carbon processes of perennial grasses. It relies on perennial grasses to maintain soil organic carbon.

For many, the aversion to even considering pasture cropping, is the issue of perennial grasses using all the moisture. What is overlooked however, are the carbon processes that perennial grasses introduce (i.e. better water infiltration, moisture storage, shading the soil, lifting the wind off the soil surface, not to mention the better recycling of nutrients).

Interestingly, there is a significant increase in yields of up to 30% where the crops are sown into thicker areas of native perennial grasses.

I met Colin Seis, "Winona" Gulgong NSW, one of the developers of pasture cropping, when we were both guest speakers at an information day. Although my interest was on grazing, we were both focused on how the different plant groups functioned.

Pasture cropping contributes to the development of vitally needed topsoil the same way good pasture management does.

Advanced sowing

At the same time and in isolation, a very similar concept, "Advanced Sowing", was developed by Bruce Maynard "Willydah" Narromine NSW. Bruce is in an area with 500 mm of non-seasonal rainfall.

Bruce does not plant after it rains as the weeds have then germinated. By planting dry, he turns the soil back on both sides and this gives the seed a virgin patch of soil which is softer. The oats then gets away before the weeds. Higher organic matter as a result of the perennial grass phase means the oats seed is placed in soil that is more conducive to germination because it holds moisture better. The existing grass also reduces the drying effect of wind.

Fuel cost is low because the combine requires little energy to tow. This is because it's sowing into the plant residue layer on the surface. The 24-run combine has so little draught when sowing that it can be towed by a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Bruce says the economic analysis from consultants and long range weather gurus indicate that if a conventional farmer were not to plant at all during drought years, they would be streets ahead financially.

He has developed a farming system that works with the Australian environment, not against it.

To download a PDF version of Chapter 20: Pasture Cropping of "Carbon Grazing - the missing link" (file size 519Kb), click on the highlighted chapter heading.

To purchase a hard copy version of "Carbon Grazing - the missing link" click on the highlighted book title.