Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic – a versatile pasture classic across the country
December 12, 2021 All Regions
When it comes to annual pasture options, Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic is an old favourite. During the entire growing season, Cavalier provides huge dry matter production and bulk, as well as being so versatile that it is be cultivated from one end of the country to the other, easily fitting in with a wide range of enterprises and production cycles.
“Most of the S&W Territory Managers work with Cavalier in some way, as medics are incredibly adaptable,” explains S&W Seed Company Territory Manager Millie Moore. “It has always been a popular option, especially with sheep producers because traditional burr medics can contaminate the wool as vegetable matter, which degrades the quality.”
All the benefits of a traditional medic, without the worry!
The spineless feature of Cavalier allows producers to have all the nutritional benefits of a traditional burr medic, without the worry of seed catching in the wool. It has high levels of crude protein (17-23 percent depending on growth stage) and digestibility (ranging from 55 to 75 percent DMD) and is readily consumed by livestock either green or as dry feed.
By incorporating legumes into a pasture mix, producers can expect improved production outcomes. Animals generally make better live weight gain and wool production on legumes than grasses due to higher intake and more efficient utilisation of the high protein, high energy feed.
As an annual pasture legume, Cavalier is palatable at all growth stages including the dry matter and seed pods during summer.
Cavalier also has atmospheric nitrogen-fixing properties when effectively nodulated, which benefits cereal crops when incorporated in production rotation. When used as a grass-free pasture in the production rotation, it can also serve as a disease break for many pathogens traditionally found in cereal crops (such as cereal cyst nematode, take-all, and crown rot).
Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic Nodules
Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic is adaptable and able to withstand a wide range of soil and environmental conditions, and when established, it will maintain a bank of seed reserves in the soil, causing the plant to naturally regenerate.
Interested in Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic?
To explore the benefits of including Cavalier Spineless Burr Medic into your production rotation or pasture improvement, either download the tech sheet or have chat to your local territory manager.