Pastures are the backbone of the Australian beef industry. Forage crops also play an important role in providing additional nutrition and finishing cattle for specific markets.
This section has information about plant species common to northern Australia, including: tips on selection, establishment and management; collecting plant samples for identification; links to tools and other resources.
Pastures are the backbone of the Australian beef industry. Forage crops also play an important role in providing additional nutrition and finishing cattle for specific markets.
This section has information about plant species common to northern Australia, including: tips on selection, establishment and management; collecting plant samples for identification; links to tools and other resources.
Pastures and forage crops complements the information you can find under grazing land management and nutrition.
Species and species selection
Selecting a sown pasture
Sown pastures: their place, their role and the things to watch
The benefits of sown pastures include, improved pasture productivity, management flexibility and land rehabilitation. However, with benefits, come disadvantages. This page explains more.
Broadacre forage crops and sown pasture species
- Annual medics, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Forage oat agronomy guide, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Forage sorghum, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Bambatsi, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Buffel grass in south Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Creeping bluegrass, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Desmanthus, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Digit grass, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Green panic, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Legumes for long-term pastures on high fertility soils in Queensland
- Legumes for fodder crops and short-term pastures on clay soils in Queensland
- Lucerne, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Leucaena, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Purple pigeon grass, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Rhodes grass, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Serradella, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Vetches, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
Native pasture species
- Annual sorghum, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Black speargrass in Queensland
- Bluebush
- Felty leaf bluebush , Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Golden bluebush, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Bundle-bundle (Dichanthium fecundum), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Feathertop threeawn grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Feathertop wiregrass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Forest bluegrass
- Kangaroo grass
- Kerosene grass
- Erect kerosene grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Bunched kerosene grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Limestone grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Mitchell grass
- Barley Mitchell (Astrebla pectinata), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Bull Mitchell (Astrebla squarrosa), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Hoop Mitchell (Astrebla elymoides), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Native legumes
- Native millet, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Native panics
- Plume sorghum, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Ribbon grass (Chrysopogon fallax), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Rice grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Roebourne plains grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Saltbush
- Silky browntop, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Spinifex
- Curly spinifex, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Hard spinifexes, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Soft spinifexes, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- White grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Wire grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Woollybutt grass, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
Establishment and management
Establishment
- Establishing pasture for small landholders in Western Australia, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Sown pastures for the higher rainfall country of the Gympie region
- Pasture establishment in the Northern Territory, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- How to reliably establish leucaena
Management
- Sown pasture rundown
- Floodplain grazing management (PDF, 67 KB), Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Management of improved grasses on floodplains (PDF, 1.3 MB), Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Weeds
- How to manage leucaena once established
Resources
Tools
- Agbiz: Queensland farm budgeting decision toolkit
- Land types of Queensland
- Land types of Western Australia
- Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS)
- Pasture photo standards
- The Leucaena Network
- Tropical Forages: An interactive selection tool
- VegMachine®
- Weed Identification Tool, Weeds in Australia
Workshops
Useful links
- Pastures, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Pastures for horses on the Darling Downs, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- The value of improved pastures, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Pastures and fodder crops, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Best practice cattle and land management, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Nutrients in pasture grasses, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Nutrients in pasture legumes, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Broadacre field crops, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Grain & Graze™
- Weeds, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
- Weeds, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NT)
- Weeds, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)
- Weeds Australia
- Weeds of National Significance (WoNS), Federal Government
- Understanding pesticide labels, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
- Queensland Herbarium
Multimedia
Establishing small seeded legumes in existing grass pastures webinar
What are the best ways to establish pasture legumes into existing grass pastures?
In this presentation, Gavin Peck (Senior Pasture Agronomist with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) and his team discuss:
- What production gains can be expected from legumes (i.e. the value proposition).
- How much legume is required in a pasture to optimise production.
- Poor establishment of legumes is a major issue when sown into existing grass pastures. Poor establishment is the common reason for legumes failing in sub-tropical and tropical grass pastures.
- Research and demonstration trials on different aspects of legume establishment that are currently being conducted across southern and central Queensland. The trial results to be presented include: (1) If legumes are established in strips, how wide do the cultivated strips need to be i.e. how far sidewards do grasses extract water into a cultivated or sprayed out strip; and (2) The trial results on the impact of seed-bed preparation (zero tillage or cultivated), fallow moisture storage, broadcasting or drilling seed and post-emergence herbicides.
- Seed quality and more…
Download the webinar presentation slides (PDF, 13MB) or view the answers to some of the questions asked during the webinar (PDF, 35KB). 75:16 minutes published 14 December 2015 by FutureBeefAu.
Pasture flood recovery webinar
In this presentation, Stuart Buck (Senior Pasture Agronomist, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries), explains the key points in pasture recovery from a flood event. Stuart covers the tolerances of grasses, various management options including pasture spelling, controlling weeds, re-seeding pasture and forage crop options and concludes with his key ‘take home’ messages. 16:16 minutes published 3 March 2013 by FutureBeefAu.
Pasture legumes in Queensland – a new wave webinar
As presented at the Northern Beef Research Update Conference 2013, Kendrick Cox (Senior Scientist, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) poses the question… “Are we on the crest of a new wave of legume development in Queensland?” Kendrick discusses the ‘humble bean’, legumes in pastures, and the development, collection and evaluation of legumes. 11:34 minutes published 6 April 2014 by FutureBeefAu.
The diversity and potential within the legume Desmanthus webinar
As presented at the Northern Beef Research Update Conference 2013, Chris Gardiner (Livestock Production Systems, James Cook University) discusses the potential of one particular legume – Desmanthus. He discusses its origin, geographical spread and its beneficial properties. 9:55 minutes published 6 April 2014 by FutureBeefAu.
Where do we stand with weeds from a research perspective? – Webinar
As presented at the Northern Beef Research Update Conference 2013, Shane Campbell (Weeds and Pest Animal Operations, Biosecurity Queensland) discusses the weed issues in the rangelands and the key focus areas of effective biological control, the refinement of control options and modelling techniques to guide strategic management. Next, Tim Heard (Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO) discusses bio-control of pastoral weeds of northern Australia – a summary of recent projects. 28:47 minutes published 31 March 2014 by FutureBeefAu.
