B.TGP.2001 - Quantifying spatial and temporal changes in feed supply and demand

Summary

The quantity and quality of forage available within the Southern Australian Rangelands is frequently low, especially during dry conditions, increasing total grazing pressure (TPG). Increased grazing pressure causes an imbalance between feed demand and supply, leading to detrimental outcomes for livestock productivity, pasture degradation and animal welfare. Further complicating this are unmanaged herbivores that increase demand and reduce the benefits from destocking and resting pastures. The fluctuation of unmanaged herbivore populations and regional movement makes managing TPG and quantifying demand difficult.

This project consulted with producers and experts to identify feasible mechanisms to monitor herbivore populations and their impact on the feedbase supply and demand and provided an implementation plan to develop a TGP decision support tool for producers.

Use of the TGP Tool by producers across the southern rangelands to identify an impending imbalance in feed supply and demand and make informed decisions can result in economic benefits, environmental benefits and improved animal welfare. These benefits will enable a defensible case for the increasing social license of the red meat industry and ensure sustained industry productivity growth. It was recommended that future research is conducted to develop more feasible, cost-effective and validated technology and that the TGP tool proceeds as per the implementation plan.

Objectives

This project had three main objectives. Firstly, to determine the technical and practical feasibility of using remotely sensed and on-ground monitoring data to assess changes in feed supply relative to feed demand for producers to manage TGP in southern Australian rangelands. Secondly, to deliver a costed implementation plan to develop a tool that provides producers with an early warning of an imbalance between feed supply and demand, allowing producers to manage livestock and unmanaged herbivores. Finally, to provide recommendations to MLA on development actions and subsequent delivery needs.

Key findings

There are multiple methods for estimating feed on offer, including on-ground assessments, satellite technology and biophysical models. However, all these methods have limitations in reliability, accuracy and validation. There are currently no suitable products or methods available, however, technology is advancing rapidly, and producer estimates can obtain some of the required input data.

An implementation plan for a TGP tool was developed and costed with five phases suggested. The phases included; gathering requirements for the tool, developing a prototype, validating the prototype, broad-scale implementation and finally, maintenance and ongoing tool improvement.

The TGP tool had widespread support from industry representatives, with most agreeing that they would use the tool.

Benefits to industry

Use of the TGP Tool by producers across the southern rangelands to identify an impending imbalance in feed supply and demand and make informed decisions regarding the management of both livestock and unmanaged herbivores across their property, has the potential to result in economic benefits, including improved livestock productivity, environmental benefits including increased ground cover, biodiversity and landscape function, and improved animal welfare.

The tool will also provide a means to verify minimal negative environmental impacts and demonstrate continual environmental improvement through TGP management, enabling a defensible case for the red meat industry’s increasing social license and safeguarding sustained industry productivity growth.

MLA action

It was recommended that MLA should support the TGP tool development following the implementation plan’s five phases and support future research.

Future research

Future research should focus on improving methods to estimate kangaroo density at the paddock or property scale and feasible options for their control. Increased understanding is also needed to validate and refine remote imagery capabilities for pasture quantity and quality monitoring, evaluate the usefulness of existing tools that provide information on feed supply and demand, how they can fit together and what is missing.