The Pasture Trials Network (PTN) is going from strength to strength in 2023, according to executive officer Tony Butler who has announced a boost in funding to support the expansion of the program.
“We are starting to look at how PTN can deliver even more value to end users making pasture decisions, we have expanded our trial locations to cover an expanding area in SA, NSW, and south east Queensland.
“Then from 2024 we will look to expand even further. So what does this all mean? This means the Pasture Trials Network will have more data, and more relevant data for more people looking to compare and find the best performing pasture product for where they operate.”
The Pasture Trials Network is funded by participating seed companies in partnership with Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the Australian Government (through the MLA Donor company), and Dairy Australia (DA).
Mr Butler said, “we are excited to have secured funding from the MLA Donor Company for the next five years, and with the joint funding from Dairy Australia and the support of pasture seed companies we can really set a solid strategic direction and grow the program into the future.
“This certainty in funding and industry support shows confidence in the program, and allows the PTN to look at how we can develop new ways of delivering and presenting data that can be of most value to the end user.”
Selecting pasture varieties
Currently there are over 10 year’s worth of trial data that can be compared using the PTN e-tool on the Meat and Livestock website. This data covers most temperate regions of Australia and most temperate pasture products available from pasture seed companies in Australia.
“There is so much valuable data currently available on the PTN e-tool, but we aren’t stopping there,” Mr Butler said.We are currently re-developing our Pasture Trials website which will create a central hub for all things PTN. Watch this space!
“The Pasture Trials Network has been working hard for 10 years, and our focus right now is sharing the work to date, spreading the word that you can make smarter pasture variety choices using the data available. Having relevant and timely information, easily available, allows people to make the best decisions.”
To learn more about the Pasture Trials Network, visit their website (pasturetrials.com.au) and check out the PTN e-tool on the MLA website.
