Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Animal Production Science Animal Production Science Society
Food, fibre and pharmaceuticals from animals
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Impacts of grazing management options on pasture and animal productivity in a Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass) pasture in central Queensland. 4. Animal production

W. H. Burrows A B , D. M. Orr A C , R. E. Hendricksen A B , M. T. Rutherford A , D. J. Myles A B , P. V. Back A B and R. Gowen A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, PO Box 6014, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Qld 4702, Australia.

B Retired.

C Corresponding author. Email: david.orr@deedi.qld.gov.au

Animal Production Science 50(4) 284-292 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN09145
Submitted: 5 November 2009  Accepted: 12 April 2010   Published: 12 May 2010

Abstract

Steer liveweight gains were measured in an extensive grazing study conducted in a Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass) pasture in central Queensland between 1988 and 2001. Treatments included a range of stocking rates in native pastures, legume-oversown native pasture and animal diet supplement/spring‐burning pastures. Seasonal rainfall throughout this study was below the long-term mean. Mean annual pasture utilisation ranged from 13 to 61%. Annual liveweight gains per head in native pasture were highly variable among years and ranged from a low of 43 kg/steer at 2 ha/steer to a high of 182 kg/steer at 8 ha/steer. Annual liveweight gains were consistently highest at light stocking and decreased with increasing stocking rate. Annual liveweight gain per hectare increased linearly with stocking rate. These stocking rate trends were also evident in legume-oversown pastures although both the intercept and slope of the regressions for legume-oversown pastures were higher than that for native pasture. The highest annual liveweight gain for legume-oversown pasture was 221 kg/steer at 4 ha/steer. After 13 years, annual liveweight gain per unit area occurred at the heaviest stocking rate despite deleterious changes in the pasture. Across all years, the annual liveweight advantage for legume-oversown pastures was 37 kg/steer. Compared with native pasture, changes in annual liveweight gain with burning were variable. It was concluded that cattle productivity is sustainable when stocking rates are maintained at 4 ha/steer or lighter (equivalent to a utilisation rate around 30%). Although steer liveweight gain occurred at all stocking rates and economic returns were highest at heaviest stocking rates, stocking rates heavier than 4 ha/steer are unsustainable because of their long-term impact on pasture productivity.

Additional keywords: burning, economic evaluation, legume oversowing, steer age effects, steer liveweight gain, stocking rate.


Acknowledgements

Special acknowledgement is made to the Neill-Ballantine family (Galloway Plains Pastoral Co.) for their ready cooperation and for the long-term use of land on which the study was based. Many people contributed to the overall conduct of this grazing study during its 13 years duration and it is impossible to comprehensively list all these people here. We would especially acknowledge the large number of Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and Department of Natural Resources and Water staff who provided major contributions to this study’s success. A Producer Advisory Group readily gave constructive advice throughout the study. Funding was provided by Meat and Livestock Australia.


References


Anderson ER , Pressland AJ , McLennan SR , Clem RL , Rickert KG (1987) The role of fire in native pasture management. In ‘Native pastures in Queensland: the resources and their management’. Information Series Q187023. (Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane)

Bortolussi G, McIvor JG, Hodgkinson JJ, Coffey SG, Holmes CR (2005) The northern Australian beef industry, a snapshot: 3. Annual liveweight gains from pasture-based systems. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 1093–1108.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Coates DB, Miller CP, Hendricksen RE, Jones RJ (1997) Stability and productivity of Stylosanthes pastures in Australia. II. Animal production from Stylosanthes pastures. Tropical Grasslands 31, 494–502. open url image1

Hacker JB , Shaw NH , Mannetje L‘t (1982) More beef from spear grass country. Pasture research at Rodd’s Bay, Central Queensland, 1945–1977. CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures Research Report No. 2. Watson Ferguson and Co., Brisbane.

Hasker PJS (2000) ‘Beef cattle performance in northern Australia: a summary of recent research.’ (Queensland Government Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane)

Hendricksen RE, Myles DJ, Reid DJ, Orr DM (2010) Impacts of grazing management options on pasture and animal productivity in a Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass) pasture central Queensland. 3. Diet composition in autumn. Animal Production Science 50, 276–283.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Hill JO, Coates DB, Whitbread AM, Clem RL, Robertson MJ, Pengelly BC (2009) Seasonal changes in pasture quality and diet selection and their relationship with liveweight gain of steers grazing tropical grass and grass-legume pastures in northern Australia. Animal Production Science 49, 983–993.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jones RJ (1997) Steer gains, pasture yield and pasture composition on native pasture and on native pasture oversown with Indian couch (Bothriochloa pertusa) at three stocking rates. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 37, 755–765.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jones RJ (2003) Effects of sown grasses and stocking rates on pasture and animal production from legume-based pastures in the seasonally dry tropics. Tropical Grasslands 37, 129–150. open url image1

Jones RJ, Coates DB (1992) The effects of age on steer liveweight gain on continuously stocked tropical pastures. Australian Society of Animal Production 19, 39–42. open url image1

Jones RJ, Sandland RL (1974) The relation between animal gain and stocking rate. Derivation of the relation from results of grazing trials. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 335–342.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

MacLeod ND, Cook SJ (2004) The economic performance of steers grazing black speargrass pastures oversown with legumes in south Queensland, Australia. Tropical Grasslands 38, 140–153. open url image1

McLennan SR , Beale IF , Hendricksen RE , Winks L , Miller CP , Quirk MF (1987) Nutritive value of native pastures in Queensland. In ‘Native pastures in Queensland: the resources and their management’. Information series Q187023. (Eds WH Burrows, JC Scanlan, MT Rutherford) pp. 125–159. (Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane)

Middleton CH , Murphy KJ , Blight GW , Hansen VJ (1993) Large-scale property demonstrations of the effect of Seca stylo and phosphorus on beef cattle growth in central Queensland. In ‘Proceedings of the XVIIth international grassland congress, Palmerston North and Rockhampton’. (Eds MJ Baker, JR Crush, LR Humphries) pp. 1994–1996. (New Zealand Grassland Association: Palmerston North)

Miller CP, Stockwell TGH (1991) Sustaining productive pastures in the tropics. 4. Augmenting native pastures with legumes. Tropical Grasslands 25, 98–103. open url image1

O’Reagain P, Bushell J, Holloway C, Reid A (2009) Managing for rainfall variability: effect of grazing strategy on cattle production in a dry tropical savvana. Animal Production Science 49, 85–99.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Orr DM, Burrows WH, Hendricksen RE, Clem RL, Back PV, Rutherford MT, Myles DJ, Conway MJ (2010a) Impacts of grazing management options on pasture and animal productivity in a Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass) pasture central Queensland. 1. Pasture yield and composition. Crop and Pasture Science 61, 170–181.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Orr DM, Yee MC, Rutherford MT, Paton CJ (2010b) Impacts of grazing management options on pasture and animal productivity in a Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass) pasture central Queensland. 2. Population dynamics of Heteropogon contortus and Stylosanthes scabra cv. Seca. Crop and Pasture Science 61, 255–267.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Partridge IJ, Wright JW (1992) The value of round-leafed cassia (Cassia routundifolia cv. Wynn) in a native pasture grazed with steers in south-east Queensland. Tropical Grasslands 26, 263–269. open url image1