The Pigeon Hole Project
(2002 - 2007)
Heytesbury Beef and MLA joined forces to evaluate grazing management systems in the Victoria River District (VRD) of the Northern Territory.
The Pigeon Hole Project, a five-year study (concluded 8 August 2007) was conducted on a commercial scale at Heytesbury’s Pigeon Hole Station in the VRD. The $6.4 million joint venture between Heytesbury Beef and the MLA was set out to change the productivity of north Australia, through the Partners in Innovation Program.
The MLA Partners in Innovation Program aims to attract commercial investment from individual enterprises that is matched with Commonwealth research and development funds – producer levies are not used.
The Partners in Innovation project, which was carried out on Pigeon Hole Station, developed grazing and infrastructure guidelines that improved economic performance whilst maintaining range condition and minimising impacts upon biodiversity.
The Pigeon Hole Project specifically focused on the following points:
What rates of pasture utilisation are sustainable in larger commercial paddocks (20 to 50 km²)?
What paddock design (size and number of watering points) cost-effectively reduces uneven pasture use and allows for increased sustainable pasture utilisation and beef productivity?
Will alternative grazing systems promote more even pasture use or higher sustainable levels of pasture utilisation?
What impact does rate of pasture utilisation have on biodiversity?
What is the impact of different sized "conservation" areas on the preservation of biodiversity within a commercially managed?
What are the effects upon operating costs with the implementation of new infrastructure?
Areas of research and development
- Optimum levels of pasture utilisation
(Pasture utilisation- the proportion of pasture grown each year that is eaten by cattle).
According to Dr Steve Petty, on average we are currently using about 10% of the grass that grows every year, however from past research we know we could graze 20%. If we can increase the use of pasture from 10-20% it could almost double profitability.
With appropriate infrastructure, stocking rates in regions of northern Australia can be sustainably increased.
Find out more about the range of pasture utilisation rates being evaluated in the fact sheet Optimal utilisation rates (PDF, 373KB)
- Strategies to achieve uniform grazing distribution
The paddock size, grazing radius and number of cattle per watering point will greatly effect grazing distribution.
GPS receivers around cows’ neck were used to test grazing uniformity. The collars recorded the GPS location of the cow every hour of every day.
Cattle might graze evenly across a 4km² experimental scale paddock, but not a block of 120km², more typical in northern Australia.
There are areas of a paddock that are heavily used by cattle and some areas that are not used at all. This is predominantly due to few watering points, which means there are only limited areas cattle will use. The distribution of the herd also differs during the wet season and the dry season.
Read more about the research and measurements on managing grazing distribution in the fact sheet Grazing distribution in the rangelands (PDF, 329KB)
Look at the alternative grazing systems that were evaluated in the project Do intensive grazing systems have a role in north Australia (PDF,344KB)
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Conservation and biodiversity
Management and conservation strategies will be established to conserve and maintain the biodiversity within intensively developed grazing systems. Read more about Conserving biodiversity on pastoral lands (PDF, 309KB)
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Commercial evaluation
The planning and development of the new infrastructure is also adopted to reduce the operating costs of the business. The use of telemetry systems for remote monitoring and control of watering points is the logical aim. This project will develop a telemetry system that aims to cut a boreman's workload by at least 50%. According to Dr Petty “we’ve designed paddocks to reduce mustering costs, so we’ve cut the mustering costs from $8-$10 a head down to around $2.30". Read more about Telemetry - technology to increase station efficiency (PDF, 332KB).
The Pigeon Hole Project Field Day
August 8 2007 was the concluding field day to Australia’s biggest commercial-scale grazing trial. A total of 23 Northern Territory properties were represented, covering an area of approximately 72,237km². The following key findings from the study are set to transform the productivity of north Australia-
- Following the project’s commercial-scale trial various set-utilisation rates from 14-40%, confidence is high that 20% pasture utilisation is the most efficient and effective number on the VRD’s black soil country.
- Reducing paddock size is the most effective method to get a more even use of the landscape. Turning the average paddock into four, and more than doubling the number of watering points as the research suggests, will take serious capital investment.
- The results suggest a paddock size of 30-40km² with two watering points.
- As a result the intensified system that has been implemented is far more efficient and has a lower cost of production than the commercial system. Dr petty explained “an extensive beef business in the area has about a 9% return on invested capital…. An intensified system here is giving a return in the order of 17% so we’ve doubled profitability by doubling the intensity of the system”.
To read more about the field day and further key messages go to Pigeon Hole Project Field Day (PDF, 164KB)
Key supporters
Agencies supporting the project and undertaking the research are Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines; the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts (DNRETA), CSIRO, University of Queensland, CRC for Tropical Savannas and the Victoria River District Conservation Association (VRDCA). In addition, MLA is investing in work that builds on the investment in The Pigeon Hole Project.
More information
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