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Nairn to leave lasting legacy

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Bob GarnantCountryman
Binnu farmer Don Nairn utilises confinement feeding paddocks combined with a crop grazing program to run a mixed farming enterprise.
Camera IconBinnu farmer Don Nairn utilises confinement feeding paddocks combined with a crop grazing program to run a mixed farming enterprise. Credit: Bob Garnant/Countryman, Bob Garnant

Binnu farmer Don Nairn will leave a lasting legacy when he walks off Terara, a 2470ha mixed farming enterprise that he transformed with the introduction of the Grain and Graze methodology to increase fodders for livestock production.

Grain and Graze was the first national collaboration on mixed farming in Australia.

The first phase of the program (from 2003) was supported by the GRDC, Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Wool Innovation and the now-defunct Land and Water Australia.

Mr Nairn’s long history of running Merino breeding ewes, “without an acre of pasture”, was a topic for discussion at the WA Livestock Research Council’s Livestock Matters Forum held last Thursday.

More than 100 farmers, consultants and research scientists led by WALRC chairman Tim Watts converged on Mr Nairn’s leased farm to discuss how his confinement feeding program had played an integral role in running sheep.

Mr Nairn explained he had sold the farm, but leased it back until the end of January next year with all the infrastructure still in place for visitors to view, minus most of the sheep that had been sold off.

“I am planning to change direction and run a Texel stud near Horrocks Beach,” he said.

“In the past, we have run up to 2000 Merino ewes, but in recent years, sheep numbers have been 1200 to 1400 ewes, to do it better.

“We don’t have any pasture paddocks, and just grow crops to feed our sheep — I have always believed in a mixed farming system.”

Mr Nairn said he had worked with Gingin-based AgVivo consultant Philip Barrett-Lennard to establish the Grain and Graze program and also worked with CSIRO scientist Hayley Norman using the principals of the Enrich program.

“We started grazing crops in 2003 with an ordinary wind-up fencing system and progressed to a rapid electric fencing system in 2005,” he said.

One of the lambing lots at a West Binnu farm that is used to confine ewes and lambs until they can be moved to secondary paddocks for crop grazing.
Camera IconOne of the lambing lots at a West Binnu farm that is used to confine ewes and lambs until they can be moved to secondary paddocks for crop grazing. Credit: Countryman

Mr Nairn said he moved pregnant ewes into three confined lambing lots (200 metres by 350 metres) on May 15 where they were fed grain, hay and lupins in order to prepare the farm’s dry-seeding cropping program beginning in April.

The pregnant ewes were then moved to seven 20ha secondary lots on June 15 to graze on emerging cereal forage crops including Moby barley, corn rye and Chief wheat before dropping their lambs.

The ewes and lambs were then moved back to the lambing lots post weaning after which the lambs went back onto the secondary lots to graze until being sold in December and January.

The ewes were moved to three 30ha perennial paddocks until after harvest and then moved onto stubble paddocks.

“We have always had green feed early here, but lack any finishing rains,” Mr Nairn said.

Mr Barrett-Lennard said the key with cereal grazing was that the plants grew very upright and had such high energy levels.

“The sheep can get high intake per day at really low levels of food intake,” he said.

“In this part of world, with such warm winters, things grow so quickly and a rapid system using electric fencing for rotational grazing is a good way to go.

“But on the downside, feed quality in the spring is of lower quality.”

Mr Nairn said he staggered his seeding program to allow for later vegetative growth to keep up the quality of feed.

Mr Nairn also grows cash crops of wheat and lupins that are lightly grazed only once.

“We have turned off Texel cross Merino lambs at six months of age, that dressed an average 24kg and sold for between $6 and $8/kg on the hooks,” he said.

“Our former self-replacing Boorabbin-blood Merino flock had achieved 100 to 115 per cent lambing and we sold fine wool with an average micron of 18 to 19.

“If I was to remain at the farm, the plan was to increase the number of lambing and secondary lots to assist with production efficiencies.”

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