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Grazing_management_Talk.ppt
- 1. GRAZING MANAGEMENT 101 BASICCONCEPTS Lamar Smith Cascabel Ranch & Consulting Carta Valley, Texas
- 2. BASIC TOOLS OFGRAZING MANAGEMENT Grazing intensity stocking rate Frequency of grazing length of grazing and rest periods Season of grazing plant growth, animal diets, multiple uses Animal distribution grazing efficiency, multiple uses Kind of animal diet, poisonous plants, topography, water
- 3. Proper kind oflivestock.
- 4. ANIMAL UNIT Animal Unit =1000 pound cow with calf or equivalent based on forage intake. Cow = 1 AU Bull = 1.5 AU Sheep = .2 AU
- 5. STOCKING RATE VS CARRYINGCAPACITY Stocking rate is the number of animals actually pastured on a given area for a given amount of time. Proper stocking rate is the stocking rate that will approximate the carrying capacity over a period of years. Proper stocking can vary from one year to the next.
- 6. STOCKING DENSITY Number ofanimals present per unit of area of a given pasture at a given point in time.
- 7. Graze 12 Months Rest 0 Months StockDensity 1 Example
- 8. Graze 6 Months Rest 6 Months StockDensity 2 Example
- 9. Graze 3 Months Rest 9 Months StockDensity 4 Example
- 10. Graze 1.5 Months Rest 10.5 Months StockDensity 8 Example
- 11. STOCKING RATE VSANIMAL PRODUCTION Animal Production Stocking Rate Light Mod Heavy Gain per Head
- 12. STOCKING RATE VSANIMAL PRODUCTION Animal Production Stocking Rate Light Mod Heavy Gain per Head Gain per Acre
- 13. STOCKING RATE VSANIMAL PRODUCTION Animal Production Stocking Rate Light Mod Heavy Gain per Head Gross Income Fixed Costs Variable Costs Most profitable stocking rate
- 14. Proper stocking rate? RangeHealth standpoint
- 15. BASIS FOR STOCKINGRATES Proper stocking based on maintaining sufficient plant residue for: ◦ Plant health/regrowth ◦ Wildlife forage ◦ Erosion prevention Set stocking rate below carrying capacity ◦ To allow for drought ◦ To allow for low productivity years
- 16. Overstocking and overgrazingare not the same thing.
- 17. Grazing resistant species(blue grama) is key species, make up most of forage base. Animal performance declines before overgrazing occurs.
- 18. Key species makeup small part of forage base, lack high grazing resistance. (black grama, bush muhly) Range will be overgrazed before animal production suffers.
- 19. TERMS USED INGRAZING SYSTEMS Continuous vs rotation Grazing season vs growing season Deferment vs rest Rest rotation, deferred rotation High intensity, low frequency Best pasture
- 20. Rest is definedas no grazing for a full year or more.
- 21. One of thedisadvantages of intensive grazing management.
- 22. IMPORTANT POINTS Flexibility Annual planning Keepnumber of herds to minimum Move ALL the cows
- 23. POSITIVE EFFECTS Rest heavyuse areas, most favored plants Improve distribution Better livestock husbandry Accommodates wildlife and other uses
- 24. Rotation grazing canimprove livestock distribution.
- 25. Grazing systems may improveanimal husbandry
- 26. One advantage ofsmaller pastures is that it is easier to find and gather cattle..
- 27. NEGATIVE EFFECTS Reduced animalperformance Higher labor costs Higher improvement
- 28. Grazing systems mayreduce animal performance.
- 29. Grazing systems canincrease labor costs.
- 30. Yep. This ranchis so well improved I have to sell it to pay for the improvements.
- 31. Grazing systems increaseneed for improvements and maintenance.
- 32. Riparian Grazing -What is Different?
- 33. Temperature is limitingfactor to plant growth - not moisture. Regrowth is predictable and rapid.
- 34. RIPARIAN PASTURES Fence offriparian area from uplands Time grazing to allow regrowth before flood season
- 35. Riparian area withinlarger pasture - not practical to fence out. 1. Graze in dormant season or early in growing season. 2. Short grazing periods. 3. Offstream water, supplements. 4. Riding and culling.