Dairy farmers across Australia are reflecting on a tough 18 to 24 months marked by erratic weather, depleted feed reserves and soaring input costs.
In regions like south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia, droughts, floods and shortened growing seasons have forced many to rely heavily on purchased feed, often at record prices.
Spring presents a valuable window to establish forage crops that can bridge feed gaps through summer and autumn. These crops offer rapid growth, high digestibility and flexibility in grazing or conservation.
Brassicas — such as turnips, forage rape and leafy turnips — are fast-growing and highly digestible, making them ideal for summer grazing and bridging feed gaps.
Regrowth varieties allow multiple grazings.
Chicory, with its deep roots and drought tolerance, provides high energy and protein, suitable for grazing from late spring to autumn.
Annual or Italian ryegrass offers cheap sowing costs, quick establishment and options for grazing and silage or hay, with minimal paddock disturbance.
Sorghum is known for its rapid dry matter accumulation in warm conditions, water efficiency and low insect pressure, making it suitable for summer grazing or silage.
Maize, a high-yielding silage crop with excellent energy density, provides high yield potential and is best suited to irrigated systems or high-input dryland farms.
To make home-grown feed work, it is essential to plan early, matching crop choice to soil type, rainfall and stock needs.
Using diverse blends can offer balanced nutrition and soil health benefits. Monitoring soil temperature ensures optimal germination conditions, and managing grazing rotations helps maintain feed quality.
For purchased feed, accurate forecasting of needs using feed budgeting tools is crucial.
Securing supply early by locking in contracts before peak demand periods can prevent shortages. Testing feed quality and allocating high-value supplements strategically can optimise feed use.
The past two years have highlighted the vulnerability of dairy systems to external pressures but also the opportunity to build resilience through smart feed base management.
Spring forage crops offer a cost-effective, high-quality feed source that can reduce reliance on purchased inputs and improve farm profitability.
As we plan ahead, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to do it alone.
Lean on your trusted advisers, whether that’s your agronomist, nutritionist or farm consultants.
They are experts in this field and can help you make informed decisions about cropping, feed budgeting, and risk management.
It’s also a good time to engage with your financial adviser or bank to review cashflow and plan for future investment in feed strategies.
And just as importantly, if the past couple of years have taken a toll on your wellbeing, reach out to your GP or a rural support service.
These have been tough times, and it’s okay to ask for help.
Building resilience isn’t just about feed, it’s about looking after yourself, your team and your business for the long haul.
Leighton Hart and Greg Morris are dairy specialists for Pioneer Seeds.