MORE than 90 livestock producers from the South Coast attended Friday's WA Livestock Research Forum event at Manypeaks.
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Buses took attendees to five sites of interest across the Lester and Rochester farms, where the focus was on alternative fodder crops, rotational grazing and automation.
The entire day was a discussion format, with Western Australian Livestock Research Council (WALRC) chairman Tim Watts leading questions of the farm hosts Kim Lester and Kent Rochester and drawing on a range of experts in the crowd.
Agronomists James Bee from Elders and local farmer/agronomist Colin Bowey who work with both farms provided insights into the agronomy behind the challenge of integrating new crops and pasture species.
The crowd learned how the Lester family's investment in a centre pivot (part of a grant from the Coles Nurture Fund) which has been integrated into the farming system and its role in their quest for a home-grown feed base as the key profit driver to a year-round sell-off of grass finished cattle.
At the nearby Rochester farm, attendees got an insight into the daily rotational grazing program that Mr Rochester has instigated, resulting in 500 steers running in a single mob and at any one time only five per cent of the farm being grazed, albeit highly intensively.
Mr Rochester explained the workings and payback of his investment in an opti-weigh system that enables him to get daily weight gain indicators and optimise his backgrounding operation that supplies the neighbouring Lester business.
He has also invested in a walk-over-weighing system that he said was not only a significant labour-saver, but critically, ensures there's no "lost kilos" in travelling cattle to the yards and back for the purpose of weighing.
It was then back to the Lester's shed for a session on emotional resilience run by psychologist Dennis Hoiberg.
WALRC's next Livestock Matters forum will be held at Binnu and surrounding districts on June 17 - to register contact executive officer Esther Jones on admin@walrc.com.au
