Derwent Pasture Information Network

Background

Short-growing seasons, variable soil conditions and erosion prone north-facing slopes are some of the challenges facing dryland graziers in Tasmania. North-facing slopes in the Derwent Catchment can be difficult to incorporate into grazing systems. Dry and exposed, with rough and steep topography and a harsh microclimate, establishing and maintaining improved pastures on these slopes is challenging.

Where livestock can access large areas of sloping ground, they will preferentially graze the warmer north-facing slopes and increase grazing pressure. Good fencing and water for livestock are needed to manage these areas and restrict stock access. However, the terrain often prevents farmers from being able to set up the necessary infrastructure.

Without careful management, north-facing slopes are also prone to erosion. Without enough vegetation to hold the topsoil together, soil will be blown away on hot windy days and can end up in waterways. Soil loss and declining water quality often means production losses for farmers and can cause significant environmental issues. Once established, the resulting poor land condition is very difficult to address.

Demonstration Sites

The Derwent Pasture Network project worked with six commercial farmers to establish a series of persistent perennial pasture and saltbush forage shrub demonstration sites in the Derwent Catchment. The project tested how well selected persistent perennial pasture species and forage shrubs can cope in the region’s dry north-facing slopes, with the aim of bringing improvements both to the landscape (by improving groundcover and reducing soil erosion) and producers’ bottom line.

Dryland Pasture Course

The Derwent Pasture Network developed an innovative dryland pasture course (the first of its kind in Tasmania). The course consisted of face-to-face sessions together with site visits to discuss what works well, and what doesn’t.  Topics ranged from pasture management, livestock and grazing, and legumes, to management strategies for creating healthy landscapes.

Field Days and Discussion Groups

The project ran field days hosted by various graziers participating in the project. This included visiting some of the project’s demonstration sites and case-studies. In-depth group discussions with the broader grazing community covered pasture management topics aimed at improving and enhancing perennial groundcover, soil health and productivity.  Along with discussion group seminars in which experts were invited to present on a specific topic followed by an open discussion with attendees, these events were a highly successful way to enhance knowledge exchange. Topics included soil carbon, the role of legumes in pasture and game management.

DPN Website

The Pasture Network website is a knowledge sharing hub that has been developed to assist dryland graziers in Tasmania to get the most out of their pastures. It provides locally specific on-ground learnings that provide advice and solutions.

The website provides background on the distinctive challenges of dryland grazing and offers evidence-based information and materials to increase resilience and help safeguard dryland farming properties into the future. The goal of the website is to collate resources and information from our local experts and provide access to the wealth of knowledge held by the farming community in an easy to access format.

Information on how to build resilience and improve the condition and productivity of farms is all freely available, alongside monitoring and management-related factsheets, guides, podcasts and videos covering a range of topics.