Sustainable pasture utilisation rates are the cornerstone of the grazing industry because they directly determine carrying capacity. To date, we have been able to determine utilisation rates only by using expensive, time-consuming grazing trials. This study successfully tested a quick, cost-effective approach based on a method used previously in Queensland that retrospectively calculates utilisation rates using station cattle records and pasture growth predictions.Our results indicate that an average utilisation rate of up to 30% appears to be sustainable in paddocks with uniform, grey cracking-clay soils on the Barkly Tableland. However, this level of utilisation negatively impacts on preferred pastures and less robust soil types.
Walsh, D.and Cowley, R. Can sustainable pasture utilisation rats be derived fromcommercial paddock data in the Northern Territory?In: Proceedings of the 16thBiennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society, Bourke (Eds D.J. Eldridge and C. Waters) (Australian Rangeland Society: Perth).
Full-text publications from the Australian Rangelands Society (ARS) Biennial Conference Proceedings (1997-), Rangeland Journal (ARS/CSIRO; 1976-), plus videos and other resources about the rangelands of Australia.