Sustainable Grasslands: Resolving Management Options for Livelihood and Environmental Benefits

To help solve the major issues of improving livelihoods and environmental services, grassland research needs to be evaluated within the context of relevant farm systems. Treatments need to show that they not only have significant effects but that they have effects that are meaningful in the context of the relevant farm system. Research often defines an optimum criterion for management that is a single point, but that is difficult to achieve in practice, especially when there are several components in a grassland system that need to be optimised. It is argued that an appropriate criterion for optimising management is a range of values wherein management should aim to maintain the grassland. Typically grasslands comprise many species and appropriate frameworks are needed to determine suitable management practices so that the desirable species dominate. Examples of quantifiable frameworks are presented. A theory of animal production from grassland is then used that shows how optimising stocking rates and then considering the implications can lead to defining managing criteria that create a win-win circumstance for sustaining livestock, household livelihoods and environmental services. Traditionally farmers have thought in terms of the animal carrying capacity on areas of grassland as their main management criteria; which is only a measure of demand. A central component in many relationships is the grassland herbage mass and it is argued that this should be the primary criterion for managing grasslands; herbage mass is a net measure of supply and demand and better links to a wide range of measures of environmental services

Impact of Market Forces on Product Quality and Grassland Condition

Meeting demands for livestock products which are predicted to more than double during the next 20 years, is central to the challenge of feeding the world sustainably. Smallholders will play a key role in achieving global security in animal protein. However, this requires a shift from subsistence to market-oriented farming where production efficiency not the number of livestock is the key focus with the aim of producing ‘more from less’. For grassland-based ruminant production, reducing stocking rate from current unsustainable levels under subsistence management is an essential first step to producing more production and profit from fewer animals. This is made possible in commercial farming by using a combination of new technology, decision-making skills and market development. For example, only after stocking rate is sustainably aligned with forage supply and herd structure is changed to comprise mainly breeding females’ can smallholders reliably use genetics and improved breeding programs to boost profitability by producing higher take-off of products that meet market quality specification. To link effectively with the market smallholders must be confident they can produce the quality products consumers want. Examples from Sunan County, Gansu Province, China, are given of the use of bio-economic modelling base on smallholder available feed supply to identify the best enterprise and management options to produce marketable quality products. However, poorly developed product specifications, poor price transparency, a lack of marketing services and inadequate infrastructure which still pose a major constraint to the transition from subsistence to commercial farming in developing countries requires remedial intervention. The highly integrated Australian sheep production and marketing system is briefly describes as an industry case study of how the combination of investment in R&D to develop new technologies such as Australian Sheep Breeding Values and breeding systems using terminal crosses are used to meet to continuing changing demands of domestic and overseas consumers. This case study provides principles and practices that can be applied to improved production efficiency and marketing in developing countries to facilitate the transition from subsistence to market-oriented ruminant production

The Development of a Grazing Rating Index to Identify the Biomass Removed and the Plant Species and Parts Eaten by Grazing Sheep

Determining the diet selection of grazing animals is inherently difficult and a trade-off exists between obtaining accurate information and interfering with the normal grazing behaviour of an animal. The botanical composition of a grazing animal’s diet may be estimated using one or a number of techniques in combination. A six-point grazing rating index was developed to identify the plant species consumed by sheep grazing within a heterogeneous native grassland and the extent to which each species within a quadrat was grazed. The method was developed to remove error from visual estimates that prevents detection of significant reductions in biomass for minor species from grazing between two samplings and to determine animal preference

Community Structure of Serrated Tussock (\u3ci\u3eNassella trichotoma\u3c/i\u3e) Infested Grasslands

Serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) is the most serious perennial grass weed in southeastern Australia, extending over more than a million hectares. Previous control techniques using herbicides and oversowing with competitive pastures are no longer feasible in many of the lower fertility, infested areas. New management solutions need to be found, based upon a better understanding of the ecology of this species. A survey was done to determine the community structure of serrated tussock infested grasslands. Winter growing C3 grasses were closely associated with serrated tussock, while C4 perennial grasses appeared not to be. It is not known if this was due to C4 grasses resisting invasion from, or if they were poor competitors with, serrated tussock. Further research is needed to determine if judicious management of C4 species can effectively control invasion by this devastating weed

The Effects of Management and Vegetation on Soil Carbon Stocks in Temperate Australian Grazing Systems

The natural spatial variability in soil organic carbon (SOC) found under perennial pasture systems can make it difficult to determine differences between contrasting agricultural management practices. Pasture composition in large, extensively grazed paddocks can give an indication of pasture growth, utilisation and fertility that influence SOC and are a result of management over the longer-term. This paper examines SOC stocks on the central and southern tablelands of NSW, Australia (average rainfall from 615 to 915 mm and average annual temperature from 10.6 to 15.6°C) at three scales (regional, between similar sites and within site) to determine the influence of management, pasture composition, herbage mass and root mass. After allowing for variability due to climate, landscape and soil properties there were no differences in management comparisons, e.g. high v low fertiliser input, introduced v native pastures and rotational grazing v set stocking. The total herbage mass measured at the time of sampling had a significant relationship with SOC between and within sites and the presence of some species was associated with lower SOC. Root mass measured at an intensively monitored site showed a significant relationship with SOC. These results reflect the complexity of grazing/pasture systems, with natural variability explaining most of the variability in SOC stock; and pasture productivity leading to higher root production explaining differences in SOC levels rather than grazing management

Spatial Variability of Soil Phosphorus in Grazing Systems

Phosphorus (P) use efficiency has been identified as a key issue for Australian grazing systems. This project examined the spatial variability in soil P concentration from two separate surveys of grazed pasture fields. A field on the central tablelands of NSW had a range in Bray P of 1.2 to 140 mg/kg and a COV of 107%. The other field on the northern tablelands of NSW reported a range in Colwell P from 13.0 to 121.1 mg/kg and a COV of 59%. Maps of the spatial variability of soil P demonstrated that there is a relationship with field elevation. Application of critical P values to both fields enabled an estimation of the value of site specific fertiliser management. For one field, fertiliser inputs could potentially be isolated to 37% and the other 56% if nutrient additions were targeted at responsive areas. The opportunity for increased fertiliser use efficiency through site specific management (SSM) warrants further investigation. Research is required into both the value of SSM and the techniques that might enable the development of this strategy

EverGraze: A Partnership between Researchers, Farmers and Advisors to Deliver Effective Grassland Management

The profitable and sustainable management of livestock production from grassland systems is challenging and it can be difficult to develop a research structure that addresses farmer’s needs and has acceptable rigour and on-ground impact. This paper describes the attributes of research, development and extension (RD&E) programs that are required for a successful partnership between researchers, farmers and advisors. Insights are provided from the EverGraze program that designed, tested and implemented farming systems based on perennial pastures across southern Australia. With this project farmers and advisors were involved in setting research direction, designing experiments, providing strategic guidance over the management of the systems experiments and then the synthesis of regionally applicable key messages. This involvement ensured the relevance of the research and aided in the extension and uptake of the information. The result has been an effective partnership between researchers, farmers and advisors that had a high level of impact across the high rainfall zone (HRZ) of southern Australia, with 1950 farmers or ~8% of those in the HRZ documented as having changed practice over an area of 816,000 ha over a five year period (2009 to 2014)