Producer Demonstration Site (PDS): Productive Saltland Pastures for Southern WA
Period: 2022 - 2028
Funding Body: Meat & Livestock Australia
Funds: $145,619.00
Project Officer: Freya Spencer
Summary
In early 2022 Gillamii was successful in obtaining funding for a new project through Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) Program. The project is called 'Productive Saltland Pastures for Southern WA' and is a continuation of Gillamii’s commitment to the remediation of salt-affected land into productive pasture systems for livestock grazing. This PDS Project aims to improve members’ knowledge and skills in the establishment, management, and benefits (profitability, productivity, and sustainability) of salt-tolerant forage systems on moderately salt-affected land.
Outcomes
The objective of this program is to establish 150 hectares of salt-tolerant forage pastures on 6 local sites to demonstrate variation in productivity of key shrub and understory varieties and a paddock scale increase in:
a. late summer/autumn (February – April) biomass production (up to 300%)
b. soil organic carbon and total carbon
A cost-benefit analysis will also be conducted at each site to determine relative economic performance of the salt-tolerant feed-base systems as well as key livestock data (stocking rates, grazing days and liveweight gain of livestock).
Report
Report will be added at the completion of the project.
