At the recent Grassland Society of NSW Annual Conference at Dubbo (July 28-29), the Society celebrated 25 years as an organisation. Malcolm Campbell, the Grassland Society Secretary for 17 years (1985-2002) and Life Member entertained the conference delegates at the dinner with an address on the history of the society over the past 25 years. A copy of Malcolm’s address will be printed in the next edition of the newsletter. More conference highlights will be posted soon
Malcolm Campbell toasting the Grassland Society of NSW at the Conference dinner on July 28 at Dubbo. Photo Jenene Kidston.
This excellent publication is a joint venture between I&I NSW and the Grassland Society of NSW. It provides information on species and varieties/brands of pasture grasses, legumes and some herbs used in pastures. Varieties/brand names are listed together with suppliers and other relevant detail such as plant characteristics, sowing rates, suitable soil types etc. that may assist producers in selecting suitable pasture varieties.
Remember the Annual Conference is coming up soon so make sure you check the Conference Page (link on menu above) for the latest brochure and registration forms.
Applications for the Farmer of the Year and Young Farmer of the Year awards are now open.
The NSW Farmer of the Year and NSW Young Farmer of the Year Awards are designed to recognise excellence in farming within NSW.
A joint initiative by NSW Farmers’s Association and NSW Industry & Investment and supported by the Royal Agricultural Society and The Land.
The awards have a particular focus on acknowledging farmers who combine sustainable environment practices with profitable production.
The successful Farmer of the Year will be awarded $10,000 with the Young Farmer of the Year award (aged between 16-35 years) awarded $5,000 prize money.
Application forms are available from NSW Farmer’s Association and Industry and Investment NSW.
Closing date for applications is 10th June
From the President’s desk – Mick Duncan (December 2009)
Seasonal conditions across NSW vary greatly, with good winter crop prospects in northern NSW, patchy further south, and pasture conditions also varying according to location. Irrespective whether you are a climate change sceptic or not, there is no doubt that variable climate has significantly changed attitudes to plant and animal production in recent years, if not longer. A study of climatic data for the past century makes for interesting reading and suggests that pastoralists way back were concerned with changes in both rainfall pattern and yearly totals. We will attempt to print an article on this subject in a coming newsletter.
Our editor for this newsletter over the past eight years, Professor Haydn Lloyd Davies, has finally and reluctantly decided to retire from this position, but not, I’m pleased to report, from either the Society or his state committee membership. Haydn, one of the few life members of the Society, has contributed enormously to its functioning by serving in many capacities, including that of President from 1997 -1999. On behalf of all our members I thank Haydn for his long service to the Society and his editorship of this highly regarded newsletter, with much assistance from Helen.
Carol Harris, from Glen Innes has kindly offered to take on this very important task. I thank her for this and ask all members to consider letters to her as editor, on topical subjects. I also welcome Cathy Waters to our committee and look forward to her valued contributions.
Our internet site that provides members with linkages to a broad range of seed, fertilizer, chemical companies and weather stations, to name a few, is in the process of review. I am grateful to Cathy Waters from Industry and Investment at Trangie and Carol Harris, Glen Innes for agreeing to review our site in an attempt to make it even more useful. One suggestion is to have the abstract of conference papers available for people who do not wish to wade through all the papers in full. I know that Cathy and Carol would welcome any suggestions that may improve our internet site.
Best wishes to all members.
A bit late but better late than never: the last issue of the 2009 newsletter is now online here.
This is the first newsletter edited by Carol Harris – the new editor – and is full of interesting articles and photographs from the Annual Conference. Brief summary of the contents follows:
- Editorial – Carol Harris
- Good results for hay and silage awards – N Griffiths
- Mineral nutrition of sheep and cattle grazing dual-purpose wheats – H Dove, W Kelman, G
McMullen
- Boosting live weights on winter forages – R Van Es
- Native pasture systems: Forage value in the Manilla-Bundarra Region – L Rowling, C Edwards
- 2010 Grassland Society of NSW Conference and Aust Society of Animal Production Conference
- 9th World Sheep & Wool Congress
- From the President’s Desk – Mick Duncan
Just a small selection of photos from the 2009 Annual Conference courtesy of Carol Harris (Glen Innes DPI). The annual conference is a great way to meet up with others in the pastoral industries, learn about and discuss new research and developments, participate in field trips and view a great range of trade displays. If you have not attended a conference before, why not make a date for 2010.
The Conference Dinner is an excellent opportunity to meet others in the industry – this year, the after-dinner speaker was Heath Francis, gold medal winning Para-Olympian.
A wealth of information on offer from guest speakers, poster and trade displays.
This group attended the Flood Plains field trip which inspected this 500 cow dairy. Other tours looked at silage contracting, and a range of setaria/kikuyu pastures.
It has been suggested that the contact details for members of the NSW Grassland Society committee be published on the website so that they can be readily contacted.
A new page has now been added to the website for this purpose. Please see the Society Contacts page – use the link here or the page link on the left hand menu or at the bottom of the Home page.
If you have any query, use the Contact list to find the appropriate Committee member. Choose from the quick list on the page or download the full list which contains email addresses and alternative phone/fax numbers.
Life members of the Society are also acknowledged on this page.
The Annual Conference featured in a story on the ABC Country Hour yesterday (Thursday 6/8/09). I am sure the Country is required listening for most farmers but for those who missed it, see the transcript here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nsw/content/2009/08/s2648238.htm
We’ll have more on the conference here soon.
Those members who read Mike Key’s report on his trip to China to attend the 21st International Grassland Congress in the newsletter earlier this year, may be interested to read more about the region in this Travel Report by Sally Green.
Sally and Des attended the Post Conference Tour of Mongolia and found it extremely interesting if not a little tiring due to the long travel times needed to get around the area – see the third photo below as an example.
To read more about this Conference Tour, please download the pdf file below:
Sally has also provided some great photos of the tour – click below to view them. The Nadaam Games were a highlight of the tour – see more info about this traditional festival in this Wikipedia article.
Nadaam Games 2008 (Mongolia) - a traditional festival featuring wrestling, horse racing and archery competitions.
Horses are very important culturally in Mongolia.
The road out of Ulanbaatar! Formed road was impassable so everyone drives across the pasture - see our two buses
Taken on way back to UB near Tsterleg - typical Mongolian pasture.
