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March 2010

I never thought I would have heard myself say it but four months ago I actually said “I wish it would stop raining”. Then we had the driest January on record followed by the best late summer rain for years (and still raining heavily as I write). Nevertheless looking on the positive side after the wettest winter since WW2 paddocks that were too wet even to walk on for weeks at a time really tested some of our cultivars. As you would expect all of our tall fescue experimental lines absolutely thrived, but somewhat of a suprise was to find that Megatas cocksfoot was able to hold its own. Not making active growth but certainly no plant deaths. Now that we have had all this late summer rain and it is performing exceptionally well we will have problems supplying seed to all our customers. Exceltas (Coloured Brome) was truly tested and in truth failed on the wettest sites. However on well drained soils and in particular the red basalts it absolutely stood out, to the stage where quite a few dairy farmers are expanding their plantings.

Throughout the “dry” Midlands of Tasmania and the Central Highlands of Victoria, Sendace and Uplands, Spanish Cocksfoots are outstanding. At the Stephen Pasture Seeds trial site at Natte Yallock (West of Maryborough, Vic.) both have topped the list after many years of drought. Our big news of late is that Tasglobal Seeds have been awarded a long term lease over the Tasmanian Governments Cressy Research and Demonstration Station. 483 Ha on the banks of Brumby’s Creek and 3 km south of the town of Cressy. We will now be able to rapidly expand both the area of production and numbers of cultivars in our portfolio. TIAR will continue to conduct its experimental program and we expect that other organizations will also be seeking land to conduct their own research activities.

May 2009

Another season finished and virtually all our seed crops have been cleaned and bagged. What started out as just an "ordinary" growing season improved dramatically with good late Spring rain and some follow up showers in early summer. We had, of course,all the usual events that seed growers experience; e.g. weeds we had not seen before, wallabies that penetrated wallaby proof fencing, the odd fence jumping cow, and a tornado-like storm that missed us by less than a kilometre. Nevertheless we were very happy with our production. Uplands, Megatas and Exceltas continue to go from strength to strength and all sold out very quickly. Indeed in the case of Uplands we were embarassed by the demand and our inability to supply as we had told everyone just how hardy and drought tolerant it was.We had lots of repeat business. Hopefully we will have a greater supply next year.

Our Field Day introducing our Coloured Brome, Exceltas, was highly successful. Not only a perfect weather day but the pasture looked superb and we were fortunate in attracting quite a crowd. Now getting some very positive feedback from farmers who are impressed with its response to small amounts of summer rain. We are already planning our late Winter/early Spring plantings and are looking forward to seeing our first pre-basic seed crops of the rhizomatous lucerne (alfalfa for our North American customers) that has proven to be a winner throughout Tasmania in the TIAR trials, and the stoloniferous Red Clover that arguably can claim to be the first true grazing cultivar of the species. With luck small amounts of commercial seed will be available in 2011

August 2008

It has been a little while since I’ve put pen to paper – a combination of continuing drought and the need for a lot of travel. This year, whilst still dry, is a marked improvement on last, and it looks as if all our seed crops will perform satisfactory. Unfortunately in our initial enthusiasm we had hoped to have more cultivars released by the end of this year – namely Canaritas, Kuratas and Permatas. Not so, and it will be probably at least another three years before we can offer significant quantities of see of these superb plants to the market.

On a brighter note, Sendace and Uplands have performed magnificently. For once there is an upside to the long drought as these two cultivars have survived everywhere. It was also very heartening to see them both perform very well at two sites in Victoria, near Avoca and Horsham.

Exeltas continues to impress and we are getting glowing reports from some of our first customers to try this cultivar. It seems to be finding another niche in that it out performs perennial rygrass in summer under centre pivots, and utilises much less water. It is early days yet but it is worth bringing to the readers notice that our recent acquisition of some super fine leaved and very drought tolerant Hispanica cocksfoot gerrmplasm bodes well for the future. This material is very well adapted to those areas in South Australia and Victoria with annual rainfall ranging from 250 – 400mm and alkaline soils. As always developing new germplasm takes some time, however we expect to have sufficient seed for regional testing in about three years and full commercial release in 5 years.

