Pasture/crops overview

The pasture/crops tab is where all pasture, crops and permanent fruit crops grown on the farm are entered.  You can also add fodder crops that rotate through the pasture blocks here. It is suggested that the pasture information is entered before animal and crop information.

If pasture blocks have been created for the farm, Pasture details are entered on this tab.  Pasture blocks can be grazed or cut and carry.

In new blocks, there will be a red error message with a link + ENTER PASTURE DETAILS at the top of the screen or click the "+ Enter pasture details" that will be against each block that requires pasture.

The blocks pasture type and the primary use of the land is required to be specified here. A "Pastoral" block is defined by a a block that grazes animals at any time of the year. A "Cut and carry" block is defined as having no animals grazing on it throughout the year and it produces supplements. 

If multiple blocks have the same pasture characteristics you can select multiple blocks when adding pasture. However if editing a blocks pasture you will only be editing that blocks pasture, if you want to edit a number of blocks pasture you will need to select the blocks again.

The pasture type affects both energy (metabolisable energy) and the nitrogen concentration, which will impact on nutrient losses. It is recommended that you choose the dominant pasture type in the block. Pasture type available in OverseerFM:

Not all pasture swards or mixes are available in OverseerFM. If your pasture sward is grazed and is not represented in the pasture type drop-down menu enter ryegrass/white clover.

 

Crop blocks

Crop details on a block will be required to be entered on this tab if a block with the type of "Crop" is set up in the block tab.

Some crop farms may be able to combine “like” paddocks into single blocks, therefore reducing the complexity of the analysis. The definition of what is a “Like” paddock comes down to what is needed to understand the farm system being run and what possible changes are being analysed.

“Like” paddocks would run the same or a similar rotation of the same or similar crops. Some of the paddocks may have differed in the previous year’s crops, but if they are similar it may be good enough to build a representation of the previous year for the block. Each year you may reconfigure the blocks as you change the rotations.

Arable and vegetable crop sequences can be complex, with multiple crops in a year. The challenge when setting up this type of rotation is to capture the  sequence of events including cultivation, sowing, harvesting/defoliation, fertiliser and irrigation. It is important to capture these events as they have an impact on nutrient cycling. It is also important that the analysis captures the full crop rotation (i.e., crops in Year 1 and the reporting year, as well as correct ‘years in pasture’), to capture the rotations nutrient cycling appropriately.

Crop rotations are diverse and complex and for this reason no default is provided. Information describing all events associated with the crop rotation over the two year period must be obtained and entered into OverseerFM.

The model is linked to the animal model by assuming that crops that are fed to animals in a given month in the reporting year are consumed by animals in that month.  Any feed supplied by crops defoliated in the first year is ignored, although the effect of this defoliation on growth, residues, etc., is captured.  As the animal model assumes that management is constant, then it implies that the crops feed to animals is also constant

To begin entering crop data for the block either click on the error link "+ Enter crop details" at the top of the screen or click the "+ Enter crop details" that will be against each block that requires crop information.

If the "+ Enter crop details" link at the top of the screen is selected the first block that requires crop information to be entered will be opened.

Only one blocks crop information can be entered at once. There is the ability to copy crop data if each crop block has the same "Crop rotation final month". 

 

Fruit blocks 

Fruit details on a block will be required to be entered on this tab if a block with the type of "Fruit" is set up in the block tab.

To begin entering fruit data for the block either click on the error link "+ Enter fruit details" at the top of the screen or click the "+ Enter fruit details" that will be against each block that requires fruit information.

If the "+ Enter fruit details" link at the top of the screen is selected the first block that requires fruit information to be entered will be opened.

 

Fodder crop rotations

Fodder crop rotations can be created from this tab by selecting the "Add fodder crop" button at the top of the screen.

Once created, all fodder crop rotations will appear in a green section at the top of this screen. They can be edited and deleted from here - not the block tab.

Use the fodder crop block type when fodder or forage crops rotate through selected pastoral blocks and are resown back into permanent pasture within 12 months. Only up to 25% of the area of pastoral blocks through which fodder crop blocks rotate can be cropped. If your fodder crop doesn’t match this, enter as a crop block.

Fodder blocks are blocks on which crops are grown specifically as a supplementary feed for livestock. The fodder crop area is an area of the farm's pasture that is cultivated, sown with a fodder crop and then re-sown back to pasture all within the space of 12 months. A pasture fallow area is an area of pasture that is shut up for 6-12 months.