Innovations in Ag: Change in grazing techniques improves drought resilience in the rangeland

Kylie and Bill Burton run ‘Saltern Creek’, an 8,282ha red meat enterprise near Barcaldine. Nine years of drought, leading to total destocking, resulted in an evolution of the business from 100 percent beef cattle to a mixed sheep, goat and cattle enterprise, grazed using an adaptive, multi-species rotational system.
As seen on satellite data and forage reports from Long Paddock, this move has led to an increase in groundcover to levels not seen in some areas of Saltern Creek during the last 30 years of imagery. While the growth is partially due to increased rainfall, the evolving grazing system has been a contributing factor, as shown in the Burtons data monitoring, which is used to support decision making and analyse the results of their pasture management.
Kylie and Bill have also noticed positive effects on weed reduction and biodiversity by incorporating multiple species of livestock. Their goats have helped to reduce the woody weeds (in particular Prickly Acacia/Vachellia nilotica), and by rotating sheep, cattle and goats through previously unused areas, they have noticed a return of native grasses in those tracts of land, including, Mitchell Grasses (Astrebla lappacea, A. elymoides, and A. pectinata), and Flinders Grass (Iseilema sp.).
With an El Nino likely on the horizon, Kylie is interested to see how better management of their improved ground cover, and ongoing data to support decision making, will support them to navigate through dry periods.
Kylie and Bill are just one example of producers in Australia’s rangelands who are transforming their grazing techniques to improve the productivity and sustainability of their enterprise under the volatile conditions, including low or unreliable rainfall, in their area.
Find out more in our Innovations in Agriculture series here: landcareaustralia.org.au/inno...

[@stevebowman421]

Started doing this form of grazing 5 years ago, not cell grazing, but moving them before it’s eaten down, the change has been amazing, even to green feed through the dry season, also a 2% increase in soil carbon levels.

[@farmhandbruce4860]

Jodie at Lara, the 'water square' as you called it would have a better soil health because the herd would spend more time in on that concentrated area therefore high dung levels, hence the better growth.

[@cecilycronin6243]

I live on a 13 ha small holding with terrible soil and can only really regenerate one hectare at a time. I would love to work with five to ten other people to turn it into living soil. Much of our outer suburban areas are really just arid wastelands. I live in Hopeland, Western Australia and these areas should be the lungs for Perth. We need planning for not just conservation but regeneration to right the errors of the past failed developments.

[@stevebowman421]

Doesn't matter how small, or big 7just need to start, I farm 230 hectares, I found with the kangaroo numbers that temporary fences were a pain, most expensive was getting water to all the 5 hectare paddocks, still going, but the change is worth it.

[@Bennie32831]

Spreader banks increase stocking rate for longer

[@Bennie32831]

I like the stock moving but it's not all you can do

[@pizzaki582]

Very Intresting, Background is fruit and Veg I know next nothing about livestock farming. I can similar practice with this with fruit and veg, Cow's Harvest (eat) Cow's then fertilize and till the soil of the next season paddock. Let that paddock grow then go to step 1 It's almost exactly like crop farming Prep the soil fertilize and nutrient's Plant Harvest Main crop Plant Green Crop that will give nutrients back to the soil Go to step one.

[@RaniVeluNachar-kx4lu]

Up to about 160-170 years ago, we had a similar ecosystem here in the States. It was called the Prairie. It ran from Texas up into Canada. But before those places had those names, a different animal roamed the Great Plains and a different sort moved it along. The Plains Bison herds numbered in the millions, maybe dozens of millions of head. Imagine that? And the mover wasn't so much people or even wolves. It was the Summer Northern pastures being ready for the calving season. And the Winter paddocks in Texas for the herd with it's new calves waiting out the severe weather in the Dakotas and above. It had been that way for tens of thousands of years maybe really a lot longer. Just this huge mechanism of climate and prairie and massive herds of bison in sustained balance. But unfortunately the Europeans came along and had other ideas. They wanted to cut it up into farms and towns and eventually cities like back in Europe. Seems Europe had not been able to sustain those numbers of people and they had to invade new terrain and replicate the same destructive cycles over again. Imagine that? Man was the invasive species. (Well European man, the Asiatic tribes were ok). Just a little word about those Asiatic tribes. Seems that they had been roaming about northeast "Mongolia" or the steps of that part of the world for God knows how long, and seem to have been here quite a bit longer than the Europeans have. One little conceptual difference between them and the Europeans was that they didn't understand the concept of humans owning the land. They viewed themselves as part of the land. Even today, they will say that they have always been there. So that sense of immense time, of the importance of the World as a whole where people are a part of it, not separate or somehow superior to it was a key difference. We now seem to be learning that too. It's humbling and yet rewarding to learn that we aren't the boss after all. The concept of a fine line management, not stripping out the nutrients, but having the cattle add to and manage the soil productivity is very wise. For a modern world where food crops include meat crops, then that becomes a very large scale program. But in the centuries ago, the civilization as it was then was very non-technical even to the point of only needing rudimentary tools, and breaking camp twice a year and dragging everything on sledges behind ponies following the Bison to Canada and then back. How little impact those Plains Indians tribes were on the whole.

[@franceshorton918]

Thank you Rani for your excellent post. I appreciated your ability to combine historical and modern understandings of agriculture and indigenous land management, plus tell the truth in a respectful and non judgemental way. The Western view of 'conquering nature' is so very wrong. In the Game of Life, Mother Nature bats last !!

[@yuricneff9737]

Flat areas use spiral channels guys!

[@Tossdart]

I wonder what would happen if one family never had 250,000 hectares & that land was divided to small holders say 250 acres that followed the same principles of regeneration?

[@jackholman5008]

The land is very arid and only suitable for grass and scrubs 250 is not enough to make a living and 250k is excessive too

[@seanniemeyer5437]

This area is very far from markets and has a very low carrying capacity. To be profitable you need a lot of hectares. Even the best country in Australia requires 2000 hectares to make a decent living.