Jason Stokes operates ‘Mt Erin’, a large-scale mixed farming enterprise located in Chapman Valley, WA. With a focus on maximising productivity and sustainability, Jason participated in an MLA PDS aimed at improving lamb survival through precision ewe feeding.
When the Moore family of Jamestown, SA, expanded their mixed farming enterprise to include a neighbouring parcel of forestry, it not only increased their grazing area but also provided the perfect location for containment infrastructure.
When Bec Cruise and her family reintroduced sheep to their operations after 20 years, things weren’t all as they remembered – and the challenges were quickly revealed in their lambing percentage.
Brothers Tim and David Pyle put forage crops through their paces as a feed option in their mixed farming enterprise on the south coast of WA.
Tim Metcalfe has been a long-term user of grazing canola to bridge the winter feed gap on his property in the Porongurup region of WA – and he has now added a new forage option into the mix.
Lauren Schmidt and the Hayes family have followed a simple rotation for years – cropping paddocks before sowing them back to annual pastures for their livestock. With a goal to improve feed availability, experimenting with perennial pastures has yielded game-changing results.
The MLA Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program – which provides support for producer-led groups to pursue new skills and implement new management practices – has delivered $1229.7 million in total net benefits to participating producers as a result of completed projects between 2015–2023. MLA’s investment in PDS since 2015 has delivered $14.2M in annual net benefits to producers in 2023–24.
MLA’s Producer Demonstration Site (PDS), ‘Zoning up to optimise pasture production’, has hit its target of delivering cost savings to producers. The six-year project, which is due to wrap up in December 2025, focuses on validating the benefits of site-specific management of fertiliser and soil amendment treatments on properties in NSW’s New England region.
The de Fegely family has been breeding ewe lambs for almost 15 years, but the practice has not been without its challenges.
The family, who participated in the MLA-supported 'More lambs from ewe lambs' research, spent the past year changing their breeding processes – and the results have been pleasing.
MLA has 13 active Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) projects across southern WA. These projects are helping producers boost productivity in their region and tackle key production challenges.
Here, you can read more about each project and get up to speed on activities happening in southern WA. Plus, you will find details for each project facilitator if you would like to get involved or find out more about the project.
Travelling significant distances is an inevitability for cattle produced in northern WA, as feedlots, processors and backgrounding properties can be more than 1,000km from where they were bred.
When unprepared, the change in climate and feed, as well as shock from travel, can cause a lag in growth and weight loss in cattle.
Ian and Louise Johnson called Naracoorte home on a predominantly prime lamb property until the family bought ‘Amherst’ (2,070ha) at Willalooka in 1992. As time progressed, succession planning meant that Ian and Louise took over Amherst in 2002 and Ian’s passion for cattle led him to focus on breeding. Sheep were still part of their plan, however, their strategy shifted to more opportunistically taking advantage of potential gross margins on a trade.
The Lugsdin family experienced a pivotal year in 2019. After a string of dry years, poor lamb marking results, and heavy lamb losses from mulesing, they knew they needed to change what they were doing for the sustainability of their business and the wellbeing of the sheep.
Southern Dirt Inc, in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), Stirlings to Coast Farmers and Farm Optimisation Group, is excited to announce a new project set to innovate how out-of-season feed management can be achieved in the Great Southern region.
The Warrumbungle Mixed Farm Producer Group (WMFPG) was developed to increase the knowledge and skills of the producers involved through joint learning and knowledge sharing.
Sammy Mitchell has recently taken over the management of her family’s 2,900ha mixed farming operation in Willangie, Victoria. The farm comprises cropping, hay production and livestock, including a flock of 550 Merino ewes.
We know cows and calves consume far greater quantities of feed when co-grazed than when separated. This project’s target is to show that calves weaned earlier can reduce the feed requirements of the cows within a production system without significantly reducing the quality or weight of the calves themselves.
Wild dogs are an elusive and adaptable adversary to livestock productivity in many parts of Australia, but thanks to the perseverance and coordinated approach of well-connected groups of producers, gains are being made.
On-farm strategies which ensure weaners are well-prepared to thrive in backgrounding or feedlot operations also deliver the added benefit of meeting the expectations of consumers. Elders’ Feeder Ready Program – the only audited weaning program in Australia – supports producers to set their weaned cattle on the path to productivity.
When South Australia’s Barossa experienced a run of drier than average seasons, local sheep producers turned to containment feeding to meet the nutritional needs of their ewes and protect the value of lambing pastures.
