Guide to filling the feed gap with saltbush

AWI and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) have published the guide to help inform sheep and wool producers of the potential benefits of the different types of saltbush in southern Australia and how to get saltbush forage systems working productively and profitably.

Saltbushes are native perennial shrubs that provide palatable year-round feed. They are well adapted to dry conditions and soil types that have low productivity. While they tolerate high levels of salinity, they happily grow without salt.

The release of the guide follows the completion of the four-year ‘No more gaps with superior shrub systems’ project which was led by CSIRO and co-funded by AWI and MLA.

During the project, the research team delivered project and extension messages at 48 events to 1,040 producers and 1,028 extension agents, scientists and other industry members. The team also produced numerous extension products – and this new guide is the latest.

“The ‘how to’ guide aims to provide producers with easy access to all the information needed to give them the confidence to adopt saltbush shrub systems on marginal soils,” said AWI General Manager, Research, Bridget Peachey.

“The ultimate aim of AWI’s investment in the project is for woolgrowers to utilise saltbush shrubs to improve their whole-farm stocking rates and help them manage seasonal risk, especially as climate variability increases.”

Saltbush can provide ideal supplementary feed during the summer/autumn feed gap and dry conditions.

Why include saltbush as part of a production system?

Nutritional gaps represent the largest production cost to grass-fed sheep and woolgrowers across Mediterranean-type and dry Australian environments.

These gaps can lead to sub-optimal production or slower growth rates, the need for supplementary feeding and overly conservative whole-farm stocking rates.

Perennial forages, including drought-tolerant native shrubs such as saltbush, provide an opportunity to fill the summer/autumn and early winter feed gaps.

Saltbush and other shrubs can:

• be grown on soils considered marginal for crop production and provide nutrients to complement, and thereby improve, the feeding value of crop and pasture residues
• offer an effective tool for managing recharge of water tables and restoring the productivity of saline land
• provide a reliable green feed source in summer and autumn, which is high in crude protein, sulphur, vitamin E and minerals
• improve wool growth through provision of sulphur, amino acids and salt.

“Saltbush helps producers to manage the dry seasons by providing a reliable source of energy, protein and nutrients that may assist sheep to manage oxidative stress during reproduction and heatwaves,” said CSIRO agricultural scientist, Dr Hayley Norman, who led the research project.

“It’s a bonus that saltbush is tolerant of the sandy, clay and saline soils that are challenging to crop. We are currently working with partners to quantify the capacity of saltbush to be used as an ‘edible’ shelter to improve survival of twin lambs.

“And for the woolgrowers, we consistently measure a 20-25% increase in wool growth from Merino sheep grazing saltbush systems, compared to peers on dry pastures and stubbles.”

Although utilising saltbush can provide productivity benefits, saltbush species are not a suitable feed on their own, due to the high salt, oxalate and sulphur content of their leaves. This means it is important to consider what other feed sources the animals will have to complement the saltbush, whether this comes from understorey plants in the same paddock or other feed sources like hay or grain.

Livestock also need access to a generous supply of fresh drinking water nearby. If water is in the corner of a large paddock, stock may underutilise some shrubs and overgraze others.

Is saltbush suited to your farm?

In mixed farming zones, perennial shrub systems have the best economic fit on land that has lower profitability for cropping. On the flip side, there is little point establishing saltbush in areas where it will not be productive, persistent and provide a return.

To get the most out of saltbush, start with the best ‘marginal’ land, which offers the easiest establishment and the highest economic return potential. Don’t venture into the more challenging areas until you are more experienced in establishing and managing shrubs and have a system that works.

Additionally, it is important to understand the degree of salinity and waterlogging in the paddock where saltbush is being established.

Although these shrubs are incredibly hardy once they have matured, many species can be difficult to establish through direct seeding as seeds are only 1mm in size. Planting nursery-raised seedlings reduces the risk of poor or patchy establishment.

Give the establishment of a shrub system the same attention you give a crop. The paddock will need to be kept out of production for at least six months during shrub seedling establishment and longer if using seed. Take the time to get it right the first time as you don’t want it out of production for 18 months while you fix a failure or a patchy strike rate.

Marc and Stacey Brooke of Tulla Natives at a Select Carbon demonstration day in August planting Anameka^TM saltbush with woolgrower David Nevinson at Booroorban in the Riverina of NSW.

Where do I to buy Anameka^TM

There are several species of saltbush being used by producers in Australia as a forage shrubs for their sheep. Anameka^TM is a popular cultivar of old man saltbush that has higher energy content, greater biomass production and palatability for livestock, when compared to native populations.

Anameka^TM is currently only available through nursery-raised seedlings. Chatfields Tree Nursery at Tammin in the wheatbelt of Western Australia supplies Anameka^TM to Western Australian customers. The best time for ordering Anameka^TM from Chatfields is before October the year prior to planting as the seedlings need time to develop a robust root system. Orders are despatched from June to September. Anameka™, like all nursery raised shrubs and trees, should be planted as soon as possible after receiving them. Chatfields also sells other varieties of saltbush, forage shrubs and trees.

Tulla Natives at Wakool in the Riverina of NSW grows Anameka™ under Chatfields National Licence and supplies customers in the eastern states of Australia. Tulla Natives started taking orders for Anameka™ in spring and could sell out due to increasing demand, so orders are a must to ensure supply for 2025 Anameka™. Orders are despatched from May through to the end of August.

More information:
www.wool.com/shrubs 
www.chatfields.com.au 
www.tullanatives.com.au 

This article appeared in the December 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.