The threats, realities and opportunities of grassland farming in the Central Tablelands

Grassland farming in the Central Tablelands of NSW is faced with many challenges. From a resource perspective it is diverse and has evolved in response to soil, land capability, climatic and investment constraints. From a resource use perspective, the operating environment for grassland managers is strongly influenced by external demands from non-traditional users of grassland resources. These interactions are reviewed and investigated to enhance the understanding of the threats, realities and opportunities of grassland farming in the region. In addition, the historical returns from grassland farming in the region are disaggregated to demonstrate the contributions to personal wealth creation of the competition for grassland resources, as well as their use as a harvestable resource. The results of the study indicate that inherent capital appreciation of land and the opportunity for subdivisional development have the greatest impact on returns from investment in grasslands. However, it also highlights the opportunities for these returns to be enhanced through prudent and efficient management of the livestock enterprises being run on the resource. Using the process applied in this study, it is also possible for agricultural investors to spatially analyse where appropriate investments exist in grasslands.