Breeder mortality: Determining property-level rates in northern Australia

Summary

This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) aimed at producing more beef from pastures in the Granite Borders area. Firstly it investigated / demonstrated techniques for improving the utilisation and nutritive value of African Lovegrass. This relied on the introduction of appropriate legumes and summer growing grasses to compete with the total dominance that African Lovegrass presents to pastures in the Tenterfield region as well as increasing pasture quality; protein, metabolisable energy and digestibility. The second component aimed to increase the skills and knowledge of local beef producers in managing other important aspects of beef production; soil fertility, new pasture species and pasture establishment techniques. Group activities such as workshops, field tours and bus trips were organised to link these objectives with on farmtrials and demonstrations.
The key findings of the project were:
Management of African Lovegrass needs to be multi-faceted, no one approach seems to be the answer
Establishing competitive pasture species in a sward of African Lovegrass requires careful timing
Summer active pasture species have a role in the temperate climate of the Northern Tablelands