A second round of diverse initiatives has been announced by a grassroots program helping pastoral stations build business opportunities, skills and capacity.
A second round of diverse initiatives has been announced by a grassroots program helping pastoral stations build business opportunities, skills and capacity.
The Pilbara Extension Network (PEN) initiatives are backed by the Pilbara Innovation Partnership (PIP) between Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Rio Tinto.
The six successful recipients' work spans beef herd husbandry and management, landscape rehabilitation and land stewardship.
The producer-led initiatives are supported by the PEN network of stations, as well as PIP training in project management, extension and leadership, alongside mentoring and networking.
DPIRD PIP Innovation Manager Liz Moss said the second round of PEN initiatives would help producers test ideas, build partnerships and investigate opportunities relevant to their businesses and industry.
"Together these stations will strengthen the region's ability to identify opportunities, work with researchers and industry partners, and lead innovation from within the pastoral sector," she said.
"By supporting producers, we're building capability that can continue creating value for the Pilbara long after these initiatives have been completed."
Lyndon station will assess whether grazing management and grazing exclusion strategies can help restore biodiversity and soil microbiota in the Pilbara's unique gilgai - or crabhole - systems.
Limestone station will develop a place-based Junior Ranger program that connects young people with Country through cultural knowledge, conservation, land management and environmental stewardship, which can be adapted across the Pilbara.
Noreena Downs station plans to investigate the relationship between phosphorus deficiency and cattle health and productivity to aid early detection and management strategies.
Winning station will focus on improving heifer productivity through the use of current and historical herd data to inform reproductive benchmarking, controlled mating systems and supplementation approaches.
Ethel Creek station intends to better understand the influence of weight thresholds on reproductive performance by examining the effect of cattle body condition, growth and reproduction data.
Munda station will evaluate ecological and soil responses to different rehabilitation strategies for restoring degraded claypan systems to improve landscape function, biodiversity and long-term pastoral value.
The first round of seven PIP PEN initiatives has been completed, which have been showcased in a series of case study videos.
The videos provide an overview of participants' experiences and study findings on early weaning, improving carrying capacity, riparian (river) zone management, rest-based grazing and building staff capability in land management.
Written case studies on restoring degraded areas and genomics and whole-herd performance are also available on the PIP website.
To view the PEN Round One project videos visit the PIP YouTube channel .
For more information about the PIP and the Round One and Two PEN initiatives visit the Pilbara Innovation Partnership website .
