Improving productivity of rundown sown grass pastures. Volume 2: Improving understanding and testing mitigation options with industry

This volume covers the activities, outcomes and learnings from the first component of the Improving productivity of sown grass pastures project, that being: Improving understanding and testing of mitigation options with industry. Knowledge and understanding of the process, impact and mitigation strategies of pasture rundown varies across industry (graziers and advisors). While graziers are implementing practices aimed at overcoming rundown, there is little successful adoption of effective mitigation strategies. Therefore significant opportunities exist for the beef industry to increase productivity and returns from rundown sown grass pastures using the most applicable mitigation strategy(s). A considerable amount of awareness raising and improvements in understanding occurred through various industry engagement activities and publications. It is estimated a total of over 2000 graziers and industry personnel directly engaged at project activities or with project staff at other events, and thousands more read project outcomes in media publications produced over the life of the project. Almost 130 on-farm demonstrations or research trials were initiated, and feedback from industry (e.g. pasture seed companies) indicates practice change is occurring. For example, fallowing is being used more frequently before sowing legumes, more graziers are seeking information and are sowing legumes, soil testing is being more frequently conducted in existing and for new pastures, and phosphorus fertiliser is now being applied to existing legume-grass pastures where soil phosphorus levels are low. The project team used a broad engagement strategy, together with targeted learning-based approaches, to work with industry (graziers, advisors, seed industry) to improve the understanding of the process and impact of pasture rundown, identify and to develop and test mitigation options on-farm. This on-farm testing provided real farm data and practical application experiences that were extended to the wider grazing community.

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