SheepLinks - FEED365

Page last updated: Friday, 18 October 2024 - 2:11pm

Please note: This content may be out of date and is currently under review.

FEED365 is a four-year project (2021–2025) under the SheepLinks program that engages sheep producers and allied industries to re-design livestock forage systems for grazing all-year-round in Mediterranean environments.

The SheepLinks program is a partnership between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), to underpin the future prosperity of the sheep industry in Western Australia.

FEED365 spring field day 2024 - Tuesday 17 September

Forage systems for year-round grazing

Join us at DPIRD's Katanning Research Station for the FEED365 spring field day. For more information view the flyer and register today.

FEED365 aims to create resilient sheep production systems to enable farmers to increase livestock returns by grazing quality (preferably green) forage all year round with minimal supplementary feeding.

Objectives

  • To re-design the pasture/forage systems in the wheatbelt of WA to be more productive and resilient in the face of a drying climate and increasing seasonal variability.
  • To measure the impact of trees in the landscape on pasture productivity.

The desired long-term outcome of the project is to reduce supplementary feeding costs of a typical mixed farming business by 30% and lift on-farm profitability by 10%.

Key activities

FEED365 will evaluate forage species from a wide selection of traditional and novel species under grazing at the DPIRD Katanning Research Station (see photos 1 and 2). These include:

  • perennial legumes and grasses
  • annual legumes and grasses
  • specialist winter forages such as forage brassicas and forage cereals
  • grazing crops
  • opportunistic summer forages such as C4 tropical grasses
  • crop stubbles
  • shrubs.

The project will also partner with the Grower Group Alliance and individual grower groups on satellite demonstration sites which will give producers a chance to be directly involved in the research and see the results firsthand.

Research site - B14

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Research site - B1

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Forage treatments

Table 1 Forage treatments from 2021 to 2022 at Katanning Research Station

Site/Plots

Site/Plots

Winter 2021

Autumn 2022

Spring 2022

B1-1/13

 

Pink Serradella

Oats

 

B1-2/18

 

Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella + Tall wheat Grass

Regenerating serradellas

Kikuyu

B1-3/15

B14-12/25

Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella + annual ryegrass

Regenerating serradellas + annual ryegrass

 

B1-4/12

B14-5/17

Vetch + annual ryegrass + cereal rye

Cereal rye + Triticale + Oats + Vetch + Tillage radish

 

B1-5/11

B14-2/14

Wheat

Barley

 

B1-6/22

B14-3/21

Pink serradella

Pink serradella

Japanese Millet + Tillage Radish

B1-7/16

B14-4/19

Lucerne + Chicory + Cocksfoot

Lucerne + Chicory + Cocksfoot

 

B1-8/21

 

Pink serradella

Biserrula

 

B1-9/17

 

Veldt grass + Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella

Veldt grass + Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella

 

B1-10/19

B14-7/18

Subclover + annual ryegrass

Regenerate subclover + annual ryegrass

 

B1-14/20

B14-1/20

Mixed shrubs

Mixed shrubs + subclover + gland clover + Pink Serradella

 

B14-6/15

 

Tedera

Tedera

 

B14-8/16

 

Subclover

Oats

 

B14-9/26

 

Biserrula

Pink serradella

Pearler Millet + Sunflower

B14-10/24

 

Arrowleaf + Gland + Crimson + Bladder + Balansa + annual ryegrass

Regenerating Trifolium mix + annual ryegrass

Pearler Millet + Rape + Tillage Radish + Sorghum

B14-11/22

 

Subclover + Tall Wheat Grass

Subclover + Tall Wheat Grass

 

B14-13/23

 

Wheat, Barley, Canola, Pink Serradella, Vetch, Gland clover

Tillage radish

 

Table 2 Forage treatments from 2023 to 2024 at Katanning Research Station

Site/Plots

Site/Plots

Autumn 2023

Spring 2023

Autumn 2024

Spring 2024

B1-1/13

 

Pink Serradella + Triticale + Rye

 

Pink Serradella + Triticale + Rye

 

B1-2/18

 

Kikuyu + Pink Serradella + Subclover

 

Kikuyu + Pink Serradella + Subclover

 

B1-3/15

 

Serradellas + annual ryegrass

 

Serradellas + annual ryegrass

 

B1-4/12

 

Pink Serradella + Triticale + subclover + Crimson clover

 

Serradella + clovers + Triticale + Cereal rye

 

B1-5/11

B14-2/14

Wheat

 

Barley

 

B1-6/8

 

Lupins + Triticale + Cereal rye

Japanese Millet
+ Tillage Radish

Lupins + Triticale + Cereal rye

Yes

B1-7/16

B14-4/19

Lucerne + Chicory + Cocksfoot

 

Lucerne + Chicory + Cocksfoot

 

B1-9/17

 

Veldt grass + Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella

 

Veldt grass + Pink Serradella + Yellow Serradella

 

B1-10/19

 

Subclover + annual ryegrass

 

Subclover + annual ryegrass

 

B1-14/20

B14-1/20

Mixed shrubs

 

Mixed shrubs + Triticale

 

B1-21/22

 

Biserrula

 

Biserrula

 

B14-3/21

 

Triticale + Cereal rye

Japanese Millet
+ Tillage Radish

Oats

Yes

B14-5/17

 

Triticale + Cereal rye + Balansa + gland +crimson clover + subclover

 

Clovers + Triticale + Cereal rye

 

B14-6/15

 

Tedera

 

Tedera + Oats

 

B14-7/18

 

Subclover + annual ryegrass

 

Subclover + annual ryegrass

 

B14-8/16

 

Subclover + Triticale + Cereal rye

 

Subclover + Triticale + Cereal rye

 

B14-9/26

 

Triticale + Cereal rye

Sorghum
+ Leafy Turnip
+ LabLab

Awnless Triticale

 

B14-10/24

 

Triticale + Cereal rye

Sunflower

Black Oats + Forage oats

 

B14-11/22

 

Subclover + Tall Wheat Grass

 

Subclover + Tall Wheat Grass

 

B14-12/25

 

Canola

Pearler Millet
+ Forage rape

Triticale + Rye

Yes

B14-13/23

 

Triticale + Cereal rye + Tillage radish

 

Purple clover + Balansa + Triticale + Cereal rye

 

Podcasts

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Podcast: April 2022

DPIRD Feedbase Pasture Researcher Daniel Real talks about the FEED365 project and solving a common problem for farmers in the West Midlands region and across WA: early and late season feed gaps. Joined by West Midlands Group’s Simon Kruger and Melanie Dixon the episode gives an insight into FEED365, the first phase of research, and how this innovative and far-reaching project will be working with farmers across WA, aiming to eliminate the need for confinement feeding in periods of low feed quality and availability. PaddockChat podcast developed by the West Midlands Group. Listen here

Podcast: October 2024

Hear about our FEED365 project from its designers, farmer Hayden Sprigg and DPIRD collaborators Justin Hardy and Angelo Loi. Listen here

Contact information

For more information or details about the SheepLinks FEED365 project, please contact Senior Research Scientist Daniel Real at Daniel.Real@dpird.wa.gov.au or phone +61 (0)409 016 422.

Contact information

Daniel Real