Estimating Safe Carrying Capacities of Extensive Cattle-Grazing Properties Within Tropical, Semi-Arid Woodlands of North-Eastern Australia.

Scanlan, J. C.; McKeon, Greg; Day, KA; Mott, J. J.; Hinton, AW

doi:10.1071/rj9940064

Cited by 49 publications

(47 citation statements)

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“…GRASP is a point-based simulation model that predicts pasture growth, animal production and soil loss from climate, vegetation, soil and stocking rate data. Average annual pasture production for a particular land type is O'Reagain and Scanlan simulated using long-term rainfall records, and a 'safe' pasture utilisation rate, for example, 20% to 25%, is then applied to calculate LTCC (Scanlan et al, 1994). Comparison with longterm stocking rates on well-managed, good condition properties generally show good agreement between modelled and observed LTCC (McKeon et al, 2009).…”

Section: Strategic Management Of Stocking Ratesmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Sustainable management for rangelands in a variable climate: evidence and insights from northern Australia

O’Reagain¹,

Scanlan²

2013

Animal

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Inter-annual rainfall variability is a major challenge to sustainable and productive grazing management on rangelands. In Australia, rainfall variability is particularly pronounced and failure to manage appropriately leads to major economic loss and environmental degradation. Recommended strategies to manage sustainably include stocking at long-term carrying capacity (LTCC) or varying stock numbers with forage availability. These strategies are conceptually simple but difficult to implement, given the scale and spatial heterogeneity of grazing properties and the uncertainty of the climate. This paper presents learnings and insights from northern Australia gained from research and modelling on managing for rainfall variability. A method to objectively estimate LTCC in large, heterogeneous paddocks is discussed, and guidelines and tools to tactically adjust stocking rates are presented. The possible use of seasonal climate forecasts (SCF) in management is also considered. Results from a 13-year grazing trial in Queensland show that constant stocking at LTCC was far more profitable and largely maintained land condition compared with heavy stocking (HSR). Variable stocking (VAR) with or without the use of SCF was marginally more profitable, but income variability was greater and land condition poorer than constant stocking at LTCC. Two commercial scale trials in the Northern Territory with breeder cows highlighted the practical difficulties of variable stocking and provided evidence that heavier pasture utilisation rates depress reproductive performance. Simulation modelling across a range of regions in northern Australia also showed a decline in resource condition and profitability under heavy stocking rates. Modelling further suggested that the relative value of variable v. constant stocking depends on stocking rate and land condition. Importantly, variable stocking may possibly allow slightly higher stocking rates without pasture degradation. Enterprise-level simulations run for breeder herds nevertheless show that poor economic performance can occur under constant stocking and even under variable stocking in some circumstances. Modelling and research results both suggest that a form of constrained flexible stocking should be applied to manage for climate variability. Active adaptive management and research will be required as future climate changes make managing for rainfall variability increasingly challenging.Keywords: grazing strategies, profitability, land condition, climate forecasts, simulation models ImplicationsEvidence from northern Australia suggests that managers should apply a form of constrained flexible stocking with upper limits to stocking rate of about 20% to 40% above long-term carrying capacity. Stocking rates should be tactically adjusted on the basis of forage availability, and where appropriate, informed by seasonal climate forecasts. Even in the best years, annual stocking rate increases should be limited to 10% to 20% in order to avoid overstocking in the event of poor subsequent seasons....

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Section: Strategic Management Of Stocking Ratesmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Depending on land type and rainfall, the level of safe use ranges from 10% to 30% of the average annual pasture growth (Scanlan et al, 1994;Hunt, 2008;McKeon et al, 2009). Conservative stocking aims to maintain sufficient forage in most years so that stocking rates do not have to be adjusted.…”

Section: Stocking Strategies To Cope With Rainfall Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable management for rangelands in a variable climate: evidence and insights from northern Australia

O’Reagain¹,

Scanlan²

2013

Animal

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“…Consequently, the total numbers of breeders carried in the model herds were adjusted in the various simulation trials through a parameter that sets maximum breeder numbers so as to maintain safe pasture utilisation rates to maintain or improve land condition over the length of each trial. There has been considerable effort to determine sustainable utilisation rates for tropical rangelands in northern Australia (e.g., Scanlan et al, 1994;Walsh and Cowley, 2011) and this information was used in setting stock numbers to achieve safe utilisation rates in the simulation runs.…”

Section: Development Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boosting the productivity and profitability of northern Australian beef enterprises: Exploring innovation options using simulation modelling and systems analysis

