"Berrida" In brief..

Property:

Berrida

Address:

Gilgandra

Owners:

Ian McCutcheon

Phone:

Area (in hectares)

1300 ha

Rainfall (mm/pa)

500 mm

Oldman Saltbush area (hecatares)

40 ha

year of first Planting

1995

Q & A: an interview with Ian McCutcheon

Why OMSB planted?  Drought, feed reserve, for environmental impacts.

What grazing and pasture benefits have been observed?  When everything is dry, OMSB grows, if locked up. Shelter for stock at lambing or off shears and allows for a higher stocking rate compared to the grass country. It has allowed me to run the same stock numbers better and keep my other grass country sound.

What financial benefits have been observed?  No buying or feeding out of grain. This is a big saving in both time and money.

Biggest OMSB impact?   To be able to have a feed reserves at any known time and to be there totally independent of rainfall.

Any problems with OMSB?  Establishment cost only, which includes the cost for extra fencing.

Do you / if you had a salinity problem, do you think OMSB would help with controlling deep drainage and/or lowering the water table?  Believe so, no salinity problems here. 

Would you like to increase your area sown to OMSB? Yes.

What limits your planting of a larger area?  Finance.

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