A diversity of livestock production systems are based on grasslands in Australia and these contribute 40% of Australia’s agricultural output and manage 50% of its land. To remain profitable these systems need to continue to increase their efficiency while also enhancing the environmental services grasslands provide. We discuss several innovations and practices being developed which could help grassland production systems achieve these goals in the future.

The paper reviews recent developments in technologies that are essential for grassland farm management. It highlights the linking of precision agriculture with soil ecology, biotechnology  and functional plant ecology as well as with remote sensing and simulation models. The authors conclude that understanding and managing the complex system of a grassland farm under increasing economic pressure, global change and administrative regulations requires more intense and qualified decision support than ever. There is scope for new technologies to provide such decision support, if education is equally offered to young farmers.

A major part of the greenhouse gas emissions arising from dairy production originates from the cultivation, transport and storage of forage crops. This study investigated whether the production of arable forage crops can be intensified by N fertilisation while mitigating GHG emissions per unit forage produced, the so-called product carbon footprint. Evidence was obtained of potential for sustainable intensification when crop management is adjusted to increase the resource-use efficiency of forage cropping systems.

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource important for productivity in many grassland systems. The P balance of fertilised, temperate pastures is reviewed to identify the causes of inefficient use of P fertilisers. Immediate efficiency gains can be made by ensuring that pastures are not over-fertilised. Use of plants with low critical P requirements, combined with management responses and fertiliser innovation, will be important for further increases in P-use efficiency.

Climate change is expected to affect grassland production in various ways, with consequences for future food supply and land use. We develop a bio-economic model to examine the implications of risk aversion for optimal N use in grassland production under current and future climatic conditions. We find climate change impacts and adaptation to be sensitive to the preferences of farmers, which should be considered if giving recommendations on adaptation strategies.