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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/9044
Title: | Managing livestock enterprises in Australia's extensive rangelands for greenhouse gas and environmental outcomes: a pastoral company perspective | Contributor(s): | Bentley, D (author); Hegarty, Roger (author); Alford, AR (author) | Publication Date: | 2008 | DOI: | 10.1071/EA07210 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/9044 | Abstract: | Extensive grazing of beef cattle is the principal use of the northern Australia land area. While north Australian beef production has traditionally utilised a low-input, low-output system of land management, recent innovations have increased the efficiency with which beef is produced. Investment to raise efficiency of cattle production by improving herd genetics, property infrastructure, the seasonal feed-base and its utilisation, as well as promoting feedlot finishing can all be expected to reduce the number of unproductive animals and reduce age-at-slaughter. Consequently, these innovations can all be expected to contribute to a reduction in the emissions intensity of greenhouse gases (GHG; t GHG/t liveweight gain). The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO) has adopted these technologies to enhance reproductive and growth efficiency of the herd and has coupled them with changes in other aspects of property operation, such as use of solar energy systems, establishment of introduced perennial pastures and minimum tillage, to achieve production and operational gains, which also reduce the emissions intensity of their pastoral properties. Investments to improve production efficiency have been consistent with both financial and, in principle, environmental objectives of NAPCO. While NAPCO supports the development and implementation of new mitigation strategies, the company requires greater knowledge on pastoral emission levels and clarity on the future position of agriculture in a carbon economy. This information would enable confirmation of current emission levels, modelling of mitigation options and evaluation of the efficacy of potential on-farm carbon sinks. This paper presents NAPCO's perspective on GHG emissions in the context of its pastoral enterprise, including current and future research and mitigation objectives. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 48(2), p. 60-64 | Publisher: | CSIRO Publishing | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 1446-5574 0816-1089 1836-5787 1836-0939 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 070202 Animal Growth and Development | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 830399 Livestock Raising not elsewhere classified | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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