As part of the Farmers Digging Deeper project, SGLN established a demonstration site at the Tracy dairy farm at Waratah Bay. Working with farmers Stu, Jacqui and Angus, and with support from multispecies specialist Jade Killoran (Healthy Farming Systems), we started the demonstration in 2022.
The paddock was split in half – one side trialed multispecies pastures and regenerative management practices. On the other side conventional pastures and crops, with conventional practices (fertiliser, spray) were used.
The results showed the cost per tonne of dry matter for the multispecies/regenerative side was approximately half the cost on conventional side.
Stuart Tracy said “It’s blown me away, I would not have fathomed we’d see the regenerative out yield the conventional, it has really shocked me, pleasantly surprised. For me it justifies our move to a regenerative approach for our farm”.
The multispecies pastures also had higher dry matter, ME, protein, NFC, and calcium. There were less weeds and improved drought resilience.
We also recorded improvements in soil health, with less compaction, the soil being better drained and aerated, and double the number of worms.
Watch the video below for all the details, including costings, and the farmer (Stuart Tracy)’s perspective.
For more information contact Cassie, cassie@sgln.net.au, 0448 739 559.
This project is supported by South Gippsland Landcare Network, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
