The C4Milk project is a 3-year partnership between Murray Dairy, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries dairy group, Dairy Australia and Gardiner Foundation. It was developed from the outcomes of previous Murray Dairy projects that tracked changes to inland dairy farm systems and the increased utilisation of grain crops for fodder.
The new project, a part of the national C4 Milk Research Program, aims to evaluate consecutive crop effects in forage production systems. By understanding the cumulative impact of intensive cropping rotations on the profitability and sustainability of dairy farms, the research will shed light on the role break crops play in these systems.
This project builds on the now completed Fodder for the Future project, which sought to address crucial aspects of fodder production and its impact on regional agriculture. Experiments are being carried out by two field research organisations at two locations in Northern Victoria – a dryland site near Mitiamo and an irrigated site near Kerang.
To learn more about the project read Project yields varied results (Dairy News Australia, 2024).