A 400 strong herd of breeder cows a flock of 4000 ewes and 5000 hectares of cropping coexist happily in the Yates familys mixed farming business 70 kilometres north west of Moree in north west NSW.

It was a coincidence but also a marriage made in heaven an ever increasing range of grazing cereal options becoming available at the same time as the national Grain Graze program campaigned for more profitability on Australias mixed farms

The Grain Graze programs Murrumbidgee region has begun pioneering Australian research into the impact of grazing cattle on dualpurpose winter wheats

The national Grain Graze Program will hold its fourth National Forum in Wagga Wagga next week.

What if farmers in the New South Wales Central West could change from spring to autumn lambing, buy some goats or plant more forage crops, and find out beforehand what effect these changes would have on the farm's bottom line?

Project results from Eyre Peninsula, SA challenge the trend for increasing cropping and decreasing livestock on    mixed farms. Farmers can maintain their profit with more livestock and reduce risk at the same time, and finding the right enterprise balance for a farm has major benefits.

Ray Brown, a farmer in southwest Queensland, credits the Bambatsi grass pastures for the family's ability to weather 10 years of drought "without feeding a beast" of the breeder herd. And with no input costs.  

"We know now how important biodiversity is in the system and that if you have no balance in it eventually you are not sustainable," says Craig Forsyth at his property Avoca, north of Perth, WA. Avoca now has 800 hectares of subtropical perennial grasses.

Dual purpose cereals, as distinct from the specialist grazing or grain varieties, are helping the Caithness family of Bairnsdale successfully run cattle in a district traditionally considered a wool growing area.

At average prices for grain and stock, grazing a wheat crop could be a more profitable option in 70 per cent of years in low rainfall, poor soil zones in WA's Northern Agricultural Region. But in reliable rainfall, good soil zones in the same wheatbelt, grazing the crop was rarely better than grain production.

Participants at a workshop for agronomists, advisers and consultants in the Mallee region, heard there is huge potential  for fodder cropping on mixed farms in the Mallee. "Most Mallee farms face a feed gap every year and any system that could provide feed earlier in the season would be great."

Australia's farmers will be keeping the farm in the family for a long time yet, in spite of the severe drought and the growth of large corporate-owned farms. Family farmers manage complexity and risk extremely well, have adapted to Australia's harsh environment, and produce carefully and efficiently.

Birds, beetles, ants and spiders are being counted on six Avon region, WA properties as part of the first national survey of biodiversity on Australian mixed farms. The project aims to answer key questions about the relationship between agriculture and biodiversity in Australia's mixed farming zones.

Farm Profitability Workshops on Eyre Peninsula SA will help farmers operate the computer program Plan2Profit using its 'what if' capability. After factoring in the autumn break rain and the likely prices for grain and sheep, the program can calculate the most profitable crop and stock options.

New fact sheets from the Central WestLachlan region of NSW outline the production benefits of using perennials in livestock production, their potential to lower water tables and salinity risk, prevent wind and water erosion and increase biodiversity.

Prime lamb producer Mick Shawcross uses dual purpose barley in winter to boost ewe condition before lambing, keep lambs growing during the colder months, and let the grass/legume pastures get away.

A farm trial to extend pasture phases has shown that managed pastures can carry more sheep during spring and carry them longer because the pastures themselves last longer.

Research comparing three farming systems on 46 hectare farmlets could identify crop forage and grazed pasture rotations as successful as those in southern and Western Australia but not yet found for the northern grains region.

Mixed farmers in the Liebe region of WA are using forage oats to provide some early feed for stock. Farmers are also trialling plots of Rivermore saltbush interspersed with arable areas of subtropical grasses to provide roughage to balance the protein in the saltbush.

Trial results  from the Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins region in Victoria suggest there's a substantial store of early winter grazing in paddocks of wheat, barley and triticale sown for grain. Grazing Yerong barley up to stem elongation had no adverse effect on eventual grain yield and  reduced stubble levels slightly.

Farmers participating in  a workshop in Karoonda will be able to learn about making their farms more resilient and how to match livestock with crop production  to increase  farm profitability and sustainability in the Mallee.

Farming families participating in research in the Avon region in WA are looking at longer pasture phases and higher stocking rates to increase profitability. One farmer said that condition scoring of sheep was the most useful measurement.

Big plantings of the fodder shrub tagasaste and subtropical perennial grasses are improving stock performance and reducing pressure on the environment on the Heitman's 5,200 hectare property, 'Arena' at Mingenew Western Australia.

Results from research and trials on integrated pest management, soil biodiversity, feedbase management, animal nutrition, grazing cereals, lifestyle and climate risk management are assisting mixed farmers across Australia to increase the profitability and sustainability of their enterprises.

Meat and Livestock Australia's (MLA's) feed demand calculator is being modified for use in southern Queensland and northern NSW. The calculator helps producers know how much pasture is growing, how much their stock are eating or likely to eat and how much more pasture they could use without running the risk of overgrazing.

Trials at Warialda NSW will test whether grazing cattle really do damage heavy cropping soils, how much rainfall is needed before significant soil damage occurs, and how long soils take to recover from that damage.

New trials in grazing country near Inglewood have shown potential with the use of a legume called Burgundy Bean. Grazier Linden Charles planted 20 acres on his property hoping to increase profitability and better manage the land.

Farmers in the Avon region of WA, together with WA's Department of Agriculture and Food, designed a project examining whether smarter, more efficient farm management would lead to improved profitability and social outcomes, particularly balancing work, decision making and quality of life.