Controlled Grazing
Limestone Station
Lead: Cam Brooks
Region: East Pilbara
Hectares: 223,803
Environment: Acacia over spinifex grasslands, snappy gum ranges, various river systems
Challenge Identified: Suboptimal carrying capacity across the station, due to multiple systems-based limiting factors.
Status: Ongoing within Limestone Station, initial infrastructure phase complete.
Approach
Cam’s approach is to implement a linear rest-based grazing system. The goal is to maximise pasture utilisation while optimising pasture health through wet season rest periods. Alongside managing weaner and heifer age groups more intensively to improve condition and reproductive performance.
The goal behind Cam’s identified challenge is to double Limestone’s carrying capacity relative to a 2013-2015 baseline. Noting that carrying capacity and stocking rate are two different concepts. Stocking rate reflects the number of head, carrying capacity reflects whether there is enough feed for those head to maintain or gain weight. There are many levers that could achieve this goal, but as with all things in agriculture. Starting somewhere is often the hardest part!
Each paddock is classified as a wet-season or dry-season paddock. The dry season paddocks get a rest every wet season. The wet season paddocks get a rest every other wet season, as well as dry seasons.
The long-term goal is to implement this style of grazing system across the whole station.
Upskill in RCS, LEAF and Business Edge courses.
Update the Environmentally Sustainable Rangelands Management (ESRM) plan for Limestone Station to ensure decisions are based on current findings.
Identify and survey areas on-station that will benefit most from the rest-based system. Utilise the ESRM plan to inform this choice.
Install the new paddocks. Cut lines, fencing, water points, and monitoring sites (GCG monitoring tool).
Trial the system using the weaner heifer age group, running them through to the weaning of their first calves.
Train young age groups in livestock handling techniques and monitor their performance indicators (weight, reproduction later in life).
Monitor the land and animals. Key traits to observe: pasture types, pasture growth levels, water infiltration capacity, animal condition, animal weight, animal conception, pregnancy, and weaning status in subsequent seasons. Utilise a software system to reduce the time it takes to record animal traits and compare them later.
Compare records periodically to assess improvements, reductions, or unexpected impacts in regard to the key traits and the system.
Key Insights
1
Little things like seeing more of the stock, more often are improving our understanding of our animals and key profit drivers.
2
PEN’s program doesn’t just teach you to lead others; it teaches you to lead yourself.
3
Understanding and drawing on the experience and knowledge of others has been key to our success so far. We don’t have to recreate the wheel to get good results.
4
Planned grazing does work, the hardest part is knowing how to apply it within the business. PEN provided the motivation and support to keep trying when it seemed too difficult.
Impact & Results
Locally and regionally this trial informs the efficacy of rest based grazing systems. Neighbouring stations can infer whether or not adopting this strategy will have a positive impact on their land and business. Stations from further afield with similar soil and environment types can utilise these trial outcomes to make an informed choice where their land differs greatly from the general area.
Due to the seasonality of running a pastoral enterprise, we don’t have a lot of data yet. We will keep you updated as we gain more insight into this style of grazing rangelands.
What we do know:
- Monitoring the land has brought to light pasture species we didn’t know we had, like plumed sorghum.
- We have a better handle on our young stock in terms of condition and controlling their mating in a closed paddock system.
- We’re ready to collate data when the rain arrives.
What we hope to see:
- Pasture growth rate improvement when rain comes.
- Improved reproductive performance; healthier ecosystems produce healthier animals for the supply chain.
- Paddocks that can handle a more intensive load of cattle.
- Improved pasture, land, and ecosystem health; driving sustainable practices to increase animal and business productivity.
- More resilient animals moving through the enterprise due to the system they ran in as weaners to first-calvers.
- Reduced need to de-stock, or supplementary feed, due to paddock conditions holding stock for longer.
- Improved business resilience by maintaining and building on the systems we have developed as part of our PEN project.