Case Study - Matt Loader - South Gippsland - Stampede CM142

When the going gets tough…

Pasture persistence can be a big ask at the Loader family farm in Krowera, South Gippsland.

Between the hilly terrain, plenty of hungry mouths, and a recent run of extremely dry summers and autumns, topping up paddocks with new seed to replace dead ryegrass plants is part and parcel of seasonal management.

Except, that is, for a new perennial Matt Loader first sowed in autumn 2024, and has stuck with since.

Despite 90 days with no rain last season, year-old Stampede ryegrass with CM142 endophyte hung on strongly enough to not need any repair once the weather finally came right.

“It was the driest summer and autumn since our family records began in 1901,” Matt says. “But plant numbers are still excellent. There’s been no thinning out, and no encroachment of native grass species.”

As of February 2026, those first Stampede paddocks are again doing well, even though rainfall in December and January was the lowest since 1961. January rain totalled just 6 mm, compared to the monthly average of 61 mm.

With 390 cows in milk by 1 March, plus R1 and R2 replacement heifers, 50 beef cows and their calves, and several mobs of beef steers and heifers running on the harder country, ryegrass has to earn its keep on this 1000 acre farm.

And no more so than on the milking platform, which is 460 acres.

Pasture comprises at least half the dairy cows’ ration, at approximately 10 tonnes per head grazed; the rest is made up of wheat, plus many tonnes of home-grown silage. “I can feed silage up to nine months of the year,” Matt says.

Most of the herd calves 1 June, with about 60 cows starting 1 February to flatten the milk curve.

Pastures on at least one-third of the dairy platform are renewed each year, partly through summer turnips and partly because Matt sees value in regularly renovating paddocks, especially now he has bought a Vaderstad disc drill.

He first tried Stampede at the encouragement of his local Cropmark Seeds rep, looking for something new with strong persistence through dry summers, novel endophyte to help protect against insect pests, and good winter growth.

It has not disappointed in this regard, and has also aligned well with his silage programme.

“That late maturing seed head is good for feed quality, and when you lock it up for silage, it performs pretty close to what the data says it should be.”

So will he use it again in autumn 2026? “I’ve already ordered a tonne of seed!”

A new perennial ryegrass from Cropmark Seeds, Stampede is growthy, dense, and late heading with reliable yield in winter and early spring. CM142 is Cropmark’s own novel endophyte, providing robust insect protection and excellent ryegrass staggers resistance.