Increasing profit with dual purpose crops
| Project start date: | 28 February 2019 |
| Project end date: | 29 March 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Southern Australia |
| Site location: | Great southern WA: Katanning, Kojonup, Bridgetown |
Summary
Dual-purpose crops are specific crops sown to be grazed during winter to cover feed gaps and reduce supplementary feeding with an additional value to be harvested as a cash crop. This project has demonstrated the benefits of dual-purpose crops in a mixed farming enterprise within the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Nine producer demonstration sites compared a dual-purpose crop paddock, with a similar-sized pasture paddock and/or a control that is sown with the same dual-purpose crop variety. At some sites, livestock weight and/or condition scores were taken upon entry and exit of the sites with a comparison of these weights and final yields of crop analysed at the end of each season. Livestock were removed from each site before crops became too advanced where yield could be significantly impacted.
Objectives
By February 2024, the project aims to:
1. Demonstrate and quantify the benefits of integrating dual purpose crops into mixed farming systems to address the autumn feed gap with three new demonstration sites each year (9 in total). 1 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 2 in 2023.
2. 80% of core producers will have adopted dual purpose crops as a part of their whole farm management system.
3. 10% of Southern Dirt members will have adopted dual-purpose crops as part of a whole farm management (currently there is less than 5% of members using dual purpose crops in their mixed farming enterprises).
4. Demonstrate the impact of grazing crops on harvest yield (kg/ha) and live weight gain (expected less than 10% yield penalty and 10% increase in liveweight gain (kg/ha/day) on dual purpose crops compared to grazing pasture paddocks.
5. Conduct an economic analysis on grazing the dual-purpose crops which will include crop yield and weight gain of sheep (considering factors such as reducing supplementary feed costs, crop yield penalties and weight gain)
6. Undertake communication activities (6 field walks and 2 events/workshops) to extend the results to encourage adoption of the practice by Southern Dirt members (target to increase knowledge and confidence in implementing grazing crops into farming management practices by a minimum of 80 farmers by 15%).
Key findings
While results are from producer demonstration sites rather than research sites per se’ the key findings from the project include:
• Grazing crops has the potential to increase profit between $19/ha and $30/ha depending on the yield penalty incurred by grazing
• Grazing small quantities of crop for short periods in mid-winter may substantially improve farm profitability. Grazing intensity (DSE / Ha), grazing duration and time of removal of livestock all have an impact on yield quantity
• Yield impact generally negatively increases if grazing is carried over to August and September in southern WA
• There are other benefits of crop grazing including resting of pastures to increase FOO, better establishment of new pastures and better management of twin-bearing ewes.
• Modelling indicates that the benefit of crop grazing increases as livestock prices increase, and grain prices decrease.
Benefits to industry
Dual-purpose crops help producers manage seasonal feed gaps more effectively, increasing the agricultural industry's resilience to climate variability and mitigating production risks. With correct management, grazing these crops results in minimal yield penalties, allowing for optimal livestock and crop production. This approach enhances overall productivity, provides a greater return on often underutilized land, and contributes to economic stability within the sector. Furthermore, the successful implementation and demonstration of dual-purpose crops encourages knowledge sharing and innovation, promoting a collaborative approach to farming challenges and sustainable practices, leading to a greater return on investment for the producer and industry.
MLA action
MLA continues to deliver the Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program, supporting livestock producers working in peer-to-peer groups to pursue new skills, knowledge and management practices applicable to their own commercial livestock production systems.
Future research
Based on the project findings, this project has shown that crop grazing can be profitable in certain circumstances. However, to improve crop grazing management guidance, further work can still be undertaken.
Some gaps in data include:
How does yield penalty change for:
• different crops
• grazing severity
• grazing time
• on different soil types
Follow on impacts of crop grazing - several producers displayed concerns that crop grazing can increase weed seed set, and thus they avoid crop grazing in their continuous cropping paddocks.
Future research could be focused on optimising grazing timing within variable seasonal conditions, particularly exploring the impact of late starts/early warm finishes (non-optimal seasonal rainfall/weather/climate periods/conditions) or extended grazing periods on crop yields.
The observed higher yield penalties when grazing extended into August suggest a need for strategies to minimise such impacts, emphasising the importance of timely grazing management to maximize both crop productivity and livestock benefits.
Further research should also explore the optimal application of fertilisers/chemicals that enhance the recovery of dual-purpose crops, thereby maximising yields and reducing yield penalties post-livestock grazing.
