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Dual-purpose cropping (sowing crops with the intention of both grazing them during vegetative growth and harvesting grain thereafter) has become a widespread farming practice in southern Australia. This synopsis paper integrates research from a multi-institutional research project conducted at three nodes located near Hamilton (south-western Victoria), Wagga Wagga (southern NSW) and Canberra (ACT), and sets out 11 principles for the effective utilisation of dual-purpose crops in meat production systems to increase profit and manage risk. Dual-purpose crops can be used to overcome feed quality gaps in late summer–autumn or feed quantity gaps in late autumn/winter. They provide large quantities of high-quality forages for grazing in summer, autumn and winter and can provide a substantial contribution to the annual number of grazing days on a farm. Utilisation of the high-quality dry matter provided by dual-purpose crops is most effective when directed at young growing stock for sale or future reproduction rather than reproducing adult ewes. For example, sale weight of yearlings per ewe was increased by 16% in systems at the Canberra node when dual-purpose crops were prioritised for grazing by weaners. Wool production was also increased in systems that included grazing of dual-purpose crops. Grazing crops in winter does not necessarily reduce supplementary feeding costs for winter or spring lambing. Modelling suggests that inclusion of dual-purpose crops does not substantially change the optimum time of lambing for sheep meat systems. Financial analysis of the experimental data from the Canberra node showed that although cash expenses per hectare were increased in the crop-grazing systems, the overall profitability of those systems over the life of the experiment was greater by AU$207/ha.year than that of the pasture-only system. Factors driving improved profitability included income from grain, higher income from meat and wool, and lower supplementary feeding costs. However, increasing the area sown to crop from 10% to 30% of the farm area in this Southern Tablelands system appeared to increase risk. In south-western Victoria, spring-sown canola carried risk similar to or less than other options assessed to achieve ewe-lamb mating weight. It is likely that at least part of the reduction in risk occurs through the diversification in income from the canola produced as part of the system. It was concluded that the grazing of cereal and canola crops for livestock production can be profitable and assist in managing risk. 'Step changes in meat production systems from dual-purpose crops in the feedbase' was a multi-institutional research program funded by Meat & Livestock Australia. This special issue of Animal Production Science includes key papers from that research program. This synopsis paper integrates research findings across the three nodes of the project and draws out 11 principles for the effective utilisation of dual-purpose crops in meat production systems to increase profit and manage risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the sophistication of genomic technologies increases and their cost continues to decrease, they are becoming routine tools in livestock breeding programs and production systems. The convergence of electronic measurement systems, cloud-based computing and fast internet enable the use of powerful decision support to help automate and manage livestock production, animal welfare and quality control. The complexity of livestock production systems, combined with the challenges of producing top-quality discretionary products for consumers, means that no single organisation has the range of expertise to support coordinated development of innovation in the relevant supply chains. Collaboration between a broad spectrum of scientists and industry partners is essential to ensure well integrated input to the design and implementation of programs to deliver improvements in efficiency, quality and profit. The need for collaboration among researchers, among research organisations and with end-users has never been more important. Collaboration brings together the skills needed to manage complex problems and enables the sharing of facilities and scarce resources within Australia and internationally. However, the most important component of effective collaboration is the early engagement of end-users to contribute to the design of programs of innovation, to ensure that investment is well targeted and that there is ownership of the problem as well as the solutions delivered through research. Although the potential benefits of effective collaboration are clear, it often takes more than logic to get individuals and organisations to work together. There needs to be a significant financial incentive combined with strong industry leadership and agreed common goals. Allocating resources to establish these foundations for effective collaboration should precede any major research and development funding initiative. The present paper argues that the new face of animal science in Australia should be structured around coordinated programs of research and development, on the basis of effective collaboration. Research leading to significant change in agricultural practice almost always involves collaboration between teams of researchers and multiple end-users as well as sharing resources across multiple organisations. Although benefits and efficiencies are easily recognised, effective multi-institutional teamwork is often difficult to achieve. The present paper draws on experience from the Sheep CRC, over a period of nearly 20 years, where collaboration among an increasing number of participants contributed to many significant changes in the Australian sheep industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of sequencing technology brought about a surge of new methodologies that offered a new and deeper level of understanding of the role of the microbiome in the health and performance of livestock. This started a chain reaction in technology evolution, and a decade later, we have developed a new appreciation of a healthy gut and the role of early colonisation and nutrition in developing the microbiome, and its subsequent impact on animal productivity. An abundance of new products flooded the livestock supplement market with the promise of improving the health of intestinal microbiota. However, the impact of these products and any potential gains they might provide have not always been quantified or validated. Further to this, the potential interactions with the microbial community naturally occurring in the feed-base have not commonly been considered. We have recently shown that animal feed carries a complex microbial community that can have various impacts, including negating farm