1. How do you manage grazing on
your pastures?
Planned grazing systems, also known as rotational grazing or
management-intensive grazing, normally reduce the time that livestock spend
in each pasture. This practice usually increases the nutritional value and
the uniformity of the vegetation. As the nutritional value of the
vegetation improves, nutrient cycling in these pastures is more rapid.
Controlled grazing allows some pastures to be grazed earlier in the spring and later
in the fall, with forage availability that allows high nutrient intake and
permits other pastures to rest and regrow. Some producers implement a
controlled grazing program simply by closing gates and using separate pastures
in sequence. Others use portable electric fences to make smaller pastures.
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1. Circle the answer that
best indicates the number of pastures you have on your farm.
a. 11 or more.
b. 7 to 10.
c. 4 to 6.
d. 1 to 3. |
2. How do you manage forage growth on
your pastures?
The date of grazing in relation to plant growth and the length of time
animals graze a pasture can influence the types, diversity, and number of
plants that grow there. Good grazing management optimizes animal
production while maintaining long-term vegetative cover.
Knowing what forage is produced during different times of the year
can help you manage forage availability more effectively so that you can
improve animal performance. While animal performance is greatly affected
by the animal's genetic potential, health, and living environment, it is also
a result of how much forage the animal ate and how much nutrition was
in the forage. You can manage your pasture to provide forage of high
nutritional value when it is needed for peak lactation or optimal weight gain.
Intensively managed grazing, unlike continuous grazing, minimizes
the development of bare areas in pastures that appear when portions of
pastures are overgrazed. During uneven growth, some plants mature and lose
their high nutritional characteristics, while others die from overgrazing.
Under these pasture conditions, animal performance declines.
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2A. Circle the answer that
best describes how much bare ground is in your
pastures 2 to 4 weeks after grazing.
a. Less than 5 percent bare ground.
b. Between 5 and 15 percent.
c. Between 15 and 50 percent.
d. More than 50 percent.
2B. Circle the answer that
best describes the condition of your pastures before
grazing.
a. More than 90 percent of pastures are of similar
growth stage and of uniform quality.
b. Between 75 and 90 percent are of similar growth
stage and of uniform quality.
c. Between 50 and 75 percent are of similar growth
stage and of uniform quality.
d. Less than 50 percent are of similar growth stage and
of uniform quality. |
3. How do you manage your pastures during
dry periods?
Throughout the year, dry periods can limit plant growth and the
performance of grazed livestock. Managing pasture resources during these
dry periods is critical. Farmers often can plan to conserve forage growth
during periods of adequate moisture. Then, in dry periods, you can stretch the
forage supply by carefully managing pasture or feeding hay, even though
you may think your cows need more pasture.
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3. Circle the answer that
best describes your forage availability after
several weeks without rain.
a. Usually I can move animals to a pasture that has
some fresh growth.
b. I often supplement with hay before pastures
become overgrazed.
c. Most pastures are grazed shorter than is
desirable before the rain comes, but most plants survive
the drought.
d. Pastures are grazed so short that many plants die
before rain comes.
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4. What grasses and legumes do you grow
for forage?
Many farmers grow at least two species each of warm and cool
season grasses and legumes, which can permit a longer grazing season
and result in more profitable animal production. Because soil and
moisture conditions vary in pastures, it is unlikely that a single species will
fulfill all the forage needs of your livestock. For example, a
well-managed farm grows cool season grasses such as orchardgrass, tall fescue,
and bluegrass for 50 to 70 percent of their annual forage and warm
season grasses such as bermudagrass, crabgrass, and sorghum sudangrass
for the remaining 30 to 50 percent. Maintaining legumes in your
pastures can reduce your nitrogen fertilization requirements and improve
overall nutritional value of the forage.
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4. Circle the answer that
best describes the forage species that grow in your pastures.
a. I have separate pastures of grass or grass-legume
mixtures, which are composed of warm and cool season species.
b. Most of my pastures have a mixture of warm- and
cool-season species growing together.
c. All of my pastures have the same primary grass species.
d. I don't know what the grass species are in my pastures. |
5. How do you assess the condition of
your pastures?
You can assess your pastures routinely to evaluate how well your
grazing program is working. Taking the time to evaluate pastures
regularly provides useful information for short-term management decisions
about grazing pressure, fertility needs, short-term forage availability, or
the need for hay production. It also can help you see how your
management has influenced the pasture over time. Pasture evaluation can
ultimately be as important as animal evaluation and may be even more
important with respect to farm profitability.
