Pastures

Pastures play a major role in agricultural enterprises and contribute over $3 billion annually in Western Australia through animal production, improvements to crop rotations and conserved fodder. In a typical year pastures occupy up to half the land in low to medium rainfall areas and over two thirds of the land in high rainfall areas. Improved pastures are increasingly being used to play a more comprehensive role in farming systems to address emerging challenges for environment protection and food production.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is a world leader in pasture breeding and selection, grazing systems design and agronomic management of pastures. The department provides information, tools and resources to support the success of the agriculture sector in improving the productivity and profitability of pasture systems under both dryland and irrigated conditions. 

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Articles

  • The application of nitrogen can stimulate high growth in grassy pastures in winter.

    Boosting winter pasture growth

    26 November 2013

    Applying gibberellic acid or nitrogen fertiliser to pasture in winter can increase dry matter production of grasses and broadleaf weeds and help reduce feed shortages in winter.

  • FOO too low and patchy for safe grazing

    Deferred grazing and sheep at the break of season in South West Western Australia

    26 November 2013

    Grazing annual pastures in the first 12 days after germination can lower the productivity of pastures during winter by removing poorly rooted plants, and by reducing plant leaf area to sub-optimal

  • Early vegetative pastures show branching and thickening and are of very high quality and digestibility

    Grazing annual pastures – using feed on offer (FOO) as a guide

    22 November 2013

    Grazing management in winter and spring in South West Western Australia (SW WA) can manipulate the quality, quantity and composition of pasture.

  • Trail feeding of ewes in late summer on dry pasture.

    Grazing stubbles and dry pasture

    18 November 2013

    Dry pastures in Western Australia provide good early feed after senescence but rapidly become unable to maintain stock.

  • Establishment: plant cotyledons are still present.

    Deferred grazing calculator

    7 April 2015

    Deferred grazing is a tactic where stock are excluded from pasture areas to maximise germination and establishment of annual pasture seedlings.

  • Barley grass seed heads are tall and upright making them more prone to lodging in wool and sheep’s eyes as they graze.

    Managing grass seeds in sheep

    25 November 2013

    Grass seeds may cause a number of serious production and health problems in sheep, including eye damage. Wool affected by grass seed has reduced demand value.

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    EverGraze project

    26 November 2013

    Established in 2003, EverGraze was designed to develop, test and implement new farming systems based on perennials in a range of environments across the high rainfall zone of southern Australia.

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