Increase Profits Through Pasture Utilisation
AUSTRALIA - Beef and dairy producers are invited to a free field day and bus tour to look at ways they can improve their pasture management.
16 August 2012
2 minute read
The Department of Agriculture and Food has timed the event on Wednesday 29 August to follow the Southern Dirt Meat Profit Day in Albany, West Australia (WA).
Department beef development officer Victoria Surridge said recent examination of WA beef enterprises identified key areas driving beef business profitability.
One of the key drivers for improved business development is management of stocking rate with an emphasis on pasture utilisation.
“Results from the 2011 Red Sky analysis indicated there were significant gains to be made in maximising pasture utilisation on farm and minimising the need for supplementation,” Ms Surridge said.
“When we looked at the industry benchmark results from the Red Sky beef business analysis, the top 25 per cent of producers were achieving 11 per cent higher stocking rates and 65kg liveweight beef per hectare more than the average. They were spending 50 per cent less on supplementary feed costs. Therefore, if done effectively, increasing stocking rate does not necessarily equate to increased risk.”
Red Sky is a business-focused program coordinated and supported by the WA Beef Council and the department. It assists producers to gain a clearer understanding of their beef businesses for continued improvements in productivity and profit.
The field day, presented by Evergraze and the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee, will start with a technical presentation on plant structure and the impact grazing has on the plant.
“With this knowledge producers can then develop management strategies to graze pasture at the correct time, optimising stock utilisation,” Ms Surridge said.
“The presentation will be followed by a bus tour to two properties that have implemented many of the principles and practices that will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from fellow producers who will share the experiences behind their management practices and the resulting benefits.”
The tour will finish with a complimentary barbecue steak lunch at 1.30pm. Ms Surridge, who coordinates the Red Sky beef business program in WA, is one of the key presenters along with the department’s Dairy Team Leader John Lucey.
To register and ensure a seat on the beef bus tour, please contact Lucy Marchesi on 9892 8444 or [email protected] by 20 August.
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