biosecurity measures. The ruminant animal provides an even greater level of complexity where physiological drivers act to maintain ruminal homeostasis. Despite many advances, numerous knowledge gaps remain, and the methodologies are not without their challenges with almost constant evolution in analysing and interpreting data. In this paper, we will discuss the benefits, challenges and shortfalls of microbiome science, its interfaces with multi-omics research and the strategies of its contribution to animal production science. With advances in sequencing technology, research of microbial communities has become more accessible and affordable. In livestock research, the roles of microbiota are associated with animal performance and welfare. Although universally accepted, amplicon-sequencing methodology has several issues that need to be considered in data interpretation. Here we review the main shortfalls, benefits and uses of the methodology in livestock research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The symposium 'Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition – Australia' (RA) was instigated at the University of New England (UNE) in the early 1970s. In the 1950s and 1960s, under the visionary leadership of Professor G. L. (Bill) McClymont, a talented group of young biochemists and nutritionists was recruited to become the Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition at UNE and quickly developed a strong reputation for nutritional research on ruminant and monogastric animals. Its members were keen to share their findings with relevant industry representatives and to learn about the major industry challenges. The idea for RA emerged ~1970 when Drs Robin Cumming and David Farrell saw the opportunity for regular RA schools, bringing invited experts from Australia or overseas to interact with UNE staff, post-graduate students and representatives of the monogastric and ruminant livestock industries. The first RA school was probably held in 1974. Aided by flexible working arrangements at UNE, David Farrell was able to champion further RA meetings that were held successfully about every 2 years. However, ~1990, the federal Education Minister John Dawkins began a process of amalgamating Australian higher-education institutions that produced detrimental administrative and financial ramifications for UNE and drained staff morale. After the 1993 meeting, Professor David Farrell left UNE, followed soon afterwards by Professor Ron Leng. The future of RA was at a crossroads; its funding and organisation needed overhauling to enable it to survive. A second, more formal phase of RA meetings (13 in all; 1995–2021), was instigated within a newly formed Department of Animal Science at UNE. The meetings became more formalised and even more financially dependent on industry support and sponsorship; meetings were planned by larger organising committees. Soon, papers were being formally refereed and the scope for provocative speculation of the type promoted at earlier meetings was somewhat curtailed in favour of scientific rigour. Organisers experimented with changed meeting dates, formats and venues at UNE, cumulating with a contentious decision to hold this meeting away from UNE. Despite its challenges, RA has grown in stature over 47 years from the small, informal schools of the early 1970s, to become Australia's leading animal nutrition symposium. 'Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition – Australia' has grown in stature over half a century to become Australia's leading nutrition symposium. This history describes how the first 'nutrition school' was conceived at the University of New England, Armidale (UNE), in the early 1970s, and covers the 25 biennial meetings held at UNE; it pays homage to the many organisers, invited speakers and attendees who have focussed on finding innovative solutions to industry-relevant problems, thereby ensuring the symposium's long-term success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock producers are facing increasing pressure to reduce the environmental and animal-welfare impacts of production, while also managing the challenge of an increasingly variable climate and diminishing resources. This perspective paper highlights the role for animal scientists to contribute to the sustainability of future livestock systems. We argue the need for a broader, more inclusive and more integrated concept of animal science, better connections among scientists, producers, consumers and policy makers, and more support for the next generation of animal scientists. Animal scientists have an important role to play in providing the evidence to support the social licence of livestock production and inform decisions made by policy makers and consumers regarding the production and consumption of livestock products. Animal scientists can also assist producers to adapt to social, environmental and political challenges that affect their livelihoods and the way they farm. Traditionally, animal science has focussed on species- and discipline-specific areas of research such as ruminant nutrition, genetics or reproductive physiology. While this fundamental research remains essential to understand the underlying biology of livestock production and improve production efficiency, it needs to be better integrated into research applied at and beyond the herd or flock level. Systems thinkers who can apply this knowledge across farm, regional and national scales also have an important role in providing information to key decision makers, from farmers to national government. Better engagement with the social and economic sciences can inform how animal scientists and extension services interact with producers to understand constraints to production as well as adoption of new technology and co-develop evidence-based solutions. Underlying this, the demographics of those who study and work in animal science are changing. Australian animal industries require the best and brightest minds to overcome future challenges and engaging these students as the new face of Australian animal science is an essential step towards sustainable future livestock systems. Livestock production is facing new challenges from consumers and operating environments, and, so, the role of animal science must also change to adequately solve these complex problems. The increasingly diverse next generation of animal science graduates has less traditional career pathways and links to primary industries, and will require new methods of mentoring and professional development to support the needs of livestock producers. Integrating other disciplines and systems approaches with species- and discipline-specific science will be essential to ensuring a sustainable future for livestock production in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]