More beef from pastures
MLA's More Beef from Pastures (MBfP) program was developed as a delivery framework for outputs from research and development (R&D) activities in southern beef production systems.
The overall goal of the program is to achieve a sustainable (economic and environmental) increase in kilograms of beef produced per hectare through optimal management of the feedbase.
The program seeks to achieve this through the provision of principle and procedure-based information.
More beef from pastures producer’s manual
An online producer’s manual has been created which draws on R&D as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of producer advocates who helped write the seven modules.
These modules provide tools and information to enable southern beef producers to increase productivity and profit while minimising risk:
- Module 1 - Setting directions
Helps producers set clear business objectives and the strategic direction of the beef enterprise. - Module 2 - Pasture growth
Helps producers develop expertise in soil, pasture and grazing management to boost productivity and profitability. - Module 3 - Pasture utilisation
Details methods to increase stocking rates and adopt a plant growth-based approach to grazing management. - Module 4 - Cattle genetics
Provides information to help producers lift productivity and profitability through ongoing genetic improvement. - Module 5 - Weaner throughput
Outlines practices to determine how and when to wean calves early in order to maximise production and profitability. - Module 6 - Herd health and welfare
Outlines procedures required to manage a healthy, productive and profitable cattle herd. - Module 7 - Meeting market specifications
Helps producers to increase financial returns by better meeting target market specifications, exploiting market opportunities and managing the risks.
Webinars
- Cattle prices – how much more profit will you make and what are the lessons from the lamb industry?
- Improving feed utilisation in Beef herds – How to get the most out of pasture growth and soil moisture monitoring tools
- Better beef businesses – how much more profitable are the best and what do they do differently?
- Pasture economics 101 for beef producers – Is pasture improvement making me or breaking me?
- Labour efficiency in beef businesses – how do you measure it, what is the target and how do you achieve it?
- Preparing to join beef cattle – the what, why and when of preparing your bulls.
- Maximise the reproductive success of your beef herd – preventing and managing common reproductive diseases.
- Beef cattle nutrition – sorting fact from fiction and knowing the essentials for productive beef herds.
- Better beef marketing.
More Beef from Pastures Pastoral online manual
An online producer’s manual has been created that tailors the More Beef from Pastures materials to suit the needs of cattle producers in the pastoral production areas.
- Module 1 - Setting directions
Helps producers set clear business objectives and the strategic direction of the beef enterprise. - Module 2 - Managing your feedbase
Builds on producer knowledge of sustainable grazing management, nutritional requirements, how to monitor stock condition and property stocking and management strategies. - Module 3 - Managing your natural resources
Helps producers understand and manage vegetation, water, soil and landscape health to achieve sustainable production from the grazed area of your property. - Module 4 - Cattle genetics
Helps producers establish breeding programs to achieve animal production targets that contribute to enterprise profit. - Module 5 - Maximising weaner throughput
Helps producers increase the throughput of weaners bred on their property by managing their culling strategy and understanding how nutrition drives fertility. - Module 6 - Herd health & welfare
This module describes how to prevent health problems in preference to reacting after disease has already affected the herd. - Module 7 - Meeting market specifications
This module covers the period from the time calves are weaned to the point-of-sale, and includes the management of trading stock and culled breeding animals. It aims to help producers increase financial returns by better meeting target market specifications, exploiting market opportunities and managing the risks.
Related programs and events
