Top End Beef and Buffalo Production

Background

Historically beef production in the Top End was probably the most difficult region in the NT due to a number of factors.

• Poor soil fertility particularly the low levels of phosphorus and sulphur
• Poor quality native pasture with very low cattle carrying capacity with the exception of the seasonally inundated coastal floodplains
• The presence of large populations of feral buffalo and subsequent overstocking conditions
• The difficulty of wet season access to country
• Isolation and the costs of freight for inputs

The Current Industry

The Top End Beef and Buffalo industries are now well developed due to many of the above problem factors being solved.

This can be attributed to the following:

• BTEC program causing a change from feral harvesting to management of disease tested herds within sub-divided and fully-equipped and serviced property situations
• The advent of the Live Export trade to our near neighbours in SE Asia and the setting up of depot and yard facilities to facilitate the trade
• The advent and development of improved pasture systems and local sources of fodder to fuel the trade
• The use of fertilizers and mineral supplementation to alleviate nutrient shortages
• The improvement of infrastructure and development of highways, bridges, and road access to pastoral properties
• The subdivision of larger pastoral leases in more manageable sized units
• Improvements in herd management techniques allowing productivity increases

Services to the Industries

The Pastoral Development Division of RDPIFR provides the following services to the beef and buffalo industries

• Research
• Development
• Extension

Within this division the Livestock Management Group provides the following services on government research farms or private properties

• Research and development projects covering beef and buffalo breeding, genetics, growth and reproduction, herd management and handling, nutrition and grazing management and new technologies
• Input into Livestock Export Services Group projects
• Extension services of a more technical nature to producers in breeding and grazing management of cattle and buffalo or other animal species on request.

Contacts:

Tim Schatz - Cattle Research Officer

Phone 08 8999 2332
Fax 08 8999 2043
Email tim.schatz@nt.gov.au

Gehan Jayawardhana - Cattle Reproduction Research Officer

Phone 08 8999 2224
Fax 08 8999 2043
Email gehan.jayawardhana@nt.gov.au

Barry Lemcke - Buffalo and Cattle Research Officer

Phone 08 8999 2263
Fax 08 8999 2043
Email barry.lemcke@nt.gov.au