Summary
Early in 2002, MLA commissioned a review of pasture evaluation and improvement for the lamb and sheepmeat industry [subsequently expanded to include the southern beef industry]. The objectives were to: -
1. Review previous MLA and MRC investments in pasture plant improvement and evaluation and identify the impact for sheepmeat, lamb and beef producers
2. Identify opportunities for pasture improvement considering the individual lamb, sheepmeat and beef businesses needs, community and industry needs and the technologies that are now available
a. It is expected that the current rates of genetic gain for production and disease resistance traits in pasture plants by conventional breeding and biotechnology processes will be identified
b. It is also expected that the potential for biotechnology to improve the rate of genetic gain will be identified
3. Identify the current capacity in Australia and overseas to undertake pasture improvement work
4. Suggest an investment strategy for MLA: -
[a] linking pasture plant improvement with other activities in pasture improvement, and
[b] after assessing constraints and opportunities, indicate key steps to enable the above investment strategy for R & D findings in pasture improvement to be implemented with maximum benefit to the red meat industries.
A brief review of the red meat industries, showing trends since 1990, was followed by an evaluation of previous MLA/MRC investments in pasture plant improvement. It was concluded that: -
Within the limits of the information available, MLA investments have generally been appropriate. Most projects have achieved their objectives. Some have been particularly successful, especially the DNRE perennial grasses and SARDI lucerne improvement programs, each of which has produced a stream of new cultivars which have been received favorably by the wider industry. A number of other projects, whilst producing valuable information, have not met their objectives fully; they include the projects on biotechnology, the native grass Microlaena, and toxicity screening of phalaris
MLA-supported projects are not well geared to provide reliable information on outcomes and industry impacts. A number of recommendations have been made to improve the monitoring of the projects and evaluate their outcomes and impacts. The proposals cover: the form of project reports to MLA; project reviews; provision and on-line storage of project summaries, including objectives, outputs, outcomes and industry impacts. [See consolidated list of Recommendations at end of Executive Summary]
An assessment of the impact of pasture plant improvement was then sought from a wider group of red meat industry stakeholders - producers, extension workers, consultants, administrators, researchers, R & D Corporations and seed industry executives - in order to: -
consider how well R & D in pasture plant improvement had met the needs not only of red meat producers but also the wider community and industry (Objective 1)
provide a general appreciation of the past, current and future „landscapes‟ for pasture improvement, and
provide a platform for considering specific opportunities for further pasture improvement (Objective 2).
Some 100 people from all southern states of Australia and from NZ were interviewed or sent written responses to questionnaires developed for specific stakeholder groups. It was found that: -
• While most red meat industries in southern Australia are in either the HRZ or the WSZ, significant numbers of sheep and cattle are also found in two other distinctive areas, namely the NW Slopes and Plains of NSW and the Mallee regions of SA and Victoria
• The vast majority of the animal output is produced on high input pastures, though recently, coinciding with an increasing focus on conservation issues, there has been some mild interest, especially in the HRZ, in low input systems based on native grasses
• During the past decade, the availability of new pasture plants [especially legumes], has been an important factor in raising pasture productivity in the WSZ. Most such plants have been cultivars of subterranean clover, annual medics and lucerne. However, the first releases of an array of annual legumes, now being selected for the pasture phase of the rotation, are beginning to have an impact, with one plant, pink serradella, cv Cadiz, being sown on 300,000 ha in 2001
• In contrast, since 1990, new pasture plants have had less impact on red meat production in much of the HRZ. There, management, reflected in continuing use of superphosphate, with strategic dressings of lime in southern NSW, together with moderate to high stocking rates, has been the key factor in determining pasture output
• Negative farmer attitudes to pastures and a limited extension network are major factors in the low levels of animal production which generally characterise the NW Slopes and the Mallee regions.
