L.PDS.2201 - PDS Improved Pasture Management Systems

Summary

This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project, delivered by Upper North Farming Systems with support from Meat & Livestock Australia, investigated the performance and practicality of mixed-species pastures compared with traditional monoculture systems in low–medium rainfall mixed farming systems of South Australia’s Upper North. The project aimed to assess impacts on livestock performance, pasture biomass, groundcover retention and producer capability, while also demonstrating the use of satellite-based pasture monitoring tools to support feed budgeting and grazing decisions.

Demonstration sites were established between 2022 and 2025, with usable results obtained in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Findings showed that mixed-species pastures can establish successfully and support livestock production under favourable conditions, with sheep performance influenced more by pasture composition, quality and sowing rates than species diversity alone. Satellite imagery showed correlation with ground-measured biomass, particularly in drier feed conditions, and proved most effective when combined with ground-truthing, pasture assessments and feed testing.

Seasonal conditions, including drought and site management disruptions, limited multi-year data collection and prevented a robust economic analysis and quantitative assessment of adoption. Nevertheless, the project successfully improved producer knowledge and skills through targeted extension activities, increased confidence in feed budgeting practices, and provided practical insights to support more resilient, sustainable grazing systems in highly variable climatic environments.

Objectives

The project aimed to:

•    Demonstrate the performance of mixed-species pastures compared with traditional monocultures under commercial farm conditions.
•    Evaluate livestock production, pasture biomass and groundcover outcomes.
•    Demonstrate the application of satellite imagery for estimating Feed on Offer (FOO).
•    Build producer knowledge and confidence in pasture assessment and feed budgeting.

While seasonal conditions limited multi-year comparisons and economic analysis, the majority of demonstration and extension objectives were achieved, particularly in building producer capability.

Key findings

Demonstration outcomes:

Mixed-species pastures successfully established in favourable seasons and supported livestock production.
Sheep liveweight gain was influenced more by pasture composition, quality and sowing rate than species diversity alone.
Satellite imagery correlated with measured biomass, , but was less reliable in predicting pasture composition and quality.
Strong correlation between satellite data and biomass in dry feed conditions, but reduced accuracy in early/lush growth.
Cost:benefit / economic evaluation:
Seasonal conditions and site management disruptions prevented robust economic analysis and full cost:benefit evaluation.
Extension and communication:Six extension activities and multiple communications reached over 250 Upper North producers, improving knowledge and confidence of pasture assessment, feed budgeting and the strengths and limitations of satellite monitoring tools.
Monitoring and evaluation:
Seasonal variability significantly affected demonstration continuity and data completeness and therefore formal monitoring and evaluation of the project was limited.

Benefits to industry

The project provides practical, regionally relevant insights into pasture diversity, grazing management and remote monitoring technologies for low rainfall systems. It strengthened producer capability in feed budgeting and pasture assessment, supporting more informed decision-making and improved resilience under variable climatic conditions.

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

The project team found that future research should focus on multi-season evaluation of mixed-species systems under drought conditions and more robust economic analysis.

Further development of satellite and drone technologies to better assess pasture composition and quality would improve decision-support tools. 
Ongoing extension support is recommended to maintain adoption momentum and reinforce practical feed budgeting skills among producers.