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Principles of Grazing Lands Management

Principles of Grazing Lands Management. NRCS Boot Camp. When Was the current Range and Pasture Handbook Published?. 1997 1971 1958 2001. When was the First USDA Pasture Handbook Published?. 1997 1934 1958 1971. What Is New Then?. Lot’s Actually Effects of grazing on plants

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Principles of Grazing Lands Management

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  1. Principles of Grazing Lands Management NRCS Boot Camp

  2. When Was the current Range and Pasture Handbook Published? • 1997 • 1971 • 1958 • 2001

  3. When was the First USDA Pasture Handbook Published? • 1997 • 1934 • 1958 • 1971

  4. What Is New Then? • Lot’s Actually • Effects of grazing on plants • How foraging animals decide what to eat • Plant successional concepts • Interactions of fire/grazing • Plethora of new forages • Many new tools for range/pasture management

  5. How Do We Do It Today? The type of grazing management approach depends upon how you look at it!

  6. Rangeland Native (generally) Diverse composition Reliance on ecological succession Cultural practices Generally low input Pastureland Introduced (generally) Monocultures Agronomic Principles Agronomic Practices Generally high input Rangeland/PasturelandIs there a difference?

  7. Principles of Grazing Management These are the things we can manipulate: • Proper Livestock Type • Proper Duration of Grazing • Proper Timing of Grazing • Proper Frequency of Grazing • Proper Intensity of Grazing • Proper Distribution of Grazing • Proper Stocking - Feed and Forage Balance

  8. Proper Livestock Type Why is Livestock Type important? • Different livestock types are suited for different grazing land types, climates, topography, and management regimes • Livestock suited for the grazing land must be of the correct Species (cattle, sheep, goat, etc.), Class (cow, stocker, heifer, bull, etc.) and Breed (Zebu or European cattle)

  9. Proper Livestock Typecontinued Examples: Zebu cattle are better suited for hot climates European cattle are suited for cooler climates Goats are suited for steep topography and browse Stockers only need 6-8 month of grazing Cow/calf operations must be sustained year around Sheep prefer forbs and tend to be flock animals

  10. Proper DurationHow long is the pasture grazed? Why is Duration important? • Plants need time to recover from grazing • Continued grazing while plants are trying to recover is detrimental

  11. Proper Duration - Continued What about Continuous Grazing? • Continuous grazing is confining animals to one grazing unit for the grazing season or for the entire year

  12. Proper Duration - Continued Continuous Grazing • Research on rangeland reveals: • Gains per animal are better • Gains per acre are lower • Stocking rates must be moderate to prevent overgrazing of most palatable plants • Grazing distribution more difficult to achieve

  13. Proper Duration - Continued Rotational Grazing • Lower per animal performance • Higher per acre production of livestock • Some increase of carrying capacity • Better opportunities to manage sensitive areas such as riparian zones, erosional areas, water points, etc.

  14. Proper Duration - Continued How can we plan for Proper Duration? • Grazing period should be short enough so that no significant regrowth occurs during the grazing period. • The rest period should be long enough to allow the major species to regain vigor (grow roots). • During periods of rapid vegetation growth, the length of the rest period may be reduced, and during dryer periods the rest period may need to be longer.

  15. Proper Duration - Continued A Quick guideline to determining the number of pastures to plan for • The number of pastures needed may be calculated by using the following formula: Days of Rest + # of Herds = # of Pastures Days of Graze

  16. Proper TimingWhen is the pasture grazed? Why is Timing important? • The effects of grazing depends on the stage of plant growth • May be less important in some pasture situations (i.e. irrigated pastures) • Understand season of growth and maturity • Cool season vs. Warm Season • Rapid growth vs. Dormancy • Post-reproduction periods • Late summer to frost • Early spring for seedling development

  17. Proper Timing - continued How can we plan for Proper Timing? • Understand when deferment is needed to allow plants to regain vigor, reproduce, and for new seedling plants to establish. Examples: • Great Basin, cool season: early until seed ripe • Southern Great Plains, warm season: late summer until frost DEFERMENT

  18. Proper FrequencyHow many times is the pasture grazed? Why is Frequency important? • Plants need time AND resources (i.e. water) to recover from grazing • How many times can a pasture withstand grazing each year? • Related to Duration

  19. Proper Frequency - continued How can we plan for proper Frequency? • On an annual basis • If the recovery period is slow, then the pasture must be grazed INFREQUENTLY. • If the recovery period is rapid, then the pasture may be grazed more FREQUENTLY.

  20. Proper IntensityHow intensively is the pasture grazed? Why is Intensity important? • Proper Use – How much forage remains following grazing? • Must be based on plant needs – species specific • May depend on timing

  21. Proper Intensity – ContinuedProper Use – Leave Half * Initial grass growth relies on food reserves stored near the crowns. *By approximately the fourth leaf stage, most grasses will begin to restore food reserves for the next years growth. * Root biomass is proportional to leaf growth. * When root biomass is reduced the plants ability to store food reserves is reduced.

