Grazing land management

Overview 

MLA invests in research and development (R&D) that aims to improve the management and utilisation of grazing pastures and forages to ensure long-term productivity and sustainability of the feedbase. 

Best practice grazing land management accommodates for changes in climate, soil health and grazing pressure from pest animals to maintain production efficiency and reduce the cost of animal feed. 

Investments into new forage varieties and investigating different pastures will help strengthen the grazing land needed to sustain the Australian red meat industry.  

Core activities 

R&D investments into grazing land management include:  

• driving adoption of practices that improve the management and utilisation of the feedbase and reduce the costs of production 
• matching pasture production, grazing methods and animal requirements to achieve market specifications  
• developing tools and methods to address ‘total grazing pressure’ in rangeland regions 
• identifying new and advanced plant breeding technologies
• developing and trialling management tools to improve pasture utilisation and minimise overgrazing  
• investigating grazing systems that incorporate pastures that are more resilient to hotter and more variable climates 
• incorporating new forages into production systems (grazing crops, shrubs etc.). 

Benefits to industry 

Overall, investments into grazing land management R&D benefit the Australian red meat industry by ensuring: 

• short and long‑term productivity  
• sustainable land management to meet environmental targets 
• reduced cost of production 
• enhanced ability to adapt to changing climates 
• pasture management to improve forage quality, quantity and persistence.