Pastures 365 is a national project that explores whether diverse pastures mixes can alter soil moisture and feed biomass, to maximise the time farming properties are self-sufficient in feed production.
Commencing in 2023, the project will run for five years through to February 2028. Led by Deakin University, the project execution will be a collaboration between multiple delivery partners across four states; Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia.
Southern temperate grazing livestock enterprises face a significant feed gap due to low pasture growth that is amplified under drought conditions.
Normally, farmers purchase feeds off-farm or design containment feeding strategies to maintain animal productivity. This substantial drain on farm profitability can drive stress in farming families. If the homegrown feedbase fails, destocking occurs. This is a significant financial cost to grazing enterprises and concern for stock is often cited as a top stressor during drought.
This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund
Project Aims
The project will tests whether species-diverse pastures can provide year-round feed and remove the summer feed gap, helping grazing businesses become more resilient to drought and climate change.
While species-diverse pastures (SDP) may build resilience, they have yet to be robustly tested. The project proposes a long-term, unified assessment of how SDP affect soil moisture and feed biomass, two critical elements in closing the feed gap.
The project will test the use of SDP’s including up to 20 species, mixes of natives and introduced species, annual and perennial species, and the effect of incorporating shrubs and trees.
Project Scope
Consistent trials will be implemented across focal sites in four states supported by producer-led satellite sites, providing a strong adoption pathway via national FDF hubs, producer groups and other regional
networks.
Data will support bioeconomic modelling to test SDP under future climates, best management guides and an online decision-support tool. The project will also measure farmer well-being over time.
This holistic program will improve farmer capacity, strengthen networks, and support community wellbeing during drought.
The project aims to develop local mixes of up to 20 species, including a range of herbs, swathes, legumes and grasses – mixes informed by local Traditional Knowledge regarding suitable natives, likely to include Themeda, Rhytidosperma, Microlaena, Stipa and Poa; and to develop agronomic packages to suit.
This project includes novel pasture species and agronomic methodology to manage them, and will see strong co-design with farmers and others.
Deliverables
Service Delivery Areas
The Project geography includes nine long-term focal sites across 45 properties in four states (Vic, Tas, SA, WA) across three industries (sheep, beef, dairy). In Western Australia, the sites are located at the DPIRD Research stations at Manjimup and Katanning.
Pasture combinations under trial
Below are treatments [pasture combinations] common at trial sites in all states. Each treatment combination increases in complexity. The trial will see under which combinations the different species will perform better and at what times of the year they will make their biomass contribution.
| Mix | Species combination |
|---|---|
| Mix 1: | Perennial ryegrass and white clover; |
| Mix 6: | Perennial ryegrass, continental cocksfoot, white clover, strawberry clover, red clover, chicory and plantain; |
| Mix 10: | Perennial ryegrass, continental cocksfoot, Mediterranean cocksfoot, tall fescue, white clover, strawberry clover, red clover, lucerne, chicory, plantain, sheep’s burnet, and 2 annuals Saia black oats and tillage radish. |
WA Trial site [1] DPIRD Research Station Manjimup, WA
WA only species mix
At the trial site in Manjimup 10 treatments each featuring different mixes of pastures are replicated in four small plots each with soil moisture probes monitoring temperature and humidity every 10cm to 80cm deep.
Other treatments being tested in WA only:
| Mix | Species combination |
|---|---|
| Mix 53: | Annual Tetraploid ryegrass and subclover; |
| Mix 48: | Annual Tetraploid ryegrass and subclover, crimson clover, arrowleaf clover; |
| Mix 50: | Chicory, Cocksfoot Mediterranean, Cocksfoot Continental, Lucerne, Plantain, Raphnobrassica; |
| Mix 51: | Cocksfoot Mediterranean and Tedera (legume); |
| Mix 52: | Lotus corniculatus (Bird’s-foot trefoil), cocksfoot Mediterranean (lower density) and Paspalum notatum (bahia grass); |
| Mix 65: | Native grass (perennial) mix and subclover; |
| Mix 47: | Perennial Ryegrass, Cocksfoot Mediterranean, Tall Fescue Continental and the annual clovers subclover, arrowleaf clover and balansa clover. |
WA Trial site [2] DPIRD Research Station, Katanning, WA
Get involved
Add your details via the form below to receive alerts about the project, such as field days to view pastures at the WA DPIRD and farmer sites, and updates on tools like the pasture best management guides, the bioeconomic modelling tool, and the pasture selection decision tool.
News
Follow team members on social media for updates on the project work.
WA Project Team
– Project Lead
Dr Daniel Kidd, GGA
– Project Manager
WA Trials
WA Project Comms
Contact
Project enquiries to GGA Head of Projects Dr Daniel Kidd daniel.kidd@gga.org.au
Collaborators
