Pasture Species Grazing Evaluation Trial Douglas Daly Research Farm 1967 - 2008
Details:
Title
Pasture Species Grazing Evaluation Trial Douglas Daly Research Farm 1967 - 2008,
Creator
Lemcke, B,
Eastick, R,
Shotton, P,
Issued by
Northern Territory. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Plant Industries, Branch, Agriculture Division,
Collection
Pasture Species Grazing Evaluation Trial Douglas Daly Research Farm 1967 - 2008,
E-Publications,
E-Books,
PublicationNT,
Technical Bulletin no. 364,
Date
2025,
Abstract
Cattle production in the Northern Territory was historically based on grazing native pastures. The ‘Top End’, generally north of Mataranka, has adequate reliable rainfall for use of improved pastures to increase cattle productivity. A Plant Introduction Program was initiated across a range of NT sites and soil types in the 1960s. The next phase was to assess promising species under grazing and determine their persistence and contribution to cattle weight gain.
The Douglas Daly Research Farm (DDRF) was identified as a suitable site to establish a ‘Pasture Species Evaluation under Grazing’ trial (‘Species Grazing Trial, SGT), initiated in 1967, concluding in 2008. The SGT was one of the longest-running projects within the NT Department of Primary Industry# and was a major contributor to the evolution and adoption of improved pastures within the northern cattle industry. The results had not previously been easily accessible, but the continued interest in the intensification of the northern beef herd provided impetus to collate this valuable resource into a publicly available Technical Bulletin for a range of stakeholders.,
Notes
Made available by the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT),
Table of contents
Summary -- Introduction -- Method -- Results and Discussion -- Additional general information -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- Reference -- Appendices : Appendix 1. The Use of Serum Testing to determine nutritive status of cattle at DDRF -- Appendix 2. Improved Pastures and Supplementation -- Appendix 3. Using NIRS to determine Consumption of Leucaena, Pasture Legumes, and Grass in Cattle Diets at DDRF -- Appendix 4. Plant Analysis Results -- Appendix 5. Evaluation of fodder trees under grazing at DDRF -- Appendix 6. Soil Analysis Results,