Legume best management practice in the Brigalow belt bio-region - Stage 1

Summary

​Pasture legumes have been identified as the best long-term option to increase the productivity and returns from grass pastures through their ability to increase live-weight gains and carrying capacities. Despite impressive results from a number of legumes in trials and some commercial pastures, adoption levels remain very low in the Brigalow Belt. These very low adoption rates mean there is a huge opportunity to increase beef production through the wider successful adoption of pasture legumes in the Brigalow Belt, and provide significantly higher returns for decades to come.

This project aims to increase the productivity of grass pastures in the Brigalow Belt (primarily in southern and central Queensland but also extending into north Queensland) through more reliable and successful adoption of legumes. A coordinated extension program will support landholders to assess and implement on-farm options to successfully adopt legumes; and a coordinated Research and Development program will develop management practices to improve establishment reliability and long term (20+yrs) performance of legumes in grass pastures. This report describes the foundational activities involved in starting the project.