Sheep are an integral part of low-medium rainfall mixed farming systems across southern Australia and they account for 23% of Australia’s total livestock emissions. Apart from the contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the energy lost as methane represents a significant inefficiency in sheep production systems. Therefore, maintaining or improving the balance between forage and animal productivity, and methane emissions is likely to be a challenge under a warmer and drier climate. The aim of this trial is to evaluate pasture/forage options to fill in the late-spring, autumn and early winter feed gaps; and to measure comparative animal production, feed quality and methane emissions in response to current and improved sheep feeding strategies.

• For the 3 phases of methane measurement reported, methane emission intensity (L CH₄/hr/100g ADWG) was significantly lower for lambs on a better quality forage with high metabolisable energy, digestibility and crude protein.
• Feedlotting is an option that gives producers the flexibility to finish lambs when pasture availability is limited or light soils are at risk of erosion.
• Spray-topping cereal crops is a good management strategy for weed control and feed management for livestock, however, livestock productivity gains can be compromised when spray-topped cereals are grazed without offering lambs better quality fodder supplements.