Weeran Angus hosts upper Murray seeds

Most farmers in the Western District are looking to the skies and willing more rain to appear this Spring and even demonstration pasture sites are feeling the pinch. Upper Murray Seeds has made a slight change of plans to its forthcoming Hamilton Field Day on Thursday 30 October to accommodate the unfavourable seasonal conditions. The national seed-wholesaler and grower will now condense what was a two-property Field Day down to their main demonstration site located at the Moore family’s Weerangourt property at Byaduk. Weerangourt is of course home to the Weeran Angus stud.

By omitting the previously planned visit to the Good Shepherd School site in Hamilton, farmers will have more time to observe and discuss the 57 varieties on display at the home of Weeran Angus. Chris Harkness, Upper Murray Seeds southern Victorian sales agronomist who manages the half-hectare site said: “We’ve got a huge range of varieties on display – in fact we’ve got the ‘Heinz 57’ varieties – consisting of annual, short term and perennial rye grasses, phalaris, cocksfoot, fescue even chicory and plantain. So there’s something of interest to everyone. Our seed is bred to perform and persist in even the toughest conditions so come and see for yourself how Upper Murray Seeds is handling these dry conditions.”

Almond hulls and distillers syrup are not your average stock feed, but when times are tough and the season is dry, one has to be creative. Commercial Angus breeder Alec Moore will talk about his experiences with alternate feed sources for drought feeding and also touch on how to cope with limited resources.

There’s always something to learn about innovative methods of optimising the health of your livestock and renowned  veterinary consultant Dr David Rendell from Livestock Logic in Hamilton will share his wisdom on this topic with Field Day attendees.

Stewart Sutherland, Upper Murray Seeds General Manager said: “We realise everyone is busy at this time of the year and we want to maximise the value of the day and not waste anyone’s time. This will be a really worthwhile day for proactive farmers dealing with what the season is dishing up while they’re planning ahead for next year.”

What:    Upper Murray Seeds Hamilton Field Day
Where:  Weerangourt, 5395 Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, Byaduk
When:   Thursday 30 October 2014 at 10am until approx 2pm
How:     RSVP to Chris Harkness 0428 406464 by Sunday 19 October

For more information go to www.uppermurrayseeds.com.au