Mixed species pastures offer an opportunity to improve feed supply, feed quality and the resilience of mixed farming systems, but selecting the right species and mixtures for different environments can be challenging.

From 2022 to 2026, the Mid North High Rainfall Zone (MNHRZ) delivered a series of pasture demonstration projects across the Mid North of South Australia, alongside Trengove Consulting, Hart Field Site Group and Coopers of Mount Pleasant, investigating the performance of cereals, legumes, brassicas, ryegrass and mixed-species pastures under varying seasonal conditions. Together, these projects evaluated pasture production, feed quality, rotational benefits and practical management options to help growers improve livestock productivity while strengthening whole-farm resilience.

Project description: 

This program of work built progressively over four growing seasons, expanding from evaluating individual pasture species to investigating practical mixed-species systems that balance feed production, feed quality and whole-farm productivity.

Demonstration sites were established across the Mid North, including Giles Corner, Farrell Flat and Hart, representing contrasting seasonal conditions and farming environments. Throughout the program, a wide range of cereal, ryegrass, brassica and legume species were assessed both individually and in commercially relevant mixtures. Measurements included dry matter production, feed quality, pasture persistence and rotational benefits such as residual soil nitrogen.

Each stage of the program built on previous findings, allowing researchers to refine pasture mixtures, compare species performance under different seasonal conditions and develop practical recommendations for growers. Findings were shared through crop walks, field days, trial reports and extension activities, providing growers and advisers with practical information to support pasture selection and management decisions across the Mid North.

Key achievements and results: 

Project Learnings – 2022–2026

Over four growing seasons, this program demonstrated that successful pasture systems are not built around a single species, but by selecting species and mixtures that best match seasonal conditions, livestock feed requirements and whole-farm objectives. Together, the demonstrations provided growers with practical evidence on how different pasture types contribute to feed production, feed quality and longer-term farming system benefits.

Key findings included:

• Cereals consistently produced the greatest dry matter, with barley varieties proving the most reliable option for both early and late-season feed production across varying seasonal conditions.
• Legumes and brassicas provided the highest feed quality, particularly crude protein, helping maintain livestock nutrition later in the season as cereal quality declined.
• Mixed-species pastures successfully combined the strengths of different species, producing reliable biomass while improving pasture quality and resilience. Commercial pasture mixes performed comparably with the best single-species treatments, demonstrating their value as practical, adoptable systems.
• Legume pastures delivered significant rotational benefits, consistently increasing residual soil nitrogen for following crops and reducing reliance on fertiliser nitrogen. While mixed-species pastures also contributed to soil nitrogen, the greatest benefits were achieved where legumes formed a larger proportion of the pasture.
• Seasonal conditions influenced total pasture production, particularly during the drier 2025 season at Hart, but the relative performance of pasture species and mixtures remained consistent across trial sites. This reinforced the importance of matching pasture selection to local growing conditions and production goals rather than relying on a single pasture type.

Throughout the program, demonstration sites were used extensively for extension and knowledge sharing through crop walks, field days, trial reports and student engagement. The final year alone engaged approximately 85 growers, 60 advisers and industry representatives, and 50 university students, while the complete program has supported widespread adoption of mixed-species pasture systems across the Mid North.

The combined findings from 2022 to 2026 provide growers and advisers with a strong evidence base for selecting pasture species and mixtures that balance feed quantity, feed quality and rotational benefits. Resources available below bring together the technical reports from each stage of the program, providing practical guidance to support pasture planning, livestock productivity and whole-farm resilience across mixed farming systems.

Further information:

Click here to access the trial results from the 2025 season. 

Older technical resources:

• Read the 2023 project technical report for the Mixed Species Pastures Demonstration Sites
• Read the productive multi-species pasture at Marananga (in 2021, Marananga farmer Matt Neldner sowed half a paddock to a multi-species pasture and the other half to a conventional ryegrass-based pasture. In 2023 monitoring revealed increased grazing of the multi-species pasture).
• Learn more via the BIGG Mixed Species Pastures webpage

Project Images