Stock Journal

Quick feed facilitates substantial weight gains

Mr Haebich requires substantial amounts of quick feed on his Cooke Plains property in South Australia.
Mr Haebich requires substantial amounts of quick feed on his Cooke Plains property in South Australia.

This article is sponsored by Pasture Genetics

Brian Haebich has been growing Pasture Genetics’ Moby forage barley on his Cooke Plains property in South Australia, for over three years.

As a farmer, dairy livestock consultant and stud breeder, Mr Haebich requires substantial amounts of quick feed, despite his variable environment.

“If I get an early rain, I’ll sow Moby forage barley late March or early April,” Mr Haebich said. 

“More often than not, I’ll have feed to graze within six weeks, and it carries me through the rest of the year.

“It really fires away through winter,” he said.

The fast-growing nature of Moby forage barley is no coincidence, as it has been specifically bred for its ability to provide quick feed, maintain high tiller density following a grazing event, and regenerate quickly to facilitate additional grazings.

“We graze it off and it keeps coming back, it tillers up and comes back even thicker.”

“We put the sheep in when it was 30 centimetres high, and they grazed it back to the boards by July.

“It shot back, finishing as high as the fence, before a hay cut. I couldn’t believe how well it grew,” he said.

In addition to the growth potential of Moby forage barley, it was also bred for its forage quality and livestock performance.

On Mr Haebich’s property, it is essential that stock are constantly gaining weight.

The usage of Moby forage barley in his systems supports this requirement.

“We weaned our April/May drop lambs on to the Moby forage barley – I’d never seen sheep take off like that before.”

“The sheep looked happy and continued to gain weight, I was very impressed.”

“Even with the sheep grazing it for the entire year, the Moby forage barley still finished up at my waist,” he concluded.

This article is sponsored by Pasture Genetics.