The North Australia Beef Research Council says the vital research into phosphorus management in the 1990s is still paying off for the region's beef producers.
Since it was established in 1993, NABRC has been instrumental in guiding research and development dollars towards phosphorus management, resulting in game-changing research that continues to translate into real production gains for northern Australia's beef producers.
Among those who have seen the benefits for themselves is Jay Mohr-Bell, manager of Pancho Beef and chair of NABRC's Katherine Regional Beef Research Committee.
"We feed phosphorus all year round now," he said.
"It's an expensive commodity but at the same time, we've seen in our business that it changes our bottom line and improves fertility.
"Phosphorus has dramatically increased cattle fertility and growth rates in our region.
"I know producers who have invested $5 an animal and saw a $25 return on that investment. When you feed phosphorus you make your money back hand over fist."
Much of Northern Australia is recognised as being deficient in phosphorus.
Research has shown adequate phosphorus intake could increase birthweights by 6-12 per cent, increase weaning rates by 15-30pc, increase breeder cow liveweight by up to 130kg, and reduce breeder mortality rates by 15-50pc.
NABRC's north west Queensland chair Ian Braithwaite agreed it's "probably a bit of a no-brainer" for northern Australian producers to be feeding wet season phosphorus.
Veterinarian Geoff Niethe, who coordinated several phosphorus research projects for MLA, said NABRC played an important role in prioritising the issue.
"Where you've got acute phosphorus deficiency you'll get a magnificent response - you could have fertility increasing quite spectacularly and huge increases in growth rates and liveweight gains in all classes of cattle over the growing season," he said.
"But if you are going to spend thousands of dollars feeding phosphorus, you need to have certainty that you are phosphorus deficient.
"The big problem now is that we know a blood test is the best test by far to indicate phosphorus deficiency in the diet, but we are still not unified in that opinion and some producers are still regularly using less decisive indicators such as faecal tests or pasture or soil tests.
"Once the P status of a paddock has been established, there is no need to do repeat testing if an acute deficiency was diagnosed."
