P.PSH.1048 - LPP Perennial pasture & forage combinations to extend summer feed for southern NSW-
In NSW Southern Tablelands region converting a portion of high-fertility grazed land to high-quality summer-active forages such as lucerne and chicory could reduce the risk of feed deficits and allow for finishing of lambs on-farm.
| Project start date: | 22 April 2018 |
| Project end date: | 30 November 2022 |
| Publication date: | 24 April 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | NSW, Victoria, Tasmania |
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Summary
This project is part of the Livestock Productivity Partnership (LPP) with aims to maximise profitability in southern NSW meat production systems by finishing lambs on pasture is limited by a recurring deficit in high nutritive quality forage, as digestibility and crude protein decline with pasture senescence during late spring and summer.
Objectives
• Identify pasture options emphasising perennials that are productive, persistent and of high nutritive quality during the summer-autumn period in southern NSW and similar environments.
• Quantify lamb production on a range of pasture and crop forages in the summer-autumn period.
• Predict the likely impact of increasing the supply of high-quality, summer-active forages on meat production and enterprise performance.
Key findings
Conversion of store lamb to fat lamb systems is likely to be constrained by risks and costs of feed deficits in summer on the southern Tablelands of New South Wales.
Modelling of alternative forage systems suggests complementary growth patterns can fill these feed gaps.
Conversion of 20% of grazed land to high-quality summer-active forages could support a conversion to a fat lamb enterprise while reducing or lowering the risk of forage deficits.
Significant gains in livestock enterprise productivity & profitability could be supported where the marginal cost of implementing these forages is less than $200/ha/yr.
Chicory is a productive option in most summers for more acid soil conditions.
Herb/legume mixtures offer best animal performance.
Benefits to industry
Converting a portion of grazing land to high-quality summer-active pasture is likely to reduce the risk of feed deficits over the summer-autumn period that would otherwise require the purchase of supplementary feed or early sale of lambs as stores.
MLA action
No further action at this stage. Outputs are being applied in Tasmania in P.PSH.2025
Future research
• Parameterization of more summer-active species and cultivars in agricultural modelling applications (e.g. APSIM) would enable more reliable predictions of performance across environments and seasons.
• A multi-year on-farm demonstration of chicory-based pasture under well-managed grazing could help to encourage adoption by producers that are currently sceptical about persistence.
• Validation of results in Victoria and in cattle operations would increase the potential impact of the research results.
More information
| Project manager: | Felice Driver |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
| Primary researcher: | CSIRO Division of Sustainable Eco |
