Bio-economic modelled outcomes of stocking rate and drought-related management strategies in the Mitchell grass region.

Abstract

Cattle and sheep grazing is the dominant land use in Queensland, occupying nearly 86% of Queensland’s 173 million hectares. High rainfall variability (inter-annual and decadal) experienced in Queensland, coupled with drought, poses major challenges for the sustainable and profitable management of grazing businesses. Stocking rate flexibility, or the degree cattle stocking rates increase or decrease after good and poor pasture growing seasons, is reported as a key strategy for pasture management in northern Australia. The GRASP pasture and animal growth model and Breedcow & Dynama software were used to model breeding herd dynamics for four stocking rate flexibility strategies for a representative property in the Mitchell grasslands of central west Queensland. Farm management economic models were developed to examine the property-level implications of these drought-related stocking rate strategies, and herd level approaches to restocking and destocking.