For the first time, southern livestock producers will have access to quantitative data about the performance of pasture varieties at their fingertips, with the launch of the Pasture Trial Network (PTN) website at the Grassland Society of Southern Australia Annual Conference in Nagambie, Victoria.
The website – tools.mla.com.au/ptn – will see seasonal dry matter performance data delivered through a website, giving producers unrivalled access to independent pasture information that will contribute to increasing the competitive advantage of pasture-based industries.
It is the culmination of more than 10 years’ work by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) forming a partnership with all major pasture seed companies, developing research protocols, and undertaking trials to deliver meaningful data to producers to help with their pasture variety decisions.
MLA’s Feedbase Program Manager, Cameron Allan, said the PTN program has the potential to increase producer confidence in superior pasture genetics, which could have a flow-on effect both in terms of livestock performance and greater investment in development and adoption of improved pasture varieties.
“We want livestock producers and their advisors to be equipped to make informed and confident decisions about selecting pasture varieties with superior genetics,” Mr Allan said.
“The two primary drivers of livestock productivity are the quality of the animal and the quality of the feedbase, which provide the platform for livestock to reach their genetic potential.
“There has been significant investment in improving the genetics of livestock in Australia. The impact of this investment is clearly demonstrated through the broad producer adoption of programs such as LAMBPLAN and BREEDPLAN that deliver objective information to assist decision making.
“The PTN is about working towards the same endpoint of objective data supporting decision making.”
https://www.mla.com.au/news-and-events/industry-news/pasture-data-now-at-producers-fingertips/