Ash

Hunt

McDonald

et al. 2015

Agricultural Systems

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The financial health of beef cattle enterprises in northern Australia has declined markedly over the last decade due to an escalation in production and marketing costs and a real decline in beef prices. Historically, gains in animal productivity have offset the effect of declining terms of trade on farm incomes. This raises the question of whether future productivity improvements can remain a key path for lifting enterprise profitability sufficient to ensure that the industry remains economically viable over the longer term. The key objective of this study was to assess the production and financial implications for north Australian beef enterprises of a range of technology interventions (development scenarios), including genetic gain in cattle, nutrient supplementation, and alteration of the feed base through introduced pastures and forage crops, across a variety of natural environments. To achieve this objective a beef systems model was developed that is capable of simulating livestock production at the enterprise level, including reproduction, growth and mortality, based on energy and protein supply from natural C 4 pastures that are subject to high inter-annual climate variability. Comparisons between simulation outputs and enterprise performance data in three case study regions suggested that the simulation model (the Northern Australia Beef Systems Analyser) can adequately represent the performance beef cattle enterprises in northern Australia. Testing of a range of development scenarios suggested that the application of individual technologies can substantially lift productivity and profitability, especially where the entire feedbase was altered through legume augmentation. The simultaneous implementation of multiple technologies that provide benefits to different aspects of animal productivity resulted in the greatest increases in cattle productivity and enterprise profitability, with projected weaning rates increasing by 25%, liveweight gain by 40% and net profit by 150% above current baseline levels, although gains of this magnitude might not necessarily be realised in practice. While there were slight increases in total methane output from these development scenarios, the methane emissions per kg of beef produced were reduced by 20% in scenarios with higher productivity gain. Combinations of technologies or innovative practices applied in a systematic and integrated fashion thus offer scope for providing the productivity and profitability gains necessary to maintain viable beef enterprises in northern Australia into the future.Crown

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“…First, there have been advances in science (often assisted by inputs from pastoralists' experiences); this is documented in relation to most episodes, most notably by Condon (7) after episode 4, Condon et al (10) after episode 6, by Johnston (12) after episode 7, and in many studies after episode 8 (e.g., ref. 30). This improving understanding has led to various pastoralistsupported packages like Grazing Land Management (31) and the development of a national drought alert system (32).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(i) Policies and administration that value the responsibility of managers to make day-to-day decisions on their properties (i.e., match the scale of decision making firmly with that of the environment) within the context of regional support for learning that provides them with tools to help improve those decisions (12,30) and peer support to motivate their implementation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from episodes of degradation and recovery in variable Australian rangelands

Smith

McKeon²,

Watson

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

156

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Land-change science emphasizes the intimate linkages between the human and environmental components of land management systems. Recent theoretical developments in drylands identify a small set of key principles that can guide the understanding of these linkages. Using these principles, a detailed study of seven major degradation episodes over the past century in Australian grazed rangelands was reanalyzed to show a common set of events: (i) good climatic and economic conditions for a period, leading to local and regional social responses of increasing stocking rates, setting the preconditions for rapid environmental collapse, followed by (ii) a major drought coupled with a fall in the market making destocking financially unattractive, further exacerbating the pressure on the environment; then (iii) permanent or temporary declines in grazing productivity, depending on follow-up seasons coupled again with market and social conditions. The analysis supports recent theoretical developments but shows that the establishment of environmental knowledge that is strictly local may be insufficient on its own for sustainable management. Learning systems based in a wider community are needed that combine local knowledge, formal research, and institutional support. It also illustrates how natural variability in the state of both ecological and social systems can interact to precipitate nonequilibrial change in each other, so that planning cannot be based only on average conditions. Indeed, it is this variability in both environment and social subsystems that hinders the local learning required to prevent collapse.climate variability ͉ desertification ͉ dryland development paradigm ͉ human-environment systems ͉ local knowledge

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Estimating Safe Carrying Capacities of Extensive Cattle-Grazing Properties Within Tropical, Semi-Arid Woodlands of North-Eastern Australia.

Cited by 49 publications

References 0 publications

Sustainable management for rangelands in a variable climate: evidence and insights from northern Australia

Sustainable management for rangelands in a variable climate: evidence and insights from northern Australia

Boosting the productivity and profitability of northern Australian beef enterprises: Exploring innovation options using simulation modelling and systems analysis

Learning from episodes of degradation and recovery in variable Australian rangelands

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