After several dry years, SA sheep producer Brett Nietschke turned to containment feeding in an attempt to maintain ground cover and encourage better pasture recovery in the lead-up to lambing.
With this year’s bull sales underway, as with any investment, it’s important to consider how to best protect assets and maximise productivity.
For Queensland beef producer Reid Bauman, years of fluctuating seasonal patterns made strong breeder performance and consistent calving rates a continuous struggle.
The ‘Growing Beef from Dairy’ project marks the first time MLA and Dairy Australia have joined forces to jointly fund a project – with rewards expected on both sides of the fence.
As part of a two-year PDS project, six WA producers explored the economic benefits of confinement feeding using a variety of management strategies. Here’s what they found.
A collaborative and coordinated control and monitoring program aimed at reducing pest animal populations and protecting agricultural assets will ultimately lift beef productivity in Queensland’s Fitzroy Basin.
East Gippsland producers assessed trace element deficiencies in sheep. Managing the risk of a trace element deficiency in stock is not always straightforward, and targeted animal health programs are recommended.
An Optiweigh trial in WA is proving its worth, demonstrating labour efficiencies, optimising compliance and showing economic benefits for the beef producers involved.
Winter cereal rotations in a PDS project show hard-seeded legumes positively influence gross margins, offering profitability potential and flexibility for mixed livestock-cropping businesses.
Confinement feeding is where livestock are held in a confined area and supplied feed and water. It is used to defer grazing of paddocks after the break of season rains. The use of confinement feeding is on the rise in WA and there is strong interest surrounding the topic, with producers keen to learn more and adopt the practice.
Silvopasture is the practice of integrating trees, pasture and the grazing of stock in a mutually beneficial way. In the Producer Demonstration Site project at Lundsville, the aim was to measure the impact of managing tree density on beef and timber productivity, and to demonstrate the opportunities of integrating pasture and sustainably managed native forests. The benefit of forest thinning is to allow the better trees in any given area to access the available light, water and nutrients to grow faster.
The Growing Beef from Dairy Project will upskill and support dairy and beef farmers to improve welfare and meat quality outcomes for surplus dairy calves.
The project will develop a bespoke extension and adoption package to assist producers to make better informed decisions on the management of surplus calves with a focus on the target market for the calves.
The annual Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project call will be postponed for 2024. The PDS program successfully supports 65 current projects across 313 sites, valued at over $3.5 million, maximising its current capacity.
A group of northern producers looking to improve property productivity used an MLA Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) to see if it’s economical to fertilise sown pastures – the results show it can be, with the right steps.
Based near Ebor on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, with a combined total of 4,050-ha, Richard and Kerryn Ogilvie run two mixed enterprise farms, ‘Te-Angie’ and ‘Forest Lodge’. Originally from South Australia, the Ogilvies run a Hereford stud as well as commercial Herefords, a composite prime lamb flock and trade cattle and lambs on their properties with their son Michael and his partner Claire.
A group of northern producers looking to improve property productivity used a Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) to see if it’s economical to fertilise sown pastures – the results show it can be, with the right steps. Included in the project was Queensland beef producer Sam Haig (pictured) who has reaped the benefits of fertilising his pastures – including doubling carrying capacity – as a result of participating in an MLA PDS.
In an effort to address declining lambing percentages in local flocks, a group of Dorper producers on SA’s far-west coast participated in a Meat & Livestock Australia-funded Producer Demonstration Site (PDS). Throughout the three-year project, the group trialled several management practices to boost the reproductive performance of their flocks.
An MLA Donor Company-funded project is giving producers a closer look under the surface of their paddocks, strategies which increase the trifecta of livestock productivity, soil moisture retention and soil carbon.
Collecting data, working collaboratively and supporting each other are vital to stay on the front foot when dealing with wild dog attacks. This is the message from third generation Victorian sheep and cattle producer Paul Diamond, who has seen first-hand the devastation wreaked by wild dogs on producers’ livelihoods, livestock and mental health.
For south-west Queensland producers Duncan Banks and Gerry Grant, the transition to electronic identification (eID) brought accuracy, reliability and a chance to rebuild low flock numbers. Thanks to the help of their fellow producers, the change didn’t have to be a hard one.
Following the drought that stretched across the NSW Northern Tablelands in 2018–2019, many producers in the region went on the hunt for cost-effective ways to replenish and improve pasture conditions. John and Caroline Chappell, who were among those impacted by the drought at their Dundee property, found the answers when they hosted an MLA Producer Demonstration Site (PDS), run by Northern Tablelands Pastures Group.
