FARM GROUP ACTIVITIES TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Desmanthus is an adapted summer legume that will persist and improve many pastures KEY POINT TO DEMONSTRATE Desmanthus has persisted for over 15years to become part of a well-balanced and productive grass-legume pasture for the Bells brigalow clay soil LOCATION LallaLindi FARMER Don & Lorraine Bell BACKGROUND
In 1996, Don and Lorraine Bell used a small amount of Desmanthus in a seed mixture to return old crop land back to pasture. The 1990s had been dry and returns from grain low, so it seemed like a good time to go back to pastures for a whileand the 100 hectare paddock is still under pastures 16 years later. With renewed interest in pastures; to rebuild soil carbon levels, or as a resilient option for possible future climates, the Chinchilla Landcare Group has twice visited Don and Lorraines pasture to have another look at Desmanthus. In 2011, it looked like the Desmanthus was taking over. This was quite remarkable given that the pasture mix only contained a few kilograms of Desmanthus seed when it was sown. However, another visit in 2012 has seen the grass component growing strongly in a really well-balanced mixed sward. It seems that the legume is doing its job and fixing nitrogen which has allowed the grasses to then grow more strongly. This is really good news as farmers around Chinchilla, and throughout Queensland, look for reliable legumes that will persist and ensure their pastures stay productive.

CONCLUSION
Don says he regularly gets weight gains of between 1 and 1.5 kg a day from the young cattle here. In fact, he reckons that they have probably made more money out of growing cattle in the Desmanthus paddock than with grain in recent years. This really opens up some options for mixed farmers in the Chinchilla districtand people through southern Queensland will be very pleased to hear that Desmanthus is tough legume that will persist and contribute to their pastures for many years to come.

This project is funded by GRDC and the Australian Governments Climate Change Research Program