Years of observation,
practical farm management, reading and research have given Alison Elvin a large
amount of knowledge and strong belief in the value of native pastures for
livestock production and biodiversity conservation. She generously shared this
with the 22 of us in her attentive and absorbed all-day-workshop class on
Saturday 21 June (which started out as a brisk misty Canberra morning; photo above).
Alison (facing the class in the photo above) explained the
seasonality of summer- and winter-active perennial native grasses, and their
management via various grazing and burning practices. Native grasses and forbs
(many of them leguminous) are finely adapted to the local soils and extremes of
climate, adding condition to our meagre soils and protecting them against
erosion. Managed native pastures can provide reliable feed through winter,
summer and drought, compared to non-native species that can fail in hot dry
conditions.
We learnt about
native grasses’ use of water and nutrients, their palatability, digestibility and
feed value, and their growth habits (mat or tussock). Alison demonstrated many similarities
and differences between her samples of native grasses (some are in the photo above) and forbs, and their distinctive
flower and seed characteristics, including photos for species no longer in
head. Then we walked with Alison and our host John Starr of Gold Creek Station,
Hall, into the paddocks to spot grasses, forbs and weeds in real life. We
compared the leaf and seed heads of native species to those of African Lovegrass,
and Wallaby Grass (Austrodanthonia sp.) to Weeping Grass Microlaena stipoides (photo below) (both were in head in this unusual year),
and heard more about managing pastures to boost production and conservation.
Many thanks to Alison, of Natural Capital Pty
Ltd, Gundaroo, for her enthusiastic instruction and the handouts, and to John for his
hospitality.
Karissa Preuss, catchment coordinator for Ginninderra Catchment Group, organised this workshop and others in the series for landholders and interested others, funded by a Federal Community Landcare grant.
