P.PSH.0864 - Livestock Productivity Partnership coordination
Did you know that the Livestock Productivity Partnership (LPP) was a wide-ranging research initiative into improved productivity in the grazing sector?
| Project start date: | 24 June 2017 |
| Project end date: | 29 December 2022 |
| Publication date: | 13 May 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Eastern Australia |
Summary
The purpose of this project was to fund the position of the 'Chair of Livestock Productivity' at the University of New England and to provide coordination, delivery and management services for MLA and its partners for projects that were contracted under the five year multi-million-dollar collaborative Ruminant Livestock Productivity Partnership (LPP).
Objectives
The objectives were successfully completed and included:
1. Perform all functions of the Lead Co-ordinator for the new MDC, University of New England, NSW Department of Primary Industries and CSIRO 'Ruminant Livestock Productivity Partnership' as described in the Partnership Agreement.
2. Identify opportunities for research and innovation: Through developing strong relationships with industry partners with the aim to 1) initiate participatory research 2) develop demonstration sites for education and extension purposes, and 3) use these same relationships to strengthen the curriculum and education around the red meat industries.
3. Build and develop additional partnerships and collaborations: Through developing working relationships between the Livestock Productivity Partnership and other MLA partnerships (Genetics and Animal Welfare) around key technology platforms, personnel and core capabilities.
4. Facilitate and deliver to MLA well developed multi-organisation project applications under the Ruminant Livestock Productivity Partnership that are mapped to the MLA/MDC strategic plans and are aligned to funding gaps within the MLA/MDC livestock productivity portfolio.
5. Manage a strong portfolio of research projects within the framework of the LPP.
6. Leverage funding within the Ruminant Livestock Productivity Partnership projects through aligning research activities within the partnership to add value to other MLA Partnerships (as described above) and create additional funding opportunities through engaging external organisations and industry partners.
7. Develop industry and research capacity including mentoring for early career staff and students: Through creating project and scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and post-graduate students, delivering industry facing workshops, research updates and developing commercialisation opportunities for tools and products from the Livestock Productivity Partnership.
Key findings
Outcomes achieved:
1. Developed and delivered a Livestock Productivity Partnership five year Strategic Plan.
2. Delivered Annual Partnership Plans and annual reports for the Livestock Productivity Partnership for approval by the management committee and submission to MLA.
3. Provided routine reporting to the Management Committee and the day-to-day management of the Partnership subject to the overall control of the Management Committee.
4. Assisted the Management Committee to set priorities, including projects, in accordance with the objectives and the five year Partnership Strategic Plan and annual Partnership Plans.
5. Coordination and development of project submissions to the LPP Management Committee.
6. In consultation with the MLA adoption strategy, five participatory research sites and three demonstration sites implemented with industry partners. Five industry training workshops held targeting core Livestock Productivity training needs.
7. Six multi-million dollar, complete, multi-organisation project applications funded that were mapped to the MLA/MDC strategic plans and are aligned to funding gaps within the MLA/MDC livestock productivity portfolio.
Benefits to industry
Key findings, outputs and so industry benefits from the R&D include:
- Tropical perennial pastures have potential benefits in south eastern (temperate) Australia both under current and projected climates.
- Objective data defined the potential productivity of key legume species and the mechanisms that increase legume persistence.
- Species evaluation confirmed that they can persist in environments previously considered marginal by providing evidence for red meat producers that these grasses can be part of a practical solution to provide green feed for livestock during summer-autumn in current and projected climates.
- Management guidelines refined for tropical species.
- Information for informed species choice for improved persistence.
- Guidelines around use of lime and P fertiliser, and financial advantages in investing in better soil fertility.
- Validated the potential of forage brassicas to fill feed gaps in livestock systems across the mixed farming regions of Australia. Results predicted a reduction in the frequency and magnitude of feed deficits by 20–45% or allow stocking rates to be increased by 10–20% without increasing risk.
- Demonstrated the complexity of feedbase system changes across years and the need to have multiple approaches to filling feed gaps. Dual purpose crops offered significant advantages in some years and in most, but not all locations.
- Assessed tactical management options and trigger points to provide meaningful information for making flexible stocking decisions – reducing the downside risk compared to more rigid systems, but there was a trade off as this often limited overall profitability.
MLA action
Completion of individual LPP projects will lead to further research primarily around adoption opportunities for producers.
Future research
Workshops undertaken at the end of the Program identified a range of areas where the gains made by the LPP could be expanded into collaborative future work areas. These areas are summarised below.
• Identify novel forages in the Eastern Australia feedbase to fill seasonal feed gaps.
• Identify companion legumes that will increase animal growth rates, incorporate nitrogen and carbon into soils.
• Identify plants that will increase productivity with associated decrease in methane emissions and demonstrate the link to new carbon market income opportunities
• Identify the impacts of grazing, pasture and fertilizer systems on nutrient impacts beyond the farm gate
• Identify agroforestry/grazing systems that could provide productivity gains for grazing systems, improve animal welfare and offer income opportunities from carbon or biodiversity markets
More information
| Project manager: | David Beatty |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
| Primary researcher: | UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND |
