FEEDING the browse legume leucaena for maximum beef profit – where it can grow, tips on establishment and what can help maximize grazing benefits – is the topic of an upcoming producer webinar on 28 February.

The webinar is the latest in the popular Beef Connect series, a collaboration between FutureBeef and Beef Central.

The perennial browse legume, leucaena represents one of the few nutritional options to significantly improve beef productivity in northern Australia.

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries researchers have recently completed two MLA funded projects focusing on new management adoption strategies.

Join this webinar to hear and learn more about:

Mapping potential land areas suitable for expansion of leucaena pasture systems across northern Australia, and how expert knowledge and existing spatial data sets can be used to map potential leucaena distribution in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and northern Western Australia. It’s estimated that up to 27.3 million hectares of land in Northern Australia could viably support leucaena (including 4.6M hectares in humid coastal areas of Queensland that are suitable for the psyllid-resistant Redlands cultivar).

New cultivar drives expansion

Release of the psyllid tolerant Redlands cultivar in 2019 has invigorated leucaena adoption in northern Australia where uptake was previously limited. Grazing performance was measured in a multi-year trial at Pinnarendi near Mt Garnet, west of Cairns. Several North Queensland based producers are continuing to establish significant areas of leucaena across a range of soil types and are adapting planting and management techniques based on their initial experience with good results.

Optimum grazing results

To achieve maximum benefits when grazing leucaena cattle need rumen bacteria capable of degrading the toxins mimosine, 3,4 DHP and 2,3 DHP. Research has found that the Redlands cultivar had a negative effect on the DAF Leucaena inoculum leading to the development of a new mixed bacterial inoculum (TriMix), adapted for better utilisation and detoxification of different leucaena cultivars including Redlands, Wondergraze and Cunningham.

Researchers also investigated if Queensland cattle possess rumen bacteria capable of degrading the toxins mimosine, 3,4 DHP and 2,3 DHP or would benefit from receiving the TriMix inoculum when being introduced to Leucaena-pasture grazing.

Join us for the webinar from 12.30pm Queensland time (AEST) on February 28.

Click here to register.

After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.