Dryland pasture improvement given climatic risk

Authors

R. S. Kingwell, Department of Agriculture, Western AustraliaFollow
S G.M Schilizzi, Laboratoire d'Etudes Comparées des Systèmes Agraires,INRA-SAD, Montpellier, France

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-3-2003

Journal Title

Agricultural Systems

ISSN

ISSN 0308-521X eISSN 1873-2267

Keywords

MUDAS (model of an uncertain dryland agricultural system), Pasture improvement, Dryland farming, Pasture, Soils, Crops, Livestock, Climate, Climatic risk, Farm economics

Disciplines

Agribusiness | Agricultural Economics | Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Beef Science | Climate | Dairy Science | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Sheep and Goat Science | Soil Science

Abstract

This paper describes how a model of a dryland farming system can assist pasture breeders to identify profitable opportunities for pasture improvement. The model describes in some detail the dryland farming system of the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia. The nature of pasture production on a particular soil class is examined. Optimization procedures identify the farm management changes and profits that result from incremental changes in pasture production on that soil class. This information reveals that pasture produced early in the growing season is far more valuable than pasture produced late in the growing season and that riskaverse farmers benefit more from a given increase in pasture production than do risk-neutral farmers. The agronomic traits of pasture that allow greater production early in the growing season are briefly discussed.

Recommended Citation

R.S. Kingwell, S.G.M. Schilizzi, Dryland pasture improvement given climatic risk, Agricultural Systems, Volume 45, Issue 2, 1994, Pages 175-190, ISSN 0308-521X, https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-521X(94)90177-H.