ON FARM SHEEP FEEDBASE f Taking feedbase manageme Victorian sheep producers Craig and Jayne Drum could measure pasture and feed budget in their sleep, but it didn’t stop them from looking for new information to drive feedbase productivity. Jayne was a technical officer for trials in the MLA‑supported EverGraze project for two years and Craig is an agronomist, but they reckon it’s one thing to teach and another to do. “Jayne’s probably taken a thousand pasture measurements through her work,” Craig said. “The problem was, we just weren’t disciplined in applying what we knew – and told others to do – in our own enterprise.” To overcome this and provide rigour to their mixed farming enterprise, the couple are currently working their way through the Managing a Diverse Craig and Jayne Drum, pictured with their dog Louie, are getting back Feedbase program with to the basics of managing their feedbase. MLA’s Profitable Grazing Systems (PGS). production goals. While these breeds Ewes and lambs are grazed The program, which The PGS program is helping were easy‑care and on a mix of: Craig helps facilitate, is Craig and Jayne understand productive on a farm • older phalaris and delivered primarily by the supply of and demand with no sheep‑handling sub‑clover pastures southern Victoria rural on their feedbase in a infrastructure, their tendency (dominated by phalaris) consultant Cam Nicholson 12‑month cycle. to rub and damage newly • newer perennial ryegrass to producers through group erected fencing resulted in and sub‑clover pastures sessions, farm visits and Learning curve the Drums swapping them one‑on‑one learning over The Drums are relatively new for Merino ewes. • failed winter crops, such as a 12‑month period. to mixed farming. in 2019 when 138mm fell Craig and Jayne, who are in May, 90mm in June and Participants, through Six years ago, inspired by still building up numbers, 80mm in July skills‑based learning the productivity of nearby currently run 200 ewes, clover hay and feed grain joined to Suffolks for a • and practice, focus on mixed farmers, the couple produced on‑farm. how to better manage a introduced Australian White first‑cross prime lamb. They mixed farming feedbase and Dorper ewes to their opportunity trade first or Identifying the gaps to meet their livestock cropping enterprise. second‑cross lambs. One challenge the Drums 30