| In face of climate change and other environmental challenges, inclusion of perennial forage shrubs in Australian agricultural systems has the potential to deliver multiple benefits: increased whole-farm profitability and improved natural resource management. The profitability of shrubs was investigated using MIDAS (Model of an Integrated Dryland Agricultural System), a bio-economic model of a mixed crop/livestock farming system. We found that including forage shrubs could increase farm profitability by over 20% for an optimal 10% of farm area in shrubs. The impact of shrubs on whole-farm profit accrues primarily through the provision of a predictable supply of “out-of-season” feed, thereby reducing supplementary feed costs, and through the deferment of... |
