A new research program at Agriculture Victoria’s Hamilton SmartFarm, designed to help farmers raise healthier, more productive flocks using next-generation technology.
The MultiMix forage research program will test combinations of multispecies pasture mixes to determine which work best for Australian sheep producers. The research aims to boost meat sheep production while reducing methane emissions.
The program is backed by $5.5 million in funding over three years, including $2.4 million from the Victorian Government and additional support from Meat & Livestock Australia and the Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre (ZNE-Ag CRC).
With 25 hectares of trials already sown and ready for grazing, the project will deliver insights into the benefits of diverse pasture mixes compared with perennial ryegrass, the main feed source for sheep farms. The research will also assess how these mixes perform under drier Australian conditions.
Multispecies pastures have the potential to improve resilience, grow deeper roots, reduce fertiliser requirements and lower methane emissions from livestock. The goal of the MultiMix program is to identify productive pasture combinations suited to Australian environments.
