L.PDS.1704 - Improved pastoral feedbase management

Summary

This project will demonstrate on 10 properties, in the NSW Central West Rangelands, that the weaning percentage of sheep enterprises can be improved by testing feed quality of the pastoral feedbase, identifying periods of nutritional deficit and developing and implementing profitable strategic supplementation options. The core producers will plan and implement supplementation strategies in their flocks to lift weaning rates by a minimum of 10% in those flocks averaging under 100%, and by 5% in flocks averaging over 100% over a 2 years period.

Objectives

1. Have tested 72 samples at the 3 core producer sites (each with 2sites per farm) nominated by the Pastoral Profit Group, through the Feed Central pasture plant quality test, over Winter,Spring, Summer and  Autumn 2020/2022 Matching photo standards will be collected.

2. Produced feed quality reports for Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn 2020 to 2022 which will allow 30 pastoralists (3 core producer sites with feed testing and sentinel monitoring, 4 core producer committee members and 23 observer participants) to understand the potential of their feed base to meet ewe requirements, and to identify periods where Version September 2019 Page 4 of 12 strategic supplementation may be required. For each deficit periods profitable supplementation options will be created.

3. Allowed group members to plan supplementation strategies and implement them in their flocks to lift weaning rates by a minimum of 10% in those flocks averaging less than 100%, and by 5% in flocks averaging over 100% over a 2 years’ period. This implementation will proceed and bemonitored on the 10 core properties through 2019.20 and 2020/21.
Produced a four-page report showing the variation in feed quality over a 12-month cycle for the targeted species and also variation which exists year on year. This report will contain seasonal photo standards to  assist pastoralists better understand their pastoral feed base over a seasonal production period, identify times of feed quality deficiency and know their profitable seasonal supplementary feed options. The cost: benefit of feeding strategies that were used over the period of the demonstration will be presented with particular reference to improvements in reproductive performance and ewe mortality monitored over time.

Key findings

• Demonstrating the use of commercial pasture feed testing to measure seasonal feed quality, to better understand the implications of feed quality on ewe performance, a major driver of farm profit.
• Undertaking monthly meetings with the core project group to develop confidence in the remote technology (calibration of remote feed base monitoring with what producers saw in the paddock). Using remote gathered information to improve feed budgeting skills for animals on hand.
• Demonstrating how remote monitoring can be used in feed base decision making by identifying and quantifying feed surplus/deficiency periods. Using feed base information to develop skills around business opportunity investigation (Gross Margins on trade/agist options to quantify financial benefits).
• Demonstrating how the Australian Feed base Monitoring project (CIBO/MLA) on three properties can be used to budget feed and to create business opportunities.

Benefits to industry

The economic benefits of the knowledge demonstrated in this project will vary from property to property and year to year.
The economic case study outlined in this report shows that feed base information, such as that demonstrated, can have a substantial business outcome for producers in good seasons. It is also highly likely that producers will derive substantial benefits from this feed base information when seasons are less than abundant, through early warning on impending feed quality or quantity issues.
Producers have said they need a period of time to develop practice in using the software and in interpreting the information. The practical calibration of what they see in the paddock with what the remote monitoring tells them is a main part of building confidence.
It is important to note that producers will need facilitation into the CIBOLABS system and need to gain confidence in its outputs to derive full benefit from the information.
When confidence is gained, this information could be a game changer for the industry.

MLA action

MLA continues to deliver the Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) program, supporting livestock producers working in peer-to-peer groups to pursue new skills, knowledge and management practices applicable to their own commercial livestock production systems.

Future research

Future work could focus on assisting producers to use the Australian Feed base Monitoring project (CIBOLABS/MLA). This project has demonstrated clear benefits.

Further work could focus on developing business case studies on the benefits of using this information to make more informed business decisions.