Improving Pasture Growth & Utilisation on the Northern Tablelands through Better Investment in Soil Fertility
| Project start date: | 29 January 2010 |
| Project end date: | 07 July 2014 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | NSW |
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Summary
Granite soils are low in fertility, particularly deficient in major nutrients and a range of trace elements essential for pasture growth and animal production. Over the past 10 to 15 years fertiliser prices have increased significantly and producer’s ability to pay has decreased. Beef production in the Northern Tablelands region can be limited by soil fertility.
This Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) trialled a number of nutrients (applied as products that have been shown scientifically to be beneficial) and other nutrients were chosen using local knowledge of those nutrients most likely to give a pasture response.
Generally phosphorus, sulphur & molybdenum (occasionally selenium, cobalt & copper in livestock) were determined to be the most limiting factors to pasture and livestock production in the Northern Tablelands. Overall, the project has highlighted the need to identify the nutrients that are most limiting and then select the most appropriate product taking account of the availability of the nutrients within the products.
Objectives
The project objectives were to:
• demonstrate an increase in pasture dry matter production and utilisation through more informed decision making and strategic investment in soil fertility treatments
• demonstrate an increase in the kilograms of beef produced per hectare as a result of increased dry matter on offer and utilization
• effectively engage at least 80 beef producers in project communication activities.
Progress
The project results indicate to producers across the region and into other regions, that there are no silver bullets or short cuts to fertiliser management in maintaining livestock production. But the information provided allows producers to make informed decisions about investment in soil fertility products for improved pasture production and utilisation.
Although this project wasn't able to show significant differences between treatments and therefore not practical to calculate economics of the different treatments, the trends indicated that the appropriate nutrients for each individual property should be applied to maintain production.