Walk through your pastures and ask yourself the following questions:
- What changes in plant species have occurred since last season?
- Is the pasture density greater or less than last season?
- When sod is 2 inches tall, is there greater than 80 percent
ground cover?
- Which weeds or brush are not controlled by grazing?
- Is the soil compacted or pugged because of closely grazed
vegetation or animal loafing?
- Could a change in location of the water tank or mineral feeder or
the shape of pasture alter the grazing pattern?
- Could more forage be produced through an application of fertilizer,
a longer rest period, or more frequent movement of animals?
- Would haying earlier or using better grazing practices result in
forage of better nutritional value?
- How do individual pastures rank in productivity?
- Which field areas dry out first,
second, and last under drought conditions?
- When should I hay or graze to
utilize the highest-quality forage plants?
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5. Circle the answer that
best describes how often you assess the condition of
your pastures.
a. I check pastures at least once a week to observe conditions.
b. I check pastures at least once every two weeks.
c. I conduct a windshield survey once a month to check my
pastures.
d. I rarely check pasture conditions.
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6. How do you harvest forage?
Farmers who use grazing animals to harvest the forage they grow
can avoid the costs of buying expensive equipment and fuel. Grazing
can increase the profitability of farm operations by reducing the
dependence on harvest equipment. It is best to graze pastures and harvest hay
only when pasture growth surpasses your need for stockpiling and grazing.
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6. Circle the answer that
best describes when and which pastures you harvest for hay.
a. I harvest excess growth from pastures when I am unable
to graze.
b. I have hay land and also make hay on pastures.
c. I cut hay on designated hay
fields and do not harvest hay from pastures.
d. I harvest large quantities of
hay, and I feed it in concentrated areas.
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7. Do you have dedicated areas for
feeding livestock?
Some farmers use a single location to feed animals hay or other
supplements. Instead of using the same location each time, place feed at a
different location within the pasture each day. Unrolling hay,
perhaps under a single strand of electric fence, can allow you to feed
efficiently and to distribute manure evenly within and across pastures. Rotate
mineral feeders or external parasite treatment or control applicators to
different locations within the pasture for each grazing period;
locations should be away from the water site and the exit gate. This will
force animals to spend time in multiple locations within the pasture.
Sometimes it may be beneficial to have a dedicated area for
feeding, especially when pastures have been grazed down or during winter
when pastures tend to be wet. During heavy rains, watering and feeding
areas can contribute significant amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and
sediment to groundwater, wetlands, and streams. In livestock feeding
areas, it helps to establish a critical area or heavy use area to carefully
manage rainwater and runoff and reduce the pollution potential. Decreased
runoff will reduce the rate of erosion as well as the movement of
sediment and dissolved and sediment-attached substances to downstream
watercourses.
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7. Circle the answer that best
describes how you feed your livestock.
a. In several different locations to allow pastures to recover.
b. In a heavily used area with measures to control mud and runoff.
c. In designated feeding areas that become very muddy.
d. In a heavily used area without
any measures to control runoff.
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Riparian Area Management
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A riparian area is the ecosystem along a stream, ditch, creek,
river, pond, or lake. Water quality is greatly influenced by the use,
management, and condition of riparian areas. The primary concerns of
riparian area management are how to limit livestock access and how to
provide alternative water supplies.
8. Do you limit livestock access to
riparian areas on your farm?
You can improve water quality by preventing livestock from standing
or loafing in the water, walking down the banks, or depositing manure
in the stream. This decreases the amount of sediment and manure
entering surface water. This practice also prevents compaction of the soil by
livestock and prevents degradation of vegetation and undergrowth. As
a result, the soil absorbs more water and there is less runoff and erosion.
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8. Circle the answer that
best describes the access your livestock have to riparian
areas and the condition of those areas.
a. Animals never graze in riparian areas.
b. Once or twice a year livestock graze in riparian areas
without causing any permanent degradation.
c. Livestock have frequent access to streams and cause some
permanent damage.
d. Livestock have frequent access to streams and cause
severe, permanent damage to vegetation and streambanks.
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9. Do you provide alternate water supplies
for your livestock?
Placing water tanks away from streams will help keep livestock
>from streambanks and riparian areas. Having a water tank available reduces
the amount of time that cattle spend in the stream by as much as 75
percent. If possible, provide fresh drinking water to animals in each pasture.
Locating the water tanks away from the pasture gates and changing the
location of the water tank for each grazing period will control the
distribution of manure and urine. If a water tank cannot be placed in each
pasture, consider options to minimize loafing by the herd following
drinking. Hard-surfaced, narrow lanes leading to and from the tanks can help
accomplish this goal.
