SA Livestock Sustainable Solutions Program

Location:

Adelaide Hills – medium rainfall zone

Production System:

Beef (Angus breeders)

Sustainable Demonstration Activity:

Improving pasture, grazing management and daily liveweight gain to improve emissions intensity of weaner cattle.

West Ella Pastoral is focused on improving their emissions intensity and daily weight gain of weaner cattle by trailing mixed species pastures.

West Ella Pastoral will trial multispecies pastures and look to renovate existing pastures with satellite-based pasture assessment technologies and further explore the potential of enhanced efficiency fertilisers to support soil health, and informed grazing and pasture management decisions to manage emissions intensity in beef production.

Expected Outcomes

• Improved pasture and grazing management
• Optimize cattle growth and beef output per hectare
• Reduced emissions intensity in beef products produced

Location:

Limestone Coast, Coles SA - High Rainfall

Production System:

Beef

Sustainable Demonstration Activity:

Automated feed monitoring to reduce transport emissions and feed waste.

This project will assess how radar-based feed level sensors can help reduce vehicle emissions, feed waste, and labour requirements to support improved cattle growth rates and lower emissions intensity of beef production through accurate, non-contact feed monitoring.

Initial actions will see 8x VEGAPULS Air 41 radar level sensors fitted to 8 feeders of 8 tonne capacity to continuously monitor feed consumption rates, providing baseline data to optimise feed management and delivery schedules.

Expected Outcomes:

• Reduced on-farm diesel consumption and associated emissions
• Data driven feed ordering will optimize delivery scheduling, reduce truck movements and transport emissions. This will additionally reduce feed waste.
• Continual access to supplementary feed will maximize growth rates and feed conversion efficiency, reducing the number of days on feed needed to reach target weights.

Business Name:

Mamblin Pastoral

Location:

Eyre Peninsula- Low Rainfall

Production System:

Sheep wool & meat, mixed

Sustainable Demonstration Activity:

Enhancing Ewe Reproductive Performance and Lamb Survival Through Advanced Breeding Objectives and Lifetime Trait Data.

The project will observe how integrating advanced breeding objectives and lifetime trait data may impact ewe reproductive performance, raising ability and subsequently emissions intensity.

Initial actions will include single-sire mating, pregnancy scanning, individual animal recording, and DNA sampling at lamb marking to identify high-performing animals early. Fast tracking weaning rates, ewe condition scores, and optimizing feed.

Mamblin Pastoral will implement a five-way auto drafter with scales to improve drafting and use lifetime data and ASBV’s to verify improved productivity and profitability.

Expected Outcomes:

• Improved reproduction rates in ewes
• Faster lamb growth resulting in greater outputs and lower emissions intensity products
• Improved confidence in utilising ASBV’s including return on investment

Business Name:

Thomas Foods International

Location:

Murray and Mallee- Low Rainfall

Production System:

Beef

Sustainable Demonstration Activity:

Utilising real-time in paddock livestock weight data to support better decision making.

Thomas Foods International Southern Cross Station is looking to improve their understanding of how eID-enabled systems, in-paddock weighing systems and soluble additives for methane reduction accompanied by trace minerals can boost both the economical and productive efficiency of the enterprise.

The project will collect daily trial data using Opti-weigh and eID systems. Throughout the project, predicted weight gain trends based on seasonal conditions and feed availability will be used to reduce unnecessary weighing events, lowering labour and equipment costs while minimising stress on livestock.

The project will utilise AgriWebb DSE stocking rate data to inform paddock rotation decisions, supporting increased ground cover biomass and more effective rotational grazing management.

Expected Outcomes:

• Reducing unnecessary weighing events, lowering labour and equipment costs.
• Improved confidence using ag tech products to inform decision making regarding rotational grazing, pasture management and feed requirements
• Improved ground cover biomass through data-driven stocking rate management and paddock rotations.

Business Name:

J.D and B.C Henderson

Location:

Mid North-Medium Rainfall

Production System:

Sheep & Wool

Sustainable Demonstration Activity:

Using aircraft to spread fertilizer in hilly areas while testing different application rates, grazing days and stocking levels aimed at increased pasture growth and utilization.

This project aims to improve pasture growth, quality, species diversity, utilisation and drought resilience within a prime lamb production system . Using soil testing, grazing records, pasture assessments and AgriWebb data, different fertiliser application rates and pasture rest periods will be evaluated across hill country environments. The project will identify management practices that increase carrying capacity and optimise livestock growth and turn-off rates.

Expected Outcomes:

• Increase the current grazing and carrying capacity
• Improve pasture performance (growth and quality)
• Provide further drought resilience to the farm system

Business Name:

Willangi Pastoral Company

Location:

Mid North- Pastoral

Production System:

Sheep

Sustainable Topic of Choice:

Remote water monitoring to reduce labour and fuel

Through the implementation of remote water sensors on 5 existing water tanks this project will support improved water security throughout dry periods and reduce labor and fuel costs through non-contact- wireless monitoring methods. This project will also enhance the management and optimize on-farm saltbush plantations and foster capability in data analysis and understanding in the technologies involved in climate mitigation strategies.

Expected Outcomes:

• Reduced requirement for transport and diesel use related to tank monitoring