ON FARM NORTHERN CATTLE Spelling for success grass we have to work with. SNAPSHOT: “From this we can determine Michael and Michelle our dry season plan and whether we’ll need to adjust Lyons, ‘Wambiana our stock numbers to match Station’, Charters thefeed available.” Towers, Queensland Infrastructure is key l Michael said effective spelling and rotational grazing requires the right infrastructure. “We found we needed to spread our water points across the property to allow better grazing distribution and forage utilisation,” Area: he said. 23,200ha “Now our cattle don’t need Enterprise: to walk more than 1.5km to Beef cattle and educational get a drink of water. tourism “This ensures we can spell Livestock: the country we want to, 3,000 Brahmans rather than moving to Michael (pictured more successfully. Combined paddocks based on whether Pasture: with carefully adjusting or not there is surface Desert bluegrass, buffel, above left with water available.” black speargrass, stylos his son Hugh) stocking rates to match their and desmanthus and Michelle Lyons seasons, this allows them to The Lyons family also have turned their better look after desirable invested in fencing so cattle Soil: first‑hand experience of grasses. As a result, they can be moved away from River loams, grey cracking only use about 30% of their their preferred areas to graze clays, sand ridges a long‑term grazing trial property at any one time. paddocks more evenly, and to on their family’s Charters help manage riparian country Rainfall: Towersmove the cattle through“Westation intoan during the wet season. 650mm opportunity to improve paddocks quickly in the pasture management in wet season to ensure they Michael said sound Michael Lyons only lightly graze the better knowledge and confidence E: info@wambiana a highly variable climate. grasses, giving them time to were important factors in station.com.au The Queensland recover before grazing again changing their management in the dry season. Wambiana Station government first leased practices to spell country wambianastation. part of ‘Wambiana Station’ “This rations out the more effectively. com.au fromMichael’s parents in “We’ve actively sought 1997 to test and develop feed, ensuring the MLA’s EDGE programs: sustainable, profitable training in grazing strategies mla.com.au/edge pastures left behind through programs such strategies to manage rainfall are in good condition as MLA’s EDGE courses variabilityin extensive and RCS Grazing for Profit,” LESSONS grazing enterprises. These and ready to respond Michael said. LEARNED trials continue to be run by to the coming the Queensland Department wet season.” “We’ve also recently started ofAgriculture and Fisheries to use MaiaGrazing, an > Spread out water (DAF) – see story opposite. online grazing chart, to points. Michael said wet season record our grazing and > Seek training and “We’ve taken the results from spelling is also a crucial tooldeliver information on how learn from other the trials and put them into to achieve animal production our paddocks are yielding, producers. practice in a rotational grazingtargets and set up pastures plus give us early indications strategy,” Michael said. for the dry season. > Determine a dry on how we are tracking season plan based on The Lyons family use rotational“By the time we get to the dry relative to our carrying spelling results. grazing to spell paddocks season, we know how much capacity benchmarks.” ■ 17