Measurement of paddock scale pasture biomass using synthetic aperture radar remote sensing. To maintain the long-term viability of livestock production, producers and land managers need access to regular, timely and accurate estimates of pasture biomass. Radar remote sensing has the capacity to consistently provide this information at the paddock, farm and catchment scale in a timely manner to assist in tactical and strategic decision making for sustainable pasture and livestock management. Econ ....Measurement of paddock scale pasture biomass using synthetic aperture radar remote sensing. To maintain the long-term viability of livestock production, producers and land managers need access to regular, timely and accurate estimates of pasture biomass. Radar remote sensing has the capacity to consistently provide this information at the paddock, farm and catchment scale in a timely manner to assist in tactical and strategic decision making for sustainable pasture and livestock management. Economic analyses undertaken at the farm level have revealed the potential to double farm profit by increasing the utilization of pasture grown. In addition to the socio-economic benefits, the environmental benefits of sustainable land management are paramount in light of the current drought in Australia and the global climate change.Read moreRead less
Novel, Cost-Effective Methods for Measuring Methane Emissions from Grazing Livestock. Agriculture is second only to energy generation as a source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Methane from cattle and sheep constitute 60% of these agricultural emissions. Their abatement is a win-win goal for the agricultural industry, reducing greenhouse emissions while increasing food efficiency. This project will develop a novel, cost- and-labour efficient method for on-farm measurements of the emis ....Novel, Cost-Effective Methods for Measuring Methane Emissions from Grazing Livestock. Agriculture is second only to energy generation as a source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Methane from cattle and sheep constitute 60% of these agricultural emissions. Their abatement is a win-win goal for the agricultural industry, reducing greenhouse emissions while increasing food efficiency. This project will develop a novel, cost- and-labour efficient method for on-farm measurements of the emissions of methane from free-grazing cattle and sheep in their undisturbed environment. The method will be used to assess the dependence of methane emissions on factors such as diet and the efficacy of proposed methods for abatement of methane emissions, as well as providing improved data to the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.Read moreRead less
Nutrient generation from rural land and delivery to streams in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchments. The Sydney Catchment Authority must manage pollution arising from land within its catchments. There have been few local studies of nutrient losses from rural land, the major land use, and the understanding of some important processes involved in nutrient generation and delivery is weak. Therefore model predictions are uncertain. This project will quantify nutrient losses from key land uses, ev ....Nutrient generation from rural land and delivery to streams in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchments. The Sydney Catchment Authority must manage pollution arising from land within its catchments. There have been few local studies of nutrient losses from rural land, the major land use, and the understanding of some important processes involved in nutrient generation and delivery is weak. Therefore model predictions are uncertain. This project will quantify nutrient losses from key land uses, evaluate alternative loss pathways, and provide insight into the effects of scale, providing a foundation for improved modelling of nutrient sources and transport. The outcome will be the capacity to prioritise land uses and parts catchments for remedial action, whilst providing a modelling approach relevant to the SCA and other catchment managers.Read moreRead less
Evaluating Research Policy in Australian Broadacre Agriculture - Accounting for Interactions between the Beef, Sheep Meat, Wool, and Grains Industries. This project studies the returns from R&D investments in Australia's broadacre agricultural industries and equity in the funding of these investments. The contribution is to explicitly recognise the interaction across cattle, sheep and cropping enterprises, while past analyses have been single industry approach. Econometric models of multi-output ....Evaluating Research Policy in Australian Broadacre Agriculture - Accounting for Interactions between the Beef, Sheep Meat, Wool, and Grains Industries. This project studies the returns from R&D investments in Australia's broadacre agricultural industries and equity in the funding of these investments. The contribution is to explicitly recognise the interaction across cattle, sheep and cropping enterprises, while past analyses have been single industry approach. Econometric models of multi-output profit function for Australian broadacre agriculture and demand systems involving these products are estimated. A multi-industry equilibrium displacement model is developed to simulate the incidence of both costs and returns of agricultural R&D, with cross-industry interaction recognised. The project is likely to contribute to the way agricultural research is administered and funded in Australia.Read moreRead less