The issue:
Annual grasses with short seed viability compete with pastures, reducing productivity and quality. One control technique is cutting pastures for hay and silage, but it needs to be correctly managed to optimise effectiveness.
The impact:
Cutting hay and silage can reduce seed set in annual grasses and increase the percentage of desirable grasses and clovers, making the pasture more productive and improving livestock enterprise performance.
The opportunity:
If hay and silage production are optimised, it can extend the productive life of an established pasture.