Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Low-Emission Beef Production In The Southern Rangelands Of Western Australia: An Analysis Of Herd Structure And Stocking Rate Experiencing Droughts, Christophe D'Abbadie

Animal Production and Livestock Research Articles

Reconciling profitable cattle production with rangeland health and reduced emissions is a key challenge in the southern rangelands of Western Australia (WA). Stocking rate and herd structure selection are crucial decisions to achieve this balance. This study assessed the emission profiles of three contrasting herd structures (weaner production, live export, and slaughter production), and three stocking rates within a herd–carbon accounting modelling framework. The analysis considers the impact of varying drought frequencies on these cattle production systems. Herd models were developed for the semiarid southern WA rangelands. Stocking rates were set at 100%, 80% and 66% of the government recommended …

Heavy Steers And Heifers Run At Low Stocking Rates Enhance Drought Resilience In A Pastoral Region Of Australia, Christophe D'Abbadie, Ross Kingwell, Philip E. Vercoe, Bradley Plunkett, Alan Peggs

Animal Production and Livestock Research Articles

CONTEXT

The semi-arid mulga lands of the Southern Rangelands of Western Australia experience frequent droughts. Maintaining a profitable animal grazing enterprise whilst preserving rangeland condition requires selecting an appropriate stocking rate and herd structure.

OBJECTIVE

We construct and apply bioeconomic models of beef enterprises for the semi-arid Southern Rangelands of Western Australia, to assess the profitability and relative riskiness of three different livestock production systems and three different stocking rates when exposed to different frequencies of drought.

METHODS

We construct bio-economic models of herd structures that separately focus on producing either: (i) 200 kg heifers and 210 kg steers (ii) …

Changing Land Use On Unproductive Soils, Andrew Blake, Mike Clarke, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

A three year study completed in 2010 examined farming systems in the north-eastern agricultural region and eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia which experienced a succession of variable seasons from 2000. This culminated in severe drought in 2006 and 2007. At that time, farmers experienced labour shortages and declining terms of trade triggered by cost inflation outpacing growth in commodity prices. As a result, farm business equity was eroded as farm debt escalated. This left many farm businesses in a highly vulnerable state. At the time of the study many farmers were facing an uncertain future.

These experiences, coupled with a …

Crop Updates 2011 - Cereals, David Bowran, Bill Crabtree, Peter Carberry, Peter Burges, Bevan Buirchell, Ben Curtis, Sarah Ellis, Brenda Shackley, Christine Zaicou, Siva Sivapalan, Penny Goldsmith, Gae Plunkett, Darshan Sharma, Mario D'Antuono, Art Diggle, Peter Mangano, Sally Peltzer, Michael Renton, Bill Macleod, Fumie Horiuchi, George Wyatt, Geoff Anderson, Richard Bell, Ross Brennan, Wen Chen, Penny Riffkin

Crop Updates

This session covers eleven papers from different authors:

OPENING, NEW CROP VARIETIES & DECISION SUPPORT

Opening

1. Overview of the 2010 season, David Bowran, Director, Practice and Systems Innovation, Department of Agriculture and Food,

2. My experience in a drought as a farmer and consultant, Bill Crabtree, Morawa, Western Australia

3. Meeting the productivity and sustainability challenges to Australian agriculture until 2030, Peter Carberry, CSIRO Sustainable Agriculture Flagship

New Crop Varieties

4. National Variety Trials (NTV) wheat variety performance – captivity vs broadacre, Peter Burgess, Kalyx Agriculture

5. WALAN2289 – a new lupin variety to replace …

Crop Updates 2006 - Farming Systems, Wayne Pluske, Bill Bowden, Craig Scanan, Stephen Davies, Chris Gazey, Peter Tozer, Derk Bakker, Louise Barton, David Gatter, Renee Buck, Daniel Murphy, Christoph Hinz, Bill Porter, Meredith Fairbanks, Nicolyn Short, Ian Foster, James Fisher, Doug Abrecht, Mario D'Antuono, Tracey M. Gianatti, Paul Carmody, Frank D'Amden, Rick Llewellyn, Michael Burton, Caroline Peek, Nadine Eva, Chris Carter, Megan Abrahams, Andrew Blake, Paul Blackwell, Sylvian Pottier, Michael Robertson, Greg Lyle, Lisa Brennan, Tony J. Vyn, Simon Teakle, Peter Norris, Jeff Russell, James Fisher, Roy Murray-Prior, Deb Pritchard, Mike Collins, Greg Hamilton, Rob Hetherington, Andrew Van Burgel, Cliff Spann

