Producer Investment Call
MLA’s Producer Investment Call is a crucial step in MLA’s producer consultation process. This is where levy payers can have their say on priority areas for MLA to invest in.
The Producer Investment Call is designed to maximise producer input, give sufficient time for researchers to write effective research proposals and engage producers for input and accommodate MLA’s strategic partnerships and MDC funding where appropriate.
How does the Producer Investment Call work?
The Research Advisory Councils submit research, development and adoption (RD&A) priorities to MLA every two years. MLA provides feedback on these priorities before the Extended Red Meat Panel workshop is held. This workshop brings together the Regional Committee Chairs, the Research Advisory Council Chairs, the Red Meat Panel (RMP) and the relevant MLA Program Managers. At this workshop, a list of national RD&A priorities is finalised.
From here, the relevant MLA Program Managers develop a ‘Terms of Reference’ (TOR), incorporating the feedback they received at the workshop. The TOR outlines the scope and impact of a project required to meet the RD&A priorities. Each TOR is submitted to the RMP for feedback and endorsement. Once the TOR is approved by the RMP, a Producer Investment Call is announced.
A call for applications is announced encouraging the submission of preliminary applications for RD&A projects aligned with the Terms of Reference for funding consideration.
An Expert Panel and producer representatives assess the applications and select which projects to short list for potential funding, ensuring that the RD&A activities in each project will address the priorities set out in the producer consultation process.
Short listed applicants are required to complete a detailed application for funding in relation to their project. Detailed applications are assessed by the Expert Panel and recommended for funding by MLA. These are then subject to MLA’s standard project approval processes.
2024-26 Producer Investment Call
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is seeking preliminary proposals for RD&A projects that will develop improved grazing management guidelines for different land systems and climate zones across northern Australia, to protect and improve landscape productivity.
Applications should nominate target regions and land systems within Northern Australia where grazing guidelines require improvement. It is not essential for individual applicants to develop guidelines for all land systems across Northern Australia. Specifically, these projects are to be conducted in regions represented by the North Australia Beef Research Council (NABRC).
Proposals may be funded by producer levies, the MLA Donor Company, or a combination of the two.
Applicants should carefully review the linked tender document before completing their preliminary project proposal. Requested activities are specified on pages 13-16. The tender document contains further links to all necessary documentation.
Request for tender form and specifications
Submit proposals electronically to MLA at projectcall@mla.com.au and copy to apeake@mla.com.au. Preliminary proposals must be received by MLA before 5pm AEST Friday 22nd August 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted.
MLA is seeking preliminary proposals for RD&A projects that will identify, evaluate and demonstrate strategies for utilising failing or weedy crops for forage either through grazing or conserved forage in the form of hay or silage. Importantly a range of audiences should be targeted including growers (crop only, crop/livestock) as well as the advisory sector.
Projects can be conducted anywhere in the southern Australian mixed farming regions represented by the Southern Australia Livestock Research Council (SALRC) and the Western Australia Livestock Research Council (WALRC). Applicants should carefully review the linked tender document before completing their preliminary project proposal. Requested activities are specified on pages 13-17. The tender document contains further links to all necessary documentation.
Request for tender form and specifications.
Preliminary proposals must be received by MLA before 5pm AEST Friday 18th July 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted. Submit proposals electronically to MLA at: projectcall@mla.com.au.
If you have questions about this open call, contact:
Joe Gebbels
Project Manager – Sustainable Feedbase Resources
Email: jgebbels@mla.com.au
Phone: 0448 273 214
MLA is seeking preliminary proposals for RD&A projects that will develop improve sown and native pasture varieties relevant to grazing systems across southern Australia. Activities to improve plant-microbe symbioses, seed collections and seed technology are also within scope for certain components of the investment call. Specifically, these projects are to be conducted in regions represented by the Southern Australia Livestock Research Council (SALRC).
Applicants should carefully review the linked tender document before completing their preliminary project proposal. Requested activities are specified on pages 13-16. The tender document contains further links to all necessary documentation.
Request for tender form and specifications.
Preliminary proposals must be received by MLA before 5pm AEST Friday 18th July 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted. Submit proposals electronically to MLA at: projectcall@mla.com.au.
If you have questions about this open call, contact:
Allan Peake
Program Manager – Sustainable Feedbase Resources
Email: apeake@mla.com.au
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is seeking Full Applications from individuals, organisations or project teams with the capability to identify and evaluate non-invasive weaning management strategies which reduce weaning stress in lambs and optimise the weaning process. This proposal will encompass research, development and adoption (RD&A) activities in the Sheep Productivity sector that achieve outcomes in line with the priorities of the Red Meat Panel.
Deadline for submissions
Full proposals must be received by MLA before 5.00pm AEDT on Wednesday 12th February 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted.
Use the full proposal template available here, and submit proposals electronically to MLA at projectcall@mla.com.au
Applicants should carefully review this page and the MLA Project Funding Application Guidelines before completing their preliminary or detailed project application.
Request for Tender – Wean-a-lamb
Further information
If you have questions about these terms of reference, contact:
Dr Daniel Forwood
Project Manager – Sheep and Goat Productivity
Email: dforwood@mla.com.au
Currently, the Producer Investment Call is flexible, with MLA only calling for projects as funding becomes available and for specific high priority investment areas.
2022–24 Producer Investment Call
MLA is seeking preliminary proposals for RD&A projects that will develop, demonstrate and communicate best practice on crop grazing for producers across the mixed farming zones of Western Australia. In scope are all agro-climatic regions in the mixed farming zone (i.e. from low to high rainfall zones).
Deadline for submissions
Preliminary proposals must be received by MLA before 5.00pm AEDT on Wednesday 19th February 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted.
Use the preliminary proposal template available here, and submit proposals electronically to MLA at projectcall@mla.com.au
Applicants should carefully review this page and the MLA Project Funding Application Guidelines before completing their preliminary or detailed project application.
Terms of Reference: Grazing Crops
Further information
If you have questions about these terms of reference, contact:
Joe Gebbels
Email: jgebbels@mla.com.au
Mobile +61 448 273 214
P: +61 (7) 3620 5265 M: +61 429 881 137
Currently, the Producer Investment Call is flexible, with MLA only calling for projects as funding becomes available and for specific high priority investment areas.
How the Call aligns with MLA’s Strategic Plan
Under MLA’s Strategic Plan, one of our guiding principles is to direct resources into fewer, higher-impact programs of work that will deliver the best outcomes for industry (fewer, bigger, bolder).
Based on this principle, longer-term, collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects have recently been developed to tackle some of industry’s key priorities, such as lamb survival, calf survival and associated reproductive performance (as identified through the producer consultation process). These projects are longer-term programs of work and are expected to run through the 2023–24 year and beyond.
As we deliver on the Strategic Plan, all parts of MLA are continuing to change the way we plan and deliver our work, with a goal of achieving the greatest impact for levy-payers – and the research, development and adoption programs that are critical to the success of the strategy.
The last Producer Investment Call process was reflective of this shift in strategic approach – with a focus on longer-term, three-to-five year, collaborative and multi-disciplinary programs of work. These larger-scale, longer-term projects are now underway and utilise a significant portion of the research funding for 2023–24. As such, there will not be an open call for new R&D projects in the 2023-24 year.
More information:
Georgie Townsend
Program Manager – Consultation
E: gtownsend@mla.com.au
P: +61 436 607 166
