The national forage value index was developed by Dairy Australia and uses an economic index based on seasonal dry matter production to rank the top varieties of perennial ryegrass.

The index ranks the performance of 20 of Australia’s most popular perennial ryegrass varieties.

The varieties chosen were relative to the typical climactic conditions within each dairy region.

Perennial ryegrass remains a popular choice among Tasmania’s dairy farmers because of the state’s often favourable weather conditions.

Tasmanian dairy herds are fed on primarily grass-based diets that helps to produce some of the nation’s premium dairy products.

Dairy Australia’s group manager Chris Murphy said apart from the new index there had previously been no independent method available to assess the agronomic performance of ryegrass cultivars commercially available.

 “With little independent information on the traits and capabilities of these existing cultivars, farmers tend to stick with what they know and have used, which can result in lost production opportunity and reduced incentive to invest in new pasture cultivars,” Mr Murphy said.

To be included in the forage value index, each perennial ryegrass cultivar must have seasonal yield datae from at least three three-year trials.

All trial data was analysed by an accredited statistician and reviewed by a technical advisory committee to determine its place within the index scale.

“The forage value index scores are calculated by multiplying the seasonal yields of each cultivar (as determined by experimental trial data) with the economic value (as determined by case study farms in different dairying regions,” Mr Murphy said.

Economic values for the increased dry matter yields in the trials ranged from 15c to to 37c per kilogram of increased dry matter.

The economic value varies with the season, for example, pasture grown on farm is worth more in winter than spring. 

The index was funded by dairy farmer levies and investment by Dairy Australia.

Dairy Australia is the national services body for the Australian dairy industry. The company acts as the collective investment arm of the industry, investing in essential research, development, extension and industry services.

The new forage value index can be accessed at www.dairyaustralia.com.au/FVI