The effect of systems of grassland management and winter feeding on the productivity of an 18-month grass-cereal beef system

1978 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-107
Author(s):  
J. B. Moran ◽  
W. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Field System ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Stocking Rates

ABSTRACTExperiments in two successive years with 24 cattle compared a six-paddock grazing system with a simpler two-field system. In each system the whole area was cut for conservation once during the season. The two systems were stocked each at 3·9 or 6·5 cattle/ha. In the following winters the cattle were offered grass silage (1974) or dried lucerne pellets (1975) ad libitum with two levels of barley.Daily gains on pasture were depressed by the higher stocking rate but there was no difference between grazing systems. The yield of conserved grass was least on the high stocking rate two-field system. The estimated output of utilized metabolizable energy per hectare was highest on the high stocking rate paddock grazing system but the output from the low stocking rate two-field system was almost as high. It was concluded that the latter system was valuable in many practical situations. Cattle that had been grazed at low stocking rates finished earlier in winter. There was some evidence of winter compensation in cattle weight gain on diets with dried lucerne pellets but not on grass silage diets.

Effects of supplementing maize and grass silages with barley, and maize silage with urea or ammonia, on the intake and performance of fattening bulls

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Aston ◽  
J. C. Tayler
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Carcass Quality ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Ad Libitum

ABSTRACT1. Experiment 1. Six treatment groups of one British Friesian and four South Devon × British Friesian bulls, initially 432 kg mean live weight and aged 491 days, were offered individually maize or grass silage ad libitum plus 0, 5 or 10g barley dry matter per kg live weight daily for 80 days. The silages had similar digestible dry matter and estimated metabolizable energy contents but the grass silage contained more ammonia and acetic, propionic and butyric acids. Mean values for groups receiving respectively maize and grass silage diets were for dry-matter intake 17·7, 20·3, 20·4 and 13·0, 16·6, 18·7 g/kg live weight and for live-weight gain 1·00, 1·32, 1·46 and 0·65, 0·98, 1·22kg/day. Significantly more maize than grass silage dry matter was eaten when the silages were given alone and dry-matter intakes, live-weight and carcass gains were greater for maize silage diets. Dry-matter intake, live-weight and carcass gains, efficiency of feed use and carcass quality significantly improved when barley was given.2. Experiment 2. Six groups of five British Friesian bulls, initially 418 kg mean live weight and aged 474 days, were offered individually maize silage ad libitum with either urea or one of two quantities of aqueous ammonia mixed in at the time of feeding, plus 0 or 5 g barley dry matter per kg live weight daily for 90 days. The urea and ammonia-treated silages contained 125, 124 and 148 g crude protein per kg dry matter respectively, with pH values of 3·8, 3·9 and 4·3, and when given alone or with barley mean daily intakes (g dry matter per kg live weight) were 17·1, 18·6 for urea-treated silage diets, and 17·8, 18·8 and 16·9, 19·1 respectively for ammoniatreated silage diets. Live-weight gains were 0·69, 0·94, 0·63, 1·09, 0·64 and 1·07 kg/day. Ammonia treatment had no effect on intake or live-weight gain. Live-weight and carcass gains and carcass quality improved when barley was given.3. The maize silage offered in Experiment 1 contained similar metabolizable energy but more starch than that in Experiment 2 and was used more efficiently for live-weight gain.

The influence of winter nutrition, grazing system and stocking rate on the performance of spring-calving Hereford × Friesian cows and their calves 2. Grazing system and stocking rate

1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Baker ◽  
J. M. Barker ◽  
Y. L. P. Le Du
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Calf Growth ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Friesian Cows

ABSTRACTForty-eight Hereford × Friesian cows and their South Devon calves were paddock grazed at high or low stocking rates of 412 or 206 cows and calves per ha in experiment 1, and either paddock grazed or set stocked at high or low stocking rates of 4·12 or 2·74 cows and calves per ha in experiments 2 to 4.There was no significant effect of grazing system on milk yield, milk composition or calf growth but in experiment 2 paddock-grazed cows gained more weight than those set stocked. Cows at low stocking rates gained more weight than those at high stocking rates and, in general, gave more milk. Calf growth rates were also higher at low stocking rates in experiments 1, 3 and 4 but not in experiment 2. Milk composition was not significantly affected by stocking rate. There were substantial increases in calf live-weight gain per ha at the high stocking rate but, because of a lower gain by cows, the differences in total live-weight gains per ha for cows and calves were much smaller.

Rearing of dairy cattle 5. The effect of stocking rate on animal and herbage production in a grazing system for calves and heifers

1974 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Progressive Decline ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Total Utilization ◽  
Female Cattle ◽  
Stocking Rates

SUMMARYA rotational system of grazing, in which Friesian calves grazed the paddock immediately in front of a group consisting of pregnant and non-pregnant young female cattle (heifers), was examined at stocking rates initially of 3·0, 3·5 and 4·0 replacement units per ha (a replacement unit = one calf + one heifer). The stocking rates were reduced towards the end of the season by removing pregnant heifers. Measurements were made of live-weight gains and herbage production and utilization. Increasing the stocking rate from 3·0 to 4·0 units/ha depressed live-weight gain in calves by 18% on average and in heifers by 32%. The stocking rate of 3·5 replacement units/ha produced the greatest amount of live-weight gain per ha. There was a progressive decline in herbage production and consequently live-weight gain from early to late season. Herbage production was also depressed by the increased stocking rate. Although the average utilization of herbage at each grazing was low, ranging from 27 to 37% in calves and 35 to 48% in heifers, the total utilization of herbage over the whole season was high, ranging from 88 to 96%.

