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Ecotain® environmental plantain is a mineral-rich perennial grazing herb. Ecotain® is fast establishing and tolerant to a wide range of soils, including less fertile soils and dryland regions with 600mm+ annual rainfall/irrigation. Ecotain® has a deep coarse root system, which gives it a degree of drought tolerance and the ability to respond quickly after summer dry conditions.
Ecotain® pastures offer strong animal performance to sheep, beef and dairy farmers, particularly in winter and spring, as well as supporting a high level of animal health, reduced incidence of dags in sheep and good micronutrient supply (Zn, Cu, Se, ßMg, Ca, K). Pure stands of Ecotain® can be used during lambing to increase lamb and ewe weights at weaning.
Ecotain is not suitable for hay if sown as a sole pasture.
Pasture seed sowing rate (sole): 10-14kg/ha
Pasture seed sowing rate (mixed): 2-8kg/ha
Adding Ecotain® environmental plantain to dairy pastures can significantly increase milk production. Figure 8 demonstrates a 2L/cow/day increase in milk production when cows grazing low quality ryegrass were supplemented Ecotain®.
Ecotain® improves palatability in spring and summer when grass goes reproductive, improving pasture utilisation.
The rapid rumen degradation time of Ecotain allows cows to spend less time ruminating and more time eating, increasing feed intake and milk production.
Ecotain has been shown to reduce nitrate leaching by up to 89% in lysimeter studies*. Benefiting your farm and the environment.
Figure 8 showing mean milk yield of cows grazing irrigated ryegrass or Ecotain® mixed pastures in summer (LSD 0.76, P value <0.001) Adapted from Box et al. 2016. This table has been developed in New Zealand from New Zealand information.
Ecotain® forage systems can increase sheep live weight production. The winter activity of Ecotain allows farmers to lamb ewes or maiden hoggets on high quality forage, resulting in heavier lambs and ewes at weaning. Four separate trials have shown Ecotain increased lamb weaning weights by 10 to 34%.
Ecotain® environmental plantain has elevated levels of important minerals (Zn, Cu, Se, Mg, Ca and K) which helps contribute to healthier stock. Ecotain stands have also shown anecdotal evidence of less dags on sheep and a reduced risk of facial eczema spore.
*Reducing nitrogen leaching losses in grazed dairy systems using an Italian ryegrass-plantain-white clover forage mix. Woods RR, Cameron KC, Edwards GR, Di HJ, Clough Tim J (2018) Grass Forage Science 73:878–887
"Livestock urine patches are the most significant cause of nitrate leaching which is a major contributor of ground/surface water contamination and harmful algae growths (eutrophication) within a farms water source. This can lead to major environmental impacts and reduce a farms access to clean/usable water in the future". Says Melissa. Read for article here ...
Ms Gardiner said lambing started in April, and after lamb marking (end of May 2022), they had 871 lambs, so the Ecotain was already showing its worth.
“Our lamb marking rate was 153 per cent overall, but the really outstanding point when we looked at the data was that our marked percentages increased by ten percent on the two Ecotain paddocks compared with the rates in those paddocks in 2021,” she said. Read for article here ...
Minimum 600mm rainfall per annum unless irrigated
All our twin bearing ewes will be on Ecotain next year. It really delivered for us last season – our ewes were in such good condition through the winter, our lamb marking rate was good and we were able to finish the lambs early enough to get good prices at the market and clear 100% within six months.
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