Early bulk, longer grazing: SOWsmart® Spring Forage Max for Central West NSW and beyond

Seasonal variability and out-of-season rainfall are placing increasing pressure on pasture systems and traditional grazing cereal crops. This is pushing more growers across Central West NSW to explore alternative forage options like brassica and chicory. These species offer a unique combination of high feed quality, rapid growth and adaptability, making them well suited to filling key nutritional and fodder gaps in livestock systems. As part of a well-planned grazing strategy, they can play an important role in improving carrying capacity, animal performance and overall farm resilience.

Rainfall patterns across the Central West are changing. Late summer and early autumn storms are becoming more common and often more reliable than the traditional autumn break. April is usually the driest month, and a single storm is rarely enough to establish crops like oats or winter wheat.

That’s where brassicas and chicory have a real edge. Varieties like Subzero hybrid forage brassica and Compass chicory develop deep taproots quickly, allowing them to access moisture below the soil surface sooner than cereal crops. They’re a tougher, more reliable option when you’re sowing into limited moisture. Their maximum rooting depth also exceeds that of forage cereals – allowing them access to additional moisture and nutrients, while delivering the added benefit of soil amelioration and conditioning. 

SOWsmart® Spring Forage Max is a practical brassica and herb blend for producers chasing quality, flexibility and a long grazing window. Made from a blend of Subzero hybrid forage brassica and Compass chicory, it gives livestock access to high-quality feed across spring, summer and autumn, at a lower cost than many other forage options.

Spring Forage Max isn’t just for high-rainfall areas. With a minimum annual rainfall guide of around 300mm and a sowing rate of 4–8kg/ha, it suits a range of Central West farming programs. It also works well as a break crop in traditional forage cereal rotations, giving you the opportunity to target problem grass weeds with different herbicide chemistry.

This  SOWsmart® blend combines two top-performing seed varieties for a highly adaptable mix. Subzero delivers bulk feed, cold tolerance and grazing flexibility. It maintains its forage quality for approximately 13 weeks once it’s ready to graze, which is usually within 8–12 weeks of sowing. Compass chicory establishes quickly and keeps growing through summer. Its deep roots give it strong persistence, and livestock take to it readily.

Chicory is far more tolerant of insect pressure than brassicas, which is why it tends to become the dominant feed source from around October onwards – particularly west of Wellington. When sown in February or March, Compass can continue providing quality feed for up to 12 months, making it one of the hardest-working species you can have in a Central West grazing program.

The sowing window for Spring Forage Max in the Central West generally runs from February/March through until soil temperatures drop below 9°C. Once temperatures climb back above that threshold, typically around August, you’re good to go again.

Incorporating Spring Forage Max into your program creates real flexibility at a time of year when it’s often needed most. Reliable spring feed takes pressure off perennial pastures that can be slow to recover coming out of winter, giving them the space to rebuild ground cover and bounce back more effectively.

These forages also fit well alongside dual-purpose cropping systems, providing quality grazing while grain crops are locked up and before livestock can return to stubbles. Feed security, pasture recovery, crop flexibility and the potential for strong liveweight gains all in one blend. SOWsmart® Spring Forage Max helps Central West producers manage whatever the season throws at them.

To learn more about how SOWsmart® Spring Forage Max could fit into your system, get in touch with your local AlfaGen Seeds Territory Manager today. 

To learn more about our other SOWsmart® products, you can check out our full SOWsmart® range. If you’d like more detail on the varieties behind Spring Forage Max, you can download the Compass and Subzero tech sheets for the full specs.