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9. Circle the answer that
best describes how you provide your livestock with water.
a. A water tank is located in each pasture as far away
>from streams as possible.
b. A few central water tanks serve multiple pastures.
c. Livestock have access to streams or creeks during
the grazing season.
d. Livestock have year-round access to streams and creeks.
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Nutrient Management
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Fertilizing pastures can be very expensive. A rotational grazing
program helps to minimize these costs by distributing manure from grazing
animals more evenly over pastures rather than concentrating it in
certain areas, such as around shade trees and water tanks. It is common to
fertilize grazed pastures at a lower rate than hayland or other cropland
because of the recycling of nutrients through the manure and urine of grazing
animals. In addition, nutrients brought onto the farm as purchased feed
can contribute additional nutrients via animal waste. In pasture-based
farming systems, the products that are sold and exported from the
farm—milk, meat, leather, and wool—represent a very small percentage of the
total nutrients that were consumed by the animal during its production
phase. For example, more than 90 percent of the nitrogen consumed by
beef cattle is excreted in manure and urine, compared to 75 to 85 percent
by dairy cattle. Other nutrients are excreted at similar levels. Only 4 to
24 percent of the total nitrogen consumed by animals leaves the farm in
the form of livestock products.
10. Do you use manure effectively as a
source of nutrients for forage species?
Cattle defecate up to 12 times per day and urinate eight or more
times. One key to controlling nutrient distribution in pastures is to manage
the deposition of manure and urine near shade, watering tanks,
working facilities, feeding areas, lanes, and loafing areas.
For best use and control of animal manure, graze pastures for as short
a period as possible—1 day or less. This practice promotes a more
even distribution of manure over a larger area than long grazing cycles.
In turn, short cycles allow nutrients to be recycled and reduce the need
for fertilizer. Earthworms and dung beetles can improve nutrient cycling
in pastures. These organisms can help increase infiltration, enhance
vegetative growth, reduce runoff, and improve the nutrient and
moisture filtering of the area.
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REMINDER
If you circle c or d for any question, there may be
an opportunity to improve grazing management on your farm.
10. Circle the answer that
best describes your grazing period.
a. Less than 3 days.
b. 3 to 6 days.
c. 1 to 2 weeks.
d. More than 2 weeks.
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11. Do you use soil tests to determine
which nutrients your forage species need?
Nutrient management in grazing systems can reduce production
costs and environmental impact. These impacts depend on the control of
grazing patterns, loafing areas, and livestock drinking water locations.
Testing the soil every 1 to 2 years will help you determine nutrient and
lime requirements for optimal forage production. Pastures with shade
or other potential loafing sites must be sampled so that the results
fairly represent the pasture. When sampling, try to divide pastures
according to slope, soil type, and animal grazing patterns.
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11. Circle the answer that
best describes how often you have your pasture soil tested
and how you use test results.
a. Soil test areas are divided according to slope, soil type,
and grazing pattern; I test every 2 years and generally follow
recommendations.
b. Soil test areas are divided according to slope, soil type,
and grazing pattern; I test every 2 to 3 years.
c. I soil test every 4 to 10 years.
d. It has been more than 11 years since the last soil test.
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RELATED PUBLICATIONS
- Selected agricultural best management practices to control
nitrogen in the Neuse River Basin. Technical Bulletin 311. http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/lockers/Gilliam_J/BMPs/index.html
- Southern
Forages. Second Edition. Potash and Phosphate
Institute and the Foundation for Agronomic Research, 655
Engineering Drive, Suite 110, Norcross, GA 30092-2843
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The concept for these materials was adapted from materials produced by the National
Farm*A*Syst Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
North Carolina's Farm*A*Syst and Home*A*Syst Program is coordinated by Deanna L.
Osmond, North
Carolina State University. Technical editing was provided by Joseph C. Burns and Mike
Regans. Some drawings were
provided by Jackie Nix, former North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Agriculture Agent, Duplin County, N.C.
This project has been funded with Section 319 grant monies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
through the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality.
Prepared by
Noah N. Ranells, Crop Science Extension Specialist
James T. Green, Jr., Crop Science Extension Specialist
Matthew H. Poore, Animal Science Extension Specialist
Roger Hansard, U.S. Department of Agriculture-
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Water Quality Specialist
Janet Young, Layout and Design Specialist
Published by
NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
9/01
AG-566-08
E02-39004 This document was updated on 9/21/01 by Janet
Young.
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