Lucerne & Fodder Crops

By David Davenport, Rural Solutions SA

Drought equals low profits, wind erosion and shortage of feed - or does it?

Putting perennial plant systems such as lucerne and fodder shrubs into your farm system can:

  • Provide higher levels of feed - perennial plants have deeper root systems which can access moisture deeper in the soil profile (where soil barriers do not restrict root development).
  • Provide soil cover reducing the potential for wind erosion.
  • Improve risk management by reducing farm exposure to high input costs of cropping.

So why are they not planted more? The usual reasons are:

  • 'Grazing is not as profitable as cropping': Studies of farms in low-medium rainfall zones have concluded that even during periods of low wool prices and low sheep/ cattle prices a mix of cropping and grazing was more profitable than continuous cropping systems. The picture would have looked even better if perennial grazing systems were involved and the economic data included recent livestock and wool prices.
  • 'Lucerne does not persist": Much of the negative view of lucerne has come from the old varieties which did not have resistance to aphids. Also set stocking and poor weed control will thin out established lucerne stands. With good insect and weed control and suitable grazing management new varieties of lucerne will provide many years of good production.
  • 'If I put in lucerne I cannot go back to cropping': Using the right herbicide at the correct time will successfully remove lucerne. Significant gains to subsequent crops from increase soil Nitrogen and improved soil structure will result.

Work conducted on Eyre Peninsula is supporting these claims. Using land capability as a criteria for selection, marginal cropping ground (deep sands) have been planted to lucerne. The photos below of two similar sites on eastern Eyre Peninsula were taken in September and illustrate what can happen.

Second year lucerne Cereal Crop

The lucerne site illustrated had sample pasture cuts taken on 19 November 2002, three weeks after hard grazing without any rainfall and gave over 1 t/ha of dry matter! A lucerne pasture on sand over clay at Edillilie with the same grazing gave over 2t/ha of dry matter!!

Obviously the production level is related to groundwater availability. Lucerne pastures where subsoil barriers restrict root development and older lucerne pastures which may previously have dried the profile may not provide this level of feed in a dry year but there is at least the potential to obtain some return and provide good ground cover.

The bottom line is that perennial plant systems can reduce the impact of drought and provide farmers with greater flexibility to handle these years. Lucerne and fodder crops are they not worth considering?