The Grain & Graze program's Murrumbidgee region has begun pioneering Australian research into the impact of grazing cattle on dual-purpose winter wheats.

Lightweight steers are being grazed at four different rates - three, five, six and seven head to the hectare - on Wedgetail wheat on the Cruikshank family's property at Ganmain, some 60 kilometres north of Wagga Wagga.

Grain & Graze Murrumbidgee regional coordinator Katrina Sait says while the trial is being carried out under the region's "filling the feed gap" research and development component, its results will be relevant to other parts of Australia.

"While the cattle will be weighed on and off the trial plots, and a number of other measurements taken, the primary focus of the trial will be on the effect of grazing at different stocking rates on the wheat as it proceeds to grain harvest," Ms Sait said.

"Sheep are the primary livestock in the Murrumbidgee region but we recognise there are a number of cattle producers who are also planting winter wheats for grazing and to carry on for grain.

"And there seems to have been very little, if any, Australian research focused on cattle grazing winter wheats.

Grain & Graze is a collaborative partnership between Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Land & Water Australia (LWA).

"Ben Cruikshank has been a very keen collaborator with Grain & Graze and when he recently purchased a line of young steers it provided the opportunity to bring cattle into the 'filling the feed gap" project."

Ms Sait said the project aimed to develop rotation options for the Murrumbidgee region - such as grazing wheats and short-term pastures - and optimising their management so they could be used together with existing perennial pastures to fill feed gaps and optimise whole farm feed supply.

Wagga Wagga NSW DPI research agronomist Dr Peter Martin said the research team expected the trial to last about three weeks, with the cattle to be removed from the plots when Mr Cruikshank thought it necessary.

"We think feed in the paddock averaged around 1.5 tonnes to the hectare of dry matter when the stock were put in, and the steers we are using weigh between 200 and 220 kilograms," Dr Martin said.

"It's generally accepted that a beast will eat three per cent of its weight in dry matter every day so we think our trial will run two to three weeks, depending on when the cattle start to get hungry."Although a number of trials with sheep grazing winter wheats have shown they benefit from supplementary feed, we won't be doing it with the cattle this time because it is a complication we don't need.

"We will still weigh the cattle on and off the trial, and look at their dry matter consumption and weight gain, but our primary focus will be on crop response to the grazing.

"Pugging of soil and trampling of crop are big issues and are difficult to measure or estimate accurately, but we are going to have a look at them."

For more information about the trial for grazing cattle on dual-purpose winter wheats in the Murrumbidgee Region, contact Grain & Graze Regional Coordinator, Katrina Sait on  02 6924 4633.

For information on the National Grain & Graze Program contact Richard Price, National Coordinator, on 02 6295 6300 or mobile 0409 624 297; Gillian Stewart on 02 6263 6042; Merryn West on 02 6263 6013.