"The Sweet Spot": Improving breeder herd performance through optimal pasture utilisation

Summary

The level of pasture utilisation required for optimal breeder productivity in northern Australia is currently unknown, even though breeder productivity is one of the main profit drivers in northern Australia. The problem for producers is that it is not easy to know what the optimum stocking rate is for the best breeder productivity. Fortunately, there is an untapped gold mine of data on breeding herd production collected from sites across northern Australia.

This project will facilitate the creation of a meta-database of breeder production data collated from a mixture of research and commercial herds across northern Australia. This data will then be used to:

• identify the pasture utilisation rates
• improve the capacity of models to predict breeder performance
• develop tools to improve breeder productivity.

Objectives

This project will mine existing research data to:

• identify the pasture utilisation rates which optimise breeder productivity (pregnancy, lactating cows pregnant within four months, calf loss and weaning percentage) for particular pasture communities in northern Australia
• improve the capacity of existing computer models to predict breeder performance and economics of herd management in northern Australia
• develop tools to improve breeder productivity and maximise profitability while maintaining the land resource for different regions of northern Australia.

Benefits to industry

Optimising stocking rate to facilitate optimal utilisation of pasture can facilitate improved breeder performance and boost kilograms turned off, which can increase productivity and profitability. This project will enable producers to make more informed decisions based on the relationship between pasture utilisation, reproduction, long term profit and land condition. Furthermore, it will give producers increased confidence to use tools and guidelines to achieve sustainable and profitable increases in production.

For further assistance with pasture utilisation in relation to breeding herd performance, producers are encouraged to join a Northern Breeding Business (NB2) producer group in their local region.  This program looks to collect and analyse information on the herd, feedbase and financial performance of the business and provide training in appropriate strategies/interventions to drive productivity, profitability and sustainability from the business.  Details can be found at www.mla.com.au/nb2.