Citizen science for a sustainable, profitable future for Australian graziers
Life on the land for graziers presents a great many challenges, many of which are beyond their control. There are the immediately evident challenges: climate events and their impacts on available feed and water, for example. What might not be apparent though is the considerable amount of data that farmers regularly manage and utilise; and the newly evolving tools with which they are able to monitor and manage their farms.
Twenty-first century beef farmers are highly digitally literate business managers, for whom working with statistical information to optimise the productivity within their geographical area is commonplace. However, the supply chain is spread across many geographies with distinct phases: breeding, growing, backgrounding*, feedlotting, slaughtering and transporting to market. Historically information has not moved between these, meaning the supply chain cannot be optimised as a whole.
In response, the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) initiated a nation-wide research project in partnership with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). Led by Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen, QUT researchers are undertaking this large data gathering and analysis project.
Professor Mengersen, Deputy Director of ACEMS said, “There has never been a better time for organisations to use data better. Informed data analysis can improve operations, help make better predictions and decisions, and benefit the bottom line. AACo is leading the way among agricultural companies in taking a data-informed approach to turning their company around. We are pleased to contribute the analytic skills of QUT and ACEMS to help make this vision a reality.”
As serious citizen scientists, Australian graziers collectively provide QUT team members with information about the weights, geographical locations and feed allocated to their stock. This means they can plan for the most sustainable outcomes.
With years of experience, and the addition of some very nifty technology, Australian graziers can take advantage of this collective pool of information gathered from farms across Australia. As a result, the answers to the key questions like which livestock they should invest in for the best outcome at market, are less elusive than they used to be.
So what happens to all this data?
Information collected from Australian beef cattle farms is being analysed by statisticians to model the growth and yield of each herd. QUT researchers are developing new technology to harness the data from graziers to make managing livestock more sustainable and predictable.
“A production animal’s life is 2–3 years long, and there is a good market for ‘beef futures’ if you can control and understand the variance in your output,” said QUT team member, statistician Miles McBain.
QUT statisticians utilise their technology to pool all the data from different sites and sources. They create a high level view of the supply chain that has not existed before. This enables them to make predictions about the future profitability of each member of the Australian herd.
In the long term, the data feeds back into sustainability. Sustainable management requires long term planning. The better the information being analysed, the greater the chances of reliable information to inform graziers and others in the supply chain as they plan ahead.
What improves for graziers?
To ensure the health of the farm for future generations of herdsmen and women, graziers manage the feed available on their property at any given time. Estimating the amount of feed available helps them plan the number of animals in line with sustainability practices. The conditions they keep their stock in greatly affects the quality of the beef they are able to sell, and the price that the market is willing to give them.
Revenue stability and predictability leads to greater borrowing power and liquidity for grazing businesses. As a result, graziers are able to grow their businesses faster.
For more information, contact Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen.
- *Backgrounding is a stage post weaning where animals can be value-added, by growing them out to a heavier weight and higher condition score to target a diversity of higher-value market options. It is the process of grouping, growing and acclimatising animals in preparation for a particular purpose or market.
Find out more about research at QUT.
