SOWsmart® Perennial HR stands out in NW Tasmania

In February 2026, while dry paddocks stretched across the landscape in northwest Tasmania, one block of green stood out from the rest. That was Craigie Elphinstone’s family farm, after sowing paddocks of AlfaGen Seeds SOWsmart® Perennial HR blend.

Craigie, along with his wife Jean and son Leigh, runs a mixed farming operation, fattening 800-1,000 head of steers each year alongside various vegetable crops. When Craigie and Jean caught up with AlfaGen Seeds Territory Manager David Squibb at a Yolla Co-Op pasture information day in 2025, they decided to establish a new permanent ryegrass and clover paddock the coming autumn. SOWsmart® Perennial HR blend is a convenient pre-blended mix of ryegrass and clover, delivering improved feed quality, digestibility, and grazing performance.

The blend is made up of:

• Coorong CM142 tetraploid perennial ryegrass 52%
• Almonta CM142 diploid perennial ryegrass 36%
• Casper white clover Goldstrike® 6%
• Riesling white clover Goldstrike® 6%

Getting a pasture established is one thing. Getting it to hold on through a tough summer is another. That’s where Perennial HR has made a real impression on the Elphinstones.

The Perennial HR blend is the perfect package of quality performance, dry matter production and insect tolerance for high-performing dairy and beef operations. While neighbouring paddocks dried off, the cattle were still grazing a quality green pasture. It’s the kind of performance that’s hard to ignore.

On top of that, Leigh Elphinstone leases ground from local farms to contract grow potatoes, with an agreement to sow paddocks back to pasture after harvest. Based on what those farmers have seen on the Elphinstone property, several have specifically requested their paddocks be sown back down to SOWsmart® Perennial HR.

When asked if he was happy with how it has performed, Craigie says “I am keen to see how it persists, as others have faded out after two years. But I am happy, and already have my order placed for more seed this year”

For more information on SOWsmart® Perennial HR or our other SOWsmart® blends, get in touch with your local stockist, or your AlfaGen Seeds Territory Manager today.

Designed to perform across diverse grazing systems and environments, AlfaGen Seeds SOWsmart® blends suit everything from high-output dairy and beef enterprises to intensive sheep systems and extensive dryland operations.

Options range from short-term feed solutions through to long-term perennial pasture blends, helping you match pasture lifespan with your system, stocking rate and production goals. 

Explore SOWsmart® blends →