Publication Date

9-2024

Publisher

State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development)

City

Perth

ISBN

978-1-921845-70-3

Abstract

Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural land use system features extensive pasture land vital for grazing sheep and cattle. Most pastures in the south west of Western Australia consist of annual species that grow during the cool, wet winters of the Mediterranean climate and senesce in the warm to hot, dry summers. Understanding the spatial distribution of pasture areas within the context of mixed farming is essential for developing effective land management strategies to enhance livestock production and profitability through balanced pasture supply and demand.

This report focuses on reconciling pasture area data for the south-west of Western Australia’s agricultural zone across 75 Local Government Areas (LGAs) or shires, spanning from north of Geraldton to Albany and east to Esperance. These pasture areas collectively supported 12.56 million sheep, representing 99% of WA's total sheep flock in 2020-21. The analysis is based on the pasture area data of 2020-21, drawing from multiple sources, including datasets from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). By excluding grazing areas smaller than 200 hectares and shires associated with hobby farming from the ABS 2020-21 data, the analysis focuses on larger, commercially significant operations, providing a clearer understanding of pasture distribution and land use.

Number of Pages

30

Keywords

pasture, land use, data reconciliation, South West Agricultural Zone, Western Australia, sheep, cattle, livestock, grazing, livestock production

Disciplines

Agricultural Education | Agricultural Science | Beef Science | Dairy Science | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Sheep and Goat Science

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