Abstract
Failing grain crops are sometimes sacrificed for grazing by mixed farmers, a decision involving a complex range of factors. This simulation study used two APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator)-based approaches to investigate the circumstances under which more revenue might be obtained by sacrificing a wheat crop for grazing rather than harvesting it for grain in Western Australia’s grainbelt. First, we developed a simple partial budget calculation to estimate and compare revenue from grain or grazing alternatives using data for grain yield and standing biomass at flowering. This was simulated for a factorial of soil types and locations varying in mean annual rainfall. We then simulated wheat quality and livestock production on spring wheat grazed at different stages of crop development and at a range of stocking rates. Dynamic simulations of grazing showed that livestock production increased as grazing was delayed; stocking rate had little impact at this time. Grazing earlier necessitated lighter stocking rates but surprisingly had little benefit for animal performance. Partial budgets showed that under average commodity prices, grazing a wheat crop could be more profitable 40–75% of the time on poorer soil types in lower rainfall environments. In these situations, by tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level economic returns could be increased by more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of years and over the long term average revenues could be increased by A$30/ha.year. This critical grain yield ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 t/ha on shallow gravel soil and 1.9 to 2.2 t/ha on a deep sand. In higher rainfall environments and on better soil types grazing was rarely a better option unless livestock prices were high relative to grain. This approach, combining crop simulation with partial budgets, was useful for developing simple management rules for a complex system. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that making tactical use of a wheat crop for forage in situations with low grain yield prospects is a major opportunity to increase profitability and help respond to climate variability in mixed farms in many areas of the Western Australian wheatbelt.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Livestock production increased as grazing of the wheat crop was delayed; stocking rate had little impact at this time.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Treatment
- grazing was delayede0
- Outcome
- livestock productione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e0“Dynamic simulations of grazing showed that livestock production increased as grazing was delayed”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing earlier needed lighter stocking rates but had little benefit for animal performance.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Grazing earliere1
- Outcome
- animal performancee1
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e1“Grazing earlier necessitated lighter stocking rates but surprisingly had little benefit for animal performance”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing a wheat crop could be more profitable 40–75% of the time on poorer soil types in lower rainfall environments under average commodity prices.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- grazing a wheat crope2
- Outcome
- more profitablee2
- Direction
- higherinferrede2
- Value
- 40–75% of the timee2
- Setting
- poorer soil types in lower rainfall environmentse2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e2“Partial budgets showed that under average commodity prices, grazing a wheat crop could be more profitable 40–75% of the time on poorer soil types in lower rainfall environments”
Claim · model-written summary
Tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level could increase economic returns by more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of years.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical levele3
- Outcome
- economic returnse3
- Direction
- increasede3
- Value
- more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of yearse3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e3“by tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level economic returns could be increased by more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of years”
Claim · model-written summary
Tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level could increase long-term average revenues by A$30/ha.year.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical levele3
- Outcome
- average revenuese4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- A$30/ha.yeare4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e3“by tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level economic returns could be increased by more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of years”
e4“over the long term average revenues could be increased by A$30/ha.year”
Claim · model-written summary
The critical grain yield for tactical grazing ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 t/ha on shallow gravel soil.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- critical grain yielde5
- Value
- 1.3 to 1.7 t/hae5
- Setting
- shallow gravel soile5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e5“This critical grain yield ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 t/ha on shallow gravel soil and 1.9 to 2.2 t/ha on a deep sand”
Claim · model-written summary
The critical grain yield for tactical grazing ranged from 1.9 to 2.2 t/ha on a deep sand.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- critical grain yielde5
- Value
- 1.9 to 2.2 t/hae5
- Setting
- a deep sande5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e5“This critical grain yield ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 t/ha on shallow gravel soil and 1.9 to 2.2 t/ha on a deep sand”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing was rarely a better option than grain in higher rainfall environments and on better soil types, unless livestock prices were high relative to grain.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- grazinge6
- Outcome
- better optione6
- Comparator
- graine6
- Setting
- higher rainfall environments and on better soil typese6
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e6“In higher rainfall environments and on better soil types grazing was rarely a better option unless livestock prices were high relative to grain”
Claim · model-written summary
Combining crop simulation with partial budgets was useful for developing simple management rules for a complex system.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- developing simple management rulese7
Not reportedValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia’s grainbelt using simulation approaches”
e7“This approach, combining crop simulation with partial budgets, was useful for developing simple management rules for a complex system”
Claim · model-written summary
Tactical use of a wheat crop for forage in situations with low grain yield prospects is a major opportunity to increase profitability.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Outcome
- profitabilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“making tactical use of a wheat crop for forage in situations with low grain yield prospects is a major opportunity to increase profitability”
The same questions in other papers
grazing · yield · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Results differ
33 papers in the same direction as this paper · 34 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- positive
- positive
66 papers more in this group
See all 70 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.