New program to boost sustainable farming practices
Wednesday 1 April 2026 RegionsMedia release
The Malinauskas Government is partnering with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to deliver a new $1.3 million program that aims to boost sustainable farming practices and strengthen red meat and wool industries in South Australia.
Led by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and MLA, the SA Livestock Sustainable Solutions Program is a three-year project aimed at helping livestock producers measure and manage their emissions.
The initiative will support South Australian red meat and wool producers to better understand their on-farm emissions, build knowledges of sustainable practices, and foster efficient, productive and profitable sheep, wool and cattle enterprises across the state.
As part of the program, six farms around the state will demonstrate sustainable farming strategies in their current operations, including at on-farm field days where they will showcase strategies and technology uses which improve efficiency and profitability while also cutting emissions – leading to tangible, long-term benefits for our climate and environment.
All six farms will act as information hubs over the course of the next three years, demonstrating climate mitigation strategies which help them achieve their individual business objectives, including:
- Grazing management to improve land condition and productivity
- Improved reproductive performance
- Feed additives to reduce methane emissions and/or improve productivity
- Smarter input decisions to reduce costs and increase efficiency
- Soil health improvements.
Selected sites include beef, sheep, and wool producers across South Australia, who are all seeking to reduce production costs and improve farm performance and profitability through sustainable practices.
Demonstration Sites - SA 2026 Livestock Sustainable Solutions Program
Business Name | Location | Type | Sustainable Topic Choice |
West Ella Pastoral | Adelaide Hills | Beef (Angus breeders) | Improving pasture and grazing management to increase cattle growth and beef output per hectare. |
South Australian Cattle Co. | Limestone Coast | Beef (Up to 1000 cattle) | Automated feed monitoring to reduce transport emissions and feed waste. |
Thomas Foods International | Murray and Mallee | Beef | In-paddock weighing using real-time livestock weight data to support better decision-making. |
J.D & B.C Henderson | Mid North | Sheep, Wool & Beef | Using aircraft to spread fertiliser in hilly areas; testing different rates, grazing days and stocking levels for increased pasture growth and utilisation. |
Mamblin Pastoral | Eyre Peninsula | Sheep, Wool & Meat, Mixed | Improving Australian Sheep Breeding Values-based breeding goals and lifetime data to boost ewe reproduction and lamb survival. |
Willangi Pastoral Company | Mid North | Sheep | Remote water monitoring to save time and fuel. |
The program will run across South Australia's four key rainfall zones – high, medium, low and the pastoral zone – to ensure different approaches tailored to different areas can be trialled.
PIRSA will also be supported by industry partners Livestock SA, Thomas Foods International and AWI Extension SA to share the learnings and outcomes from these demonstrations with the livestock industry.
The SA Livestock Sustainable Solutions Program will run until December 2028 and, in addition to demonstration farm field days, will include regionally based workshops, state-wide webinars, on-farm emissions and cost-benefit assessments, regional benchmarking, events and other peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
Producer Groups can also apply for grants of up to $20,000 through the program to support the development and implementation of sustainable farming practices.
Applications for Producer Groups close on Friday, 17 April, at 11:59pm.
For more information, visit SA Livestock Sustainable Solutions Program – PIRSA.