Six years ago, Steven Hobbs crunched the numbers and realised the small Merino flock he ran on his farm in Kaniva, Victoria, was compensating for losses in the cropping side of the business. His decision to increase his focus on genetic improvement became the driver for a new business direction.
Darcy Bateman and his father Chris have a tried and tested approach which achieved strong fertility and productivity outcomes in their south-east SA mixed enterprise – but they’re open to new ideas.
Despite experiencing one of the best seasons in Central West Queensland during the 2023 lambing period, both mobs of Merino maiden ewes in the two demonstration flocks fell short of our target of >90% lambs marked from SIL maidens.
The Genomics for commercial Angus cattle Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project involves a group of breeders in Victoria’s North East trialling the HeiferSELECT product to assist in their selection of replacement heifers. Six core-producers will test 100% of their heifer crop over five years.
In 2020, Stirlings to Coast Farmers (SCF) began a three-year Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) looking at alternative forage crops for southern WA.
This PDS project demonstrated a new, cooperative and integrated approach to identify best practice management for high priority economic weeds in the Bowen, Broken and Bogie River (BBB) catchments of the Burdekin Dry Tropics.
Six MLA Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) have recently been funded in southern WA. These projects will help producers boost productivity in the region and tackle key production challenges.
Forty Upper North Farming Systems (UNFS) producers came together at Caleb Girdham’s family property near Melrose, SA to learn more about implementing eID’s on-farm and improving reproductive success.
This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) aims to improve members’ knowledge and skills in the establishment, management, and benefits (profitability, productivity, and sustainability) of salt-tolerant forage systems on moderately salt-affected land for sheep producers in the Mediterranean zone of southern WA.
John Jervois, his partner, Rebecca and parents, John and Rose run a livestock enterprise of 700 Angus beef breeders and 900 composite ewes on an aggregation of 1,009ha near Rosewood, NSW. The average annual rainfall is 950mm, supporting perennial ryegrass, phalaris and subclover pastures.
Beef production in the NSW Northern Rivers region, and more widely the lands east of the tablelands extending from Gympie to Newcastle are based on tropical grass pasture species.
Based near Ebor on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, with a combined total of 4,050-ha, Richard and Kerryn Ogilvie run two mixed enterprise farms, ‘Te-Angie’ and ‘Forest Lodge’.
A new online search tool allowing users to search all active and completed Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) projects is now live on the MLA website.
With the annual call for Producer Demonstration Sites opening on 1 April, we speak to MLA Project Manager, Alana McEwan, about her top three tips for preparing a high-quality application.
Producers in drier regions might think an average wet season rainfall of 1,300mm would be more than enough to successfully establish and manage the tropical legume forage crop, leucaena.
The Enhanced Producer Demonstration Site (EPDS) concept was developed in 2014 as a partnership between Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Agriculture Victoria.
Dual-purpose crops can provide valuable winter forage in livestock production systems and greatly reduce the frequency of feed gaps in winter, allowing higher winter stocking rates.
Read more about this PDS project which tackles the reproductive performance of females in self-replacing breeder operations across rangeland Australia.
An MLA-funded project is assessing the ‘Easy P’ strategy, which aims to provide a method of supplementation suitable for areas that are difficult to access during the wet season by including P.1.
Annual pastures have an important role to play in Victorian producer Tim Leeming’s lamb production system, complementing his perennial base of phalaris and sub-clover pastures.
Beef producer Tom Amey hosted an MLA Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project on each of his two properties at Mummulgum and Dyraaba, to investigate a viable solution to the winter feed shortage he experiences across his enterprise.
Introducing annual ryegrasses has delivered a triple win for central Victorian sheep producer Lachie Green, by filling the winter feed gap, preserving perennial pastures and supporting quicker lamb turn‑off.
With his background in cattle and pasture management research, it’s no surprise SA beef producer Michael Cobiac looks for information based on science.
Changing an enterprise is a big decision to make, but NSW beef producer Michael Shannon has taken on new challenges, backed by advice and research.
NSW producer John Murdoch has a new appreciation for annual forages after participating in an MLA‑funded lamb‑finishing Producer Demonstration Site (PDS).
High-performance forage crop and perennial pasture systems were put to the test in NSW’s Monaro region in an MLA-funded Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) to see how finishing lambs stacked up compared to the traditional store lamb system.