  22. Proper Intensity – Continued Harvest Efficiency *Keeping in mind the “Take Half-Leave Half “ Rule, a pasture that produces 2,000 lbs./acre would have 1,000 lbs./acre harvested. Out of this only 500 lbs. would actually be consumed. Thus, a 25% Harvest Efficiency. 1,000 lbs./ac. forage = 40 ac./AU 4,000 lbs./ac. forage = 10 ac./AU Harvest Efficiency Formula: 2,000 lbs/ac. X .25 = 500 lbs/ac 10950 lbs. (divided by)500 lbs.= 22 ac/AU Forage Harvest AU Consumed Annual Intake AU Consumed Production Efficiency Forage 1,000 lb. AU Forage

  23. Proper Intensity – Continued Harvest Efficiency 25% Harvest Efficiency. Why? • Not all plant parts are edible • Not all plant parts are accessible • Some plant parts are more palatable than others • Some plant parts are lost through insect use • Some plant parts are lost through rodents use • Some plant parts are lost through trampling • Some plant parts are lost through weathering • Some vegetation should be left to protect soil, the plant, and to maintain proper hydrologic functions.

  24. Proper DistributionPastures should be used evenly Why is Distribution important? • Good grazing distribution can increase harvest efficiency and grazing capacity. • Proper grazing distribution is a factor that can increase livestock production on rangeland. • Proper distribution will ensure that sensitive areas are not overused

  25. Proper Distribution - continued Grazing distribution is influenced by: • Area Selective Grazing • Species Selective Grazing

  26. Proper Distribution - Continued Area Selective Grazing • Results when animals prefer to graze in certain areas as opposed to others. • Size of Pasture • Shape of Pasture • location of water, salt, shade and bedgrounds • soil factors (fertility, texture, moisture) • prevailing winds • Use of fire

  27. Proper Distribution - Continued Species Selective Grazing • Preference exhibited by animals for certain plant species. Cafeteria style grazing. • Animal selectivity may be a function of moisture, soils, or topography. • Study patterns of use for the pasture before planning management practices.

  28. Proper Distribution - Continued Factors that affect grazing distribution : - Grazing habits of kind & class of grazing animal ( related to topography) - Placement of water facilities - Kind of rangeland & condition - Salt & mineral placement - Forage palatability - Vegetative type Topography - Location of shade - Fencing patterns - Pasture size - Grazing system - Stocking density • Prevailing wind - Fire Livestock Water

  29. Proper Distribution - Continued * Methods for Improved Grazing Distribution : 1. Entice animals to specific areas - a. livestock water placement b. salt & mineral placement c. supplemental feed placement d. rub or oiler placement e. Vegetation treatments 2. Force distribution of livestock - Solar Pump a. fence along ecological sites b. adjust pasture size c. adjust pasture shape 3. Grazing Management Strategy - a. rotational grazing b. adjust stocking density c. flash grazing d. season of grazing use Prescribed Burning

  30. Proper StockingFeed and Forage Balance Why is proper stocking important? • Animal needs have to be met with the available forage • Overuse of the forage resource resulting in damage of the resource base should be avoided

  31. Proper Stocking-continuedFeed and Forage Balance How can we plan for Proper Stocking? • Inventory total forage • Determine grazable forage • The amount of grazable forage present determines the proper stocking rate for each pasture.

  32. Proper Stocking-continuedFeed and Forage Balance Grazeable forage can be determined several ways: • What is the current stocking rate? • Determined from the producer’s records • If the health of the land is OK, then use it • Technical Guide • Ecological Site Description, Forage Suitability Group, Extension Publications, etc. • Forage Inventory - Double Sampling, Dry Weight Rank, etc.

  33. Proper Stocking-continuedStocking Conservatively How can we plan for Proper Stocking? • Stocking conservatively is critical in managing for drought conditions. • By adjusting stocking rates to current forage production, a rancher can ensure that the number of animals grazed will not harm the range resource.

  34. Proper Stocking-continuedStocking Conservatively • The annual stocking rate should be high enough to allow financial survival, but low enough to sustain or improve the overall grazing land resource. • “ Which shall it be, more acres to the bite or more bites to the acre ? “

  35. One Cow for 100 days Forage is balanced 100 Cows for 1 day Forage is balanced A Simple Example: • Long duration • Season long timing • Low intensity • Poor distribution • Properly stocked (balanced) • Short duration • Single growth stage timing • High intensity • Good distribution • Properly stocked (balanced) The forage consumed is the same. Are the effects the same? No. How does the length of rest differ? How will the plants be affected?

  36. Which of these is continuous grazing? What indicates that? Is that bad?

  37. What is the NRCS goal for grazing management? • To make sure that pastures are only grazed to a certain stubble height? • To make sure that pastures are rotationally grazed? • To make sure the stocking rate matches our forage inventory? NO

  38. What is the NRCS goal for grazing management? To meet the Quality Criteria This is why we do what we do. HOW we get to the point where Quality Criteria are met is not that important. If the land meets the Quality Criteria, and the trend is not going down, then the current grazing management must be adequate.

  39. What Do We Leave You With? • Proper stocking rate is the most important decision relative to grazing • No grazing approach can overcome the adverse effects of drought or overstocking • The type of grazing “system” is objective based. • The grazing “system” is based on interpretations of range health, range trend, and similarity index

  40. Management Makes a Difference!

  41. The End

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