Crop Updates

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors:

SOIL AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

1. Inve$tigating fertili$er inve$tment, Wayne Pluske, Nutrient Management Systems

2. KASM, the potassium in Agricultural System Model,Bill Bowden and Craig Scanlan, DAWA Northam and UWA, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences

3. Long term productivity and economic benefits of subsurface acidity management from surface and subsurface liming, Stephen Davies, Chris Gazey and Peter Tozer, Department of Agriculture

4. Furrow and ridges to prevent waterlogging, Dr Derk Bakker, Department of Agriculture

5. Nitrous oxide emissions from a cropped soil in Western Australia, Louise Barton^{1 …}

Dealing With A Dry Season, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

Farmers' approaches to adverse seasonal conditions whether they be frost, flood or low rainfall should be to acquire as much information as possible on the immediate agronomic and financial situations and make a judgement on the longer term implications for the following seasons. Once the information has been acquired, in consultation with advisers, it is necessary to construct and implement agronomic and business strategies to deal with individual situations.

The agronomic and stocking options for the dry season supplied in this booklet deal with questions and issues arising from the Year 2000 season, which has been characterised by a mid …

Crop Updates 2000 - Lupins, Bill O'Neill, Geoff Thomas, Mark Sweetinham, Kedar Adhikari, Nick Galwey, Miles Dracup, Bob French, Debbie Thackray, Jenny Hawkes, Roger Jones, Françoise Berlandier, Yvonne Cheng, Lisa Smith, Chris Gazey, Michael O'Connell, Peter Carlton, John R. Peirce, Brad J. Rayner, Terry Piper, Peter Newman, Cameron Weeks, Mohammad Amjad, Glen Riethmuller, Paul Blackwell, Jairo A. Palta, Neil C. Turner, Robert J. French, Tim Setter

Crop Updates

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors:

1.1999 Lupin Highlights, Bill O’Neill, LUPIN PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

LUPIN ANTHRACNOSE

2. Anthracnose – 1999/2000, Geoff Thomas and Mark Sweetingham, Agriculture Western Australia

LUPIN BREEDING AND AGRONOMY

3. The genetic control of mildly restricted branching in narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus augustifolius L), Kedar Adhikari^1,3, Nick Galwey^1,3 and Miles Dracup^2,3 1Plant Sciences, University of Western Australia 2Agriculture Western Australia ³Cooperative Research Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia

4. Genotype x time of sowing interaction in lupins – Mingenew, Bob French, …

Drought Proofing The Farm : Case Studies, J L. Frith

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

For many years, Western Australia's north-eastern wheatbelthas suffered chronic shortages of water for stock and domestic use. The area's averageannual rainfall is generally low - less than 300 millimetres - and droughts in the 1970s caused futher problems. manydams in the area leak or have inadequate catchmentsand groundwater is scarce ormofmpoor quality.

In March 982, the Western Australian Government provided $100 000 for the Department of agriculture to demonstrate the potential of establishing permanent, drought-proof water supplies on farms in the north-eastern wheatbelt. The methods were to use exixting techniques to build dams and catchments. In a year of low …

Likelihood Of Drought Years In South-Western Australia : How Often Can Droughts Such As That Of 1969 Be Expected In Western Australia's Farming Areas?, Eugene Adsil Fitzpatrick

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Because of the serious consequences of drought to individual farmers and to Western Australia's economy, it is worth making an early appraisal of the 1969 rainfall conditions that led to the State's most recent drought in an attempt to estimate how often such seasons might be expected in the agricultural areas.

Dry Season In The Eastern And North-Eastern Wheatbelt, George Henry Burvill

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The drought of 1969 ended an 11-year run of good seasons in the eastern and north-eastern wheatbelt. Good years usually have above average rainfall; wheat yields and pasture growth are greatly reduced if rains are well below average. Eighty years records show that half the years must be expected to be below average and about one-third could be well below. This area produces one-third of the State's wheat and has 9 per cent, of its sheep.