Finding the ‘Sweet Spot’: Retrospective analyses of pasture utilisation effects on female reproductive performance

Abstract

A trade-off exists between optimising breeder herd productivity per unit area through higher stocking rates and maintaining land condition. Despite total herd productivity improvements with increasing stocking rate, individual animal performance is often suppressed (O’Reagain et al.,, 2011). The relationship between grazing pressure and animal performance has often used non-breeding cattle, leaving the direct effects on breeder herds relatively not quantified. The Sweet Spot project aimed to address this gap by identifying and collating breeder herd datasets from commercial and research stations across Northern Australia and analysing it to quantify the direct effects of pasture utilisation on key reproductive outcomes, including annual pregnancy rate, pregnancy within four months of calving, and foetal and calf loss. This paper reports the results of these analyses.