Summary
Three initiatives converged in early 2010 to underpin the need for a formal feedbase plan:
- MLA Board requested in mid-2010 development of a comprehensive pastures and feedbase RDE investment plan;
- A review of Pastures Australia recommended a national pastures strategy be developed;
- Following development of the national beef and sheep RD&E strategies, PISC identified a deficiency in pastures and feedbase, recommending a national plan be developed.
The RMCiC pasture sub-committee commissioned the development of a feedbase investment plan (FIP) to determine researchable priorities in all southern agro ecological zones. Following the receipt of the FIP, the RMCiC initiated a process to provide greater clarity around the areas of R&D investment, the outcomes being sought, and the overall return on investment required. Three (of the five) R&D pillars are included in the current Feedbase R&D Plan:Pasture Breeding & Evaluation;
Productive & Sustainable Pastures;
Grazing Management & Production Systems.
The R&D pillars of Weeds/Biodiversity and Decision Tools, are being developed in a parallel process, but are not reported here. A former R&D pillar (Soils) has been merged into the Productive & Sustainable Pastures pillar in this Feedbase R&D Plan (the FR&DP). The FR&DP is based on the new model of collaborative engagement with the RMCiC agencies to ensure a focus on cross agency engagement of the best capabilities combined with collective development of the actual projects.
The development process has encompassed:
- A review of pasture improvement, agronomy & management and grazing systems, each producing a “narrative” outlining opportunities and challenges;
- Widespread consultation including producers, advisors and consultants, and researchers;
- A call for projects focussed on the 3 R&D pillars of Pasture Breeding & Evaluation, Productive & Sustainable Pastures, and Grazing Management & Production Systems.
- A workshop to review these projects that included a team of leading producers, MLA staff and technical specialists;
- The development of principles/philosophies to underpin the Feedbase Program – eg there will be a focus on participatory R&D in all themes as a key way to engage leading producers;
- Identifying some projects or project areas for immediate initiation, and others that require further development for a January 2012 start and yet others that require a major review and planning process and that might start projects in July 2012 – ie a staged investment process to grow into those areas that are being investigated with RMCiC partners.
- Benefit-cost analysis across each theme within the 3 R&D pillars
The feedbase portfolio has reached a stage of development where implementation must commence while recognising there is substantial project level development yet to occur. Further development is likely to identify emerging opportunities and so budget allocations may need to change and where warranted a case developed for increasing the proposed budget in feedbase R&D. That is, this report presents the base case to address the priority issues in feedbase R&D, and as development unfolds potentially a budget expansion will be required to accommodate high value projects that are identified and then collectively developed.
We are recommending a staged approach, with some projects that have reached a high level of collective agreement budgeted to begin in July 2011, with minimal further development. There is a second suite of projects that require more input – perhaps workshops, minor reviews, producer consultation, or the formation of extra linkages across agencies or agro-ecological zones – and these projects should be ready for final approval by December 2011. The final stage consists of project areas where major development is needed – perhaps a major science review, and certainly researcher and producer consultation, workshops etc – and the aim should be to have these projects ready for final approval by the end of June 2012.
The overall outcome in 2020 is:
- Pasture improvement is adding $25m on-farm value per year by 2020
- Kg meat per ha rising at 2.5% pa, with no decline in sustainability indicators
The results from the BCA are positive across all the R&D pillars:
- Net Present Value of $105m over 30 years
- BCR of 7.12
- IRR of 8.9%
