At the 2024 Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association (KPCA) Conference in Karratha from 31 October to 1 November, WAARC Northern Agriculture Program Lead Dr Dean Thomas joined a panel alongside his fellow CSIRO colleague Dr Stuart Denman to discuss the topic ‘Northern Agriculture Research Outcomes’.
Dr Thomas discussed WAARC’s Northern Agriculture program and highlighted the current activities being explored, including the Cropping Enabled Cattle project, which is examining the integration of cottonseed and other cropping by-products into cattle feed. The project is co-funded by The Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) and The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC).
With around 3000 hectares of cotton cultivated in the Ord, producing about 10,000 tonnes of whole cottonseed annually, there is potential to use this high-protein, high-oil by-product as a valuable feed supplement.
The initiative underscores WAARC’s commitment to advancing sustainable, resource-efficient livestock production in northern Australia.
During the session, Dr Thomas and Dr Denman also discussed emerging technologies that could benefit cattle producers in the short term, as well as research areas poised to deliver long-term improvements.
They also introduced the concept of Ecosystem Services from livestock agroecosystems, highlighting the environmental benefits that sustainable livestock management can bring.
