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QLD tour of NSW and SA pasture research programs

Page published: June 24, 2025 | Page reviewed: June 24, 2025

The Queensland Pasture Resilience Program team recently visited our counterparts in New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA) to explore pasture research projects tackling key challenges like pasture dieback, soil acidity, rhizobia, breeding better legume varieties, and methane emissions. The trip was a valuable opportunity to share ideas and learn from their experience with temperate and tropical species.

In NSW, we were hosted by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD) and NSW Local Land Services (NSW LLS) for three days. We visited trial sites and producer-led projects focused on pasture dieback tolerance, phosphorus and lime treatments, methane-reducing pasture mixes, and long-term grazing management.

Day 1 – Northern Rivers Region, NSW

In the Northern Rivers region, we viewed trials led by Professor Terry Rose (SCU) and Nathan Jennings (NSW LLS) which are investigating the tolerance of temperate and tropical grass species to pasture dieback. The species were sown in small plots and harvested at different heights to simulate grazing pressure. The species tolerance seen in this trial closely aligns with Queensland’s findings.

Group of people standing in a paddock where selected grasses have been planted. The areas in between are slashed.
Inspecting the pasture dieback species tolerance trial at Lynwood, NSW.

We then visited a large paddock demonstration where pasture dieback was managed by over-sowing more tolerant grass species, temperate grasses and legumes. Broadly the findings so far demonstrate the importance of pasture establishment techniques and how it differs between temperate and tropical species. The district has a very high annual rainfall but storing moisture and planting seeds at the right depth are still very important to successful establishment.

Group of people walking through a paddock of Rhodes grass.
Paddock that had been affected by dieback at Tregeagle, NSW, now over sown with Rhodes grass and tropical legumes.

After lunch, we visited a property owned by Tom Amey who very successfully manages improved C4 grasses and legumes. Tom stressed the importance of strategic grazing management despite experiencing ongoing dieback challenges since 2023. Over the years he has experimented with a variety of tropical legumes and grasses, fertiliser application and grazing intensity and has had excellent results. Tom has hosted a producer demonstration site and is an industry leader when it comes to pasture management and development in northern NSW. Read more about Tom’s production system here.

People standing in a paddock of green grass with a man on the left reading from some notes.
Tom Amey (right of photo) explaining the history of the Bisset creeping bluegrass paddock we are standing in. Dieback has been in the left of the photo, note the weeds.
Large group of people standing in a paddock of a green creeping legume.
Whole tour group in a paddock of Glycine at Tom’s property, Dyraaba, NSW.

Day 2 – Kingstown and Tamworth, NSW

Day two had a chilly and wet start, with a drive from Glen Innes down to Uralla to meet the NSW DPIRD team. At Kingstown in the Northern Tablelands region, Carol Harris, Sarah Baker and Mark Brennan showed us a field trial on an acid and low-phosphorus soil that demonstrated large responses following lime and fertiliser applications. The results from the trial are important to the livestock industries in that district, showing huge potential for increased pasture production and carrying capacity.

A man with a beard and a big hat taking a selfie in front of a group of people in the paddock. It looks cold and rainy.
The Queenslanders enjoying the weather(!) with the NSW DPIRD team at Kingstown, NSW.

At Tamworth Research Station, we were shown an innovative low-methane pasture mix experiment and tropical grass trials assessing persistence and dieback resistance by Suzanne Boschma and Sean Murphy. For those of us from central Queensland, it was so strange seeing a mix of tropical and temperate legumes and grasses growing happily together! We were told that Tamworth is a unique environment where the temperature and rainfall provide opportunities for graziers to utilise temperate and tropical species together. We also had the opportunity to see Alfalfa Mosaic Virus and how it has affected Desmanthus, which is not something we have observed in Queensland.

Group of people listening to a lady standing in a paddock of green tall grass.
Inspecting tropical and temperate pasture plots at Tamworth, NSW.

The team at Tamworth have trial plots of individual tropical grasses to prepare for dieback tolerance trials, in the event that pasture dieback arrives in the district. Pasture dieback has already been detected at Werris Creek, which is about 50km away. For more information on the NSW DPIRD research, visit their webpage.

Group of people standing in a paddock of tall green grass at dusk.
Tropical pasture plots at Tamworth, NSW.

Day 3 – Orange, NSW

At the DPIRD Agricultural Institute in Orange we were greeted by even colder weather! We were shown detailed seed ecology research field trials aimed at understanding seedling recruitment in white clover which is a valuable perennial legume species for most of Southern Australia. We also saw the result of decades of plant breeding work that has identified perennial cereal grasses that can be used for grazing and grain cropping.

Group of people standing in a plot of bare soil with small seedlings planted in a circular shape.
White clover field trial at Orange, NSW.
A man at the back of a ute in a paddock using a poster to explain trial results.
Learning about perennial grasses that can produce grain for making beer and bread and be used for grazing!

We spent the afternoon walking through the long-term grazing trial managed by Warwick Badgery that ran for 13 years. The trial aimed to determine how the management of intensive rotational grazing influences soil properties, pasture composition, livestock diet quality and performance, greenhouse gas emissions and profitability. This trial is similar to our DPI Wambiana Grazing Trial at Charters Towers, but uses sheep and temperate pastures.

Group of people standing in the paddock in the late afternoon.
Inspecting the long-term grazing trial, Orange, NSW.

Day 4 – Adelaide, SA

In Adelaide we were hosted by Alan Humphries and David Peck from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) which is the research arm of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) for a tour around the Waite Research Institute. Alan led a discussion and tour through the Australian Pastures Genebank (APG) which houses the Australian collection of pasture and forage plants of over 85,000 accessions from 2,461 species from 178 countries. More information on the APG is available here.

Two men standing either side of a door to a cold room.
Gavin and Stuart at the Australian Pastures Genebank cold storage facility, Adelaide, SA.

David led the group on a tour through facilities used for breeding improved varieties of crops and pastures with a focus on pasture legumes. We spoke with researchers involved in the pastures research including experts on genomics and molecular markers, rhizobia and speed breeding of pasture legumes. We also toured through ‘The Plant Accelerator’ which is a state-of-the-art facility for growing and describing plants for a range of research purposes. More information about The Plant Accelerator and the Australian Plant Phenomics Network that it is part of, can be found here.

Four men standing in a glasshouse looking at seedlings of clover growing in pots.
Speed breeding of clover in glasshouses, Adelaide, SA.
Glasshouse that has rows of pots on robotic conveyor belts.
Plant Accelerator facility at the Waite Institute, Adelaide, SA.

The study tour finished with us joining our other DPI colleagues to present our work at the International Rangelands Congress in Adelaide. The study tour was an excellent opportunity to not only put faces to the names of some of our southern colleagues who we had not met in person  (sometimes only online!) or only see every few years but also see their research trials and facilities in the flesh. We are extremely grateful for the funding from QPRP which enabled us to travel.

The Queensland Pasture Resilience Program is a partnership between the Department of Primary Industries, Meat & Livestock Australia and the Australian Government through the MLA Donor Company.