April 2007

When is this drought going to end? Even some of the Australian native trees and shrubs in my garden are turning their toes up. Most of the north facing slopes in the Tasmanian Midlands are reminiscent of the Sahara Desert. So where is the good news in all this doom and gloom?

Sendace and Uplands, Spanish Cocksfoots, are thriving and clearly taking this terrible drought in their stride. Already we are a little embarrassed by the interest being shown by Tasmanian farmers in these two cultivars and the demand for seed. Hopefully this time next year a regular supply will be in place.

For the future please keep in mind Kuratas (Trifolium ambiguum) and Permatas (Trifolium tumens) as they too are performing well under these extreme dry conditions.

We are in the process of setting up a series of cultivar trials on individual farms right throughout Tasmania (all brought about by our new drill), and we will report the results as they come to hand. Finally, probably the most impressive plant to date is Exceltas (Bromus coloratus). On the farm it has virtually exploded on only 20mm of rain, grazed by sheep and once again in full growth. Truly the only green grass around. Again, this time next year there should be ample seed for sale.

January 2007

Well now it is official, 2006 was the driest year on record throughout much of Tasmania. A very tough time for for most farmers and not much good news around. However the severe drought has been a real test for cultivars and I'm pleased to say they have come through with flying colours. In Mid December two Field Days were conducted at Jericho in the Tasmanian Midlands and on the Sendace Hills in the Derwent Valley. At both a good turn out of farmers and other land managers were able to see how well the Spanish cocksfoots had survived not only the lack of rainfall but also the persistent attacks of the cockchafer grubs.

Our basic seed crops of these lines are coming off shortly and we will be in a postion to plant significant areas for commercial production this year. To those of you have expressed a keen interest in sowing these cultivars seed should be freely available around this time next year. As they say "Watch this space".

We have had some very encouraging reports on the performance of Wintas last year. It appears to be much more drought tolerant the we had envisaged and its DM production continues to impress. As they say in this business "when the customer comes back for more then you know you have a winner on your hands";

Those of you with a normal annual rainfall in excess of 650mm have a think about Exceltas. This new grass has perfomed magnificently over the past couple of years and all the early promise now looks as though it will come to fruition.

Our new drill has come up to expectations and like liitle boys with new toys we are making every excuse to plant some new experimental lines. We are very keen to look at some new turf types that are able to handle the summer drought without dying out and to bounce back on the first smell of the autumn break.In these days of every-one being aware of the need to save water and use it wisely we think our new turf grass species will find a ready market.

Please do contact us if we can help you with more information.

November 2006

October 2006

Welcome to our first news page. What a year to to launch Tasglobalseeds on the "net"; the wamest and driest winter and spring on record!! Still as a couple of farmers have said this will be the ultimate test in whether the dry land cultivars are as tough as we say they are.Both Sendace and Uplands were bred for these conditions and so far so good. Of interest also is that according to Belinda Hackney, DPI, NSW, they are performing well as far north as Bathusrt. We will keep you informed.

The current dry condtions have given us one advantage and that is that the paddocks can be worked up with ease.Usually at this time of the year we are waiting for the soils to dry out so that they can be prepared for summer crops. This suits us fine as we are keen to look at a number of pulses under irrigation, namely Phaseolus dry beans, Soybeans and Adzuki beans.

Our distributor in Victoria, Stephen Pasture Seeds, is sending a team over later this month. Led by Jim Stephen they are keen to both familiarize themselves with all available cultivars and "get a feel" for those in the pipeline.

Also by the end of the month our specialized precision seed drill, being built by Kimseeds, Perth, WA; will arrive. Not only will this piece of equipment facilitate our ability to sow larger numbers of research accessions but also allow us to test material on selected farms. We wil let you know when this service is up and running.

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