Pasture monitoring in the rangelands

Local Land Services Pasture Monitoring in the Rangelands project commenced in 2022 with 4 producer demonstration sites established to monitor pasture productivity and groundcover percentages across 237,747 hectares. 

Project objectives

This project will demonstrate that livestock businesses can increase productivity when using routine monitoring and managing key species in rangeland pastures.

Project delivery

1. Seasonal monitoring

Site observations and pasture samples of 4 key species are taken at the 4 producer demonstration sites in late summer and late winter by Local Land Services (LLS) staff.

Pasture samples of key species are collected to understand through feed test data results:  

• the crude protein
• digestibility  
• metabolizable energy.  

Groundcover and green cover at each observation time is measured using:

• remote sensing tools
• GeoGLAM data
• CiboLabs data.

2. Informing decision making

A key focus of this LLS project is the decision-making process, with key decision points of February and August lining up with important points in the pasture supply and demand curve for these regions.

Monitoring data collected informs grazing management decisions, answering questions like:

February

• Will there be enough pasture for lambing and lactation?
• Do I need to supplementary feed or destock the paddock?
• Will I need to wean early?

August

• How much livestock can I run on this paddock over summer?
• Will I need to supplementary feed?

Core producers meet in March and September each year to discuss their sites and share management ideas and learnings. 

A formal report is written following each group meeting and shared with observer producers.

Project timeline

Seasonal monitoring observations commenced in July 2022 and will continue until 2026 across the Oxley and Booligal region.

Funding and partnerships

Producer demonstration site funding by Meat & Livestock Australia.