21 March 2007

Research for the Grain & Graze program by the University of New England (UNE) and NSW Department of Primary Industry & Fisheries will look for the best mix of enterprises to improve productivity and profitability on mixed farms on the north-west slopes of northern NSW.

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).

Its aim is to lift the profitability of livestock and cropping operations on mixed farms around Australia while simultaneously improving natural resource management.

Success in the research - which involves comparison of three farming systems on similar 46 hectare "farmlets" - could identify crop, forage and grazed pasture rotations as successful as those used in southern and Western Australia but not yet found for the northern region.

All three farmlets will have equal areas of the three dominant soil types on the McMaster Research Station at Warialda, NSW - native pasture hilltops, red basalt slopes and black flats - making the research there relevant to most of the northern grains region.

Project leader, UNE soil science lecturer Dr Chris Guppy, says the trial will be the biggest of its type ever in the northern region and will build on current university research for Grain & Graze on compaction of cropping soils by livestock.

"We want to know whether it is worthwhile to allow the livestock side of a mixed farming system to influence land management decisions and rotations over the entire property, or whether livestock and cropping paddocks should be kept as separate enterprises," Dr Guppy said.

"Our second interest is whether, once you have allowed livestock and cropping to be fully integrated, there are further benefits from introducing perennial fertilised pastures into the rotations and land use decisions.

"Being carried out at Warialda, the research will be relevant to most of the cropping country in northern NSW and Queensland."

Dr Guppy said the performance of the three farmlets would be compared under three systems:
� one "typical" of current practice on the north-west slopes of NSW, with the McMaster Farm group advising on rotations that would include lucerne and oats, but see cattle kept out of cropping paddocks on the black flats,
� an "integrated" system, with cattle run on all parts of the farmlet, including the conservation-farmed and minimum-till black flats, and
� a "pasture integrated" system, with the same stock management but including sown, fertilised, perennial pastures of tropical/subtropical grasses and legumes.

Configuration of paddocks on the red and black soils would allow 12 metre wide machinery to be used in all farm operations and at least 12 hectares on each farmlet would be cropped each year - preferably to the same crop so comparisons are not compromised by variation in commodity prices or yields of various species.

Soil moisture would be the biggest influence on sowing times and selection of winter or summer crops, but the research team was committed to maintaining the comparison between farmlets for sensible measurement of bottom line parameters.

Mirroring local practice again, the project would see minimal improvement of native pasture soils under both the "typical" and "integrated" systems but the researchers would introduce new species on the "pasture integrated" farmlet and apply fertiliser to maximise water use and pasture production.

"We believe this component of the pasture integrated system will deliver environmental benefits by reducing leakage of moisture through to the lower slopes and flats and consequently minimising salinity," Dr Guppy said.

"Livestock numbers will be flexible, and adjusted to optimise pasture utilisation when it is available. Each farmlet can carry a minimum of 22 steers but will be able to buy stock to utilise excess feed. Each farmlet will be assessed in July each year as to capacity, and will carry that number of stock through. Stock will be bought and sold at current market value.

"We will attempt to weigh stock on and off each paddock, to assess the productivity of the different systems."

Dr Guppy said the project team's estimates and comparisons of the three mixed farming systems suggested that integrating enterprises might increase gross income by 17 per cent, compared to a "typical" system, and the "pasture integrated" system by 48 per cent compared to the typical system.

The results of the trial to determine the best mix of enterprises will assist farmers in making management decisions about the integration of their livestock and cropping systems to improve productivity and profitability on mixed farms.

For more information about the trial at the McMaster Research Station, Warialda, please contact Dr Chris Guppy, University of New England, on 02 6773 3567.

For more information about the Grain & Graze Program in the Border Rivers Region, contact Regional Coordinator, Rachel Charles on 07 4671 7900 or mobile 0417 468 861; Richard Price, National Coordinator, on 02 6295 6300 or mobile 0409 624 297; Gillian Stewart on 02 6263 6042; Lynne Sealie on 02 6263 6021, or visit www.grainandgraze.com.au.

Grain & Graze Regional Coordinators
Border Rivers Region - Rachel Charles - 07 4671 7900
Avon Region - Linda Leonard - 08 9690 2191
Central West/Lachlan Region - Jodie Dean - 02 6895 1015
Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins Region - Cam Nicholson - 03 5258 3860
Eyre Peninsula Region - Alison Frischke - 08 8680 6223
Mallee Region - Zubair Shahzad - 03 5021 9103
Maranoa/Balonne Region - Stephen Ginns - 07 4620 8122
Murrumbidgee Region - Katrina Sait - 02 6924 4633
Northern Agricultural Region - Philip Barrett-Lennard - 08 9475 0753