The Pasture Trials Network (PTN) offers independent, robust and up to date grazing feed-base variety performance information on a range of pastures.
“This information assists livestock producers and their advisors to select the best-performing varieties of the most relevant temperate pasture species suited to their regions,” says PTN executive officer Tony Butler.
“PTN data is gathered through a large range of independent trials run in temperate areas across Australia. PTN has been running various pasture variety trials with over a decade of data.”
PTN data and trial report information is free to all, with no cost to access information.
Independent varietal performance data is now available for eight key pasture species across 30+ different locations spread over all five southern Australian states. Use of this data from the PTN can ensure that livestock and dairy producers and their advisors can then source the best-performing pasture seed varieties for sowing each year.
“So, before you advise on, or buy your next pasture seed for sowing, make sure that you take a look at the PTN website (www.pasturetrials.com.au),” Mr Butler said. “You can access PTN data through the MLA/PTN web tool, and dairy producers and their advisors can follow the Forage Value Index (FVI) link for useful content.”
The fact that there is now a bank of independent data available from PTN can give producers and their advisors confidence in using PTN to select the varieties that are performing best in their environment.
“Making better varietal selection decisions can deliver considerable productivity and profitability benefits to producers through the extra feed delivered by the better performing varieties,” Mr Butler said.
“Yield data is also split into different seasons, so producers can select a variety with better winter performance for example, even though a number of varieties may have similar total yield.
“As such, this decision tool will give producers and their advisors a greater amount of information to select the variety that best suits their livestock production needs and then order that seed in a timely manner to be ready when conditions are ideal for planting.”
Like programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the PTN has highlighted the ability of seed companies to work collaboratively to test their varieties through the PTN after initial screening within their own trial programs. This enables data capture on new and emerging varieties across a broader range of trial locations, delivering valuable feedback to plant breeders.
“The program can therefore provide valuable information both forwards to end users and advisors, and return value to the seed companies participating,” Mr Butler said.
After a pilot NFVT scheme was set up in 2011, the independent coordinated Pasture Trial Network (PTN) was set up in 2014 as a joint venture between Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the Australian Seed Federation (ASF) and ten participating seed companies. In 2019 Dairy Australia also became a program funder, with relevant trial data being used to generate Dairy Australia’s Forage Value Index or FVI.
“Since the programs’ inception, over 90 trials have now been listed on the MLA PTN web tool, covering eight major pasture species: annual, Italian and perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, tall fescue, lucerne and sub-clover, with the dataset to continuing to grow.”