A comparison of grazing systems for dairy herd replacements

1970 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Conventional System ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
System A ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Grazing Systems

SUMMARYAn experimental and a conventional grazing system for 7- and 19-month-old dairy replacements were compared during 136 days of the grazing season. In the experimental system A, 24 calves were rotationally grazed around paddocks followed by 24 pregnant heifers which ate the herbage residue left by the calves. The conventional system B consisted of 24 calves and 24 pregnant heifers maintained at the same overall stocking rate as in system A, but the calves and heifers grazed in completely separate rotations. Half the calves on each system were drenched with an anthelmintic at weekly intervals from mid-July onwards to estimate within systems the effect of gastrointestinal worms on live-weight gain.

Rearing of dairy cattle 6. The effect of length of grazing rotation on animal and herbage production in a grazing system for calves and heifers

1975 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Total Percentage ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Stocking Rates

SUMMARYA rigid system of grazing management was examined for 2 years using rotations of fixed length. Rotations of 21 and 35 days were compared at low (3 calves+ 3 heifers/ha) and high (4 calves+ 4 heifers/ha) stocking rates. The calves and heifers grazed the paddocks on a leader/follower basis.Average growth rates for the 21- and 35-day rotations were respectively 0·75 and 0·78 for calves and 0·78 and 0·83 kg/day for heifers, but these differences were not significant. The 35-day rotation produced 6% more live-weight gain and 4% more herbage dry matter/ha than the 21-day rotation. The high stocking rate produced 14% more live-weight gain but 3% less herbage dry matter/ha than the low stocking rate. The total percentage utilization of herbage dry matter for the whole season was similar for 35- and 21-day rotations, averaging 90%. There were no significant interactions between length of rotation and stocking rate.

Balancing animal, pasture and environmental outcomes in grazing management experiments

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Michalk ◽  
W. B. Badgery ◽  
D. R. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Grassland Management ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Commercial Practice ◽  
Large Plot ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Landscape Variability ◽  
Native Pastures ◽  
Stocking Rates

About 60% of the gross value of Australia’s agriculture (AU$49 billion) is produced from the 85 million ha of temperate grasslands of southern Australia. A large part of this production comes from grazing livestock in the high-rainfall zone (HRZ) where 40% of the area has been retained as native and naturalised pastures, located in variable landscapes. These native pastures have seen a decline in productivity and increasing environmental problems, such as erosion, due to a loss of productive perennial species over recent decades. Grazing management systems have been advocated to not only balance the quality and quantity of forage with the nutritional demands of grazing animals, but also to manage the degradation caused by grazing. There has been an evolution of grazing management research through national projects from Temperate Pasture Sustainability Key Program to Sustainable Grazing Systems and then EverGraze, which has shifted from a focus on small plots and fixed stocking rates, to large-plot and farmlet experiments that include landscape variability and flexible grazing systems that more closely resemble commercial practice. These experiments generate reliable plant and animal response data that can be used to validate system models needed to assess the spatial and temporal challenges of grassland management. The present paper introduces the research conducted at the Orange proof site as part of the national EverGraze program. The research investigated the interactions between landscape variability and grazing method (1-, 4- and 20-paddock grazing management treatments) with flexible stocking rates. The following three key questions were addressed: (1) does increasing the number of paddocks and implementing rotational grazing result in a higher stocking rate, higher per hectare production and better economic outcomes; (2) which is the most appropriate combination of grazing method and stocking rate to achieve a higher and more stable perennial component to improve production and environmental benefits in different parts of the landscape; and (3) can landscape variability be identified, mapped and effectively managed on HRZ native grassland properties? This special edition of Animal Production Science answers these questions and provides recommendations for managing HRZ native pastures.

Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

2010 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 709-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. J. CHEN ◽  
F. J. HOU ◽  
C. MATTHEW ◽  
X. Z. HE
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Grazing Period ◽  
Grazing Behaviour

SUMMARYA simulated grazing system was set up in Huanxian County, Gansu province, on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, involving the purchase of 18-month-old wether lambs in June of each year at c. 20 kg body weight (BW) and sale 6 months later at c. 35 kg BW. Three stocking rate (SR) treatments of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 wether lambs/ha were evaluated on geographically separated warm season (WS) and cold season (CS) paddocks c. 1 km apart; 3 years' data are reported (2004–2006). The metabolizable energy (ME) yield of the grazing system, calculated from the weight of animals fed and their weight gain, averaged 1·7, 3·3 and 4·7 GJ/ha/year for 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively, in the WS and 0·9, 1·9, and 2·7 GJ/ha/year, respectively, in the CS for SR of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 animals/ha. Detailed grazing behaviour records were kept in order to elucidate intake dynamics. In these grazing systems, bite weight was typically c. 0·04 g/bite, lower than for temperate grazing systems at comparable herbage mass. A hypothesis for further study is proposed that this may relate to the distribution of a similar herbage mass over a greater sward height range in steppe vegetation than in temperate grass pasture. Sheep increased their bite rate (bites/min) and the number of steps/min at higher SR to compensate, such that intake/animal was reduced by not more than 10% with a threefold increase in SR. At higher SR, herbage ground cover on grazed plots was still lower than on ungrazed plots, 1 year after a 90-day summer grazing period or a 48-day winter grazing period. The significance of the findings for management of these systems is briefly discussed.

Effect of three day-time stocking rates for dairy cows offered silage overnight

1984 ◽  
Vol 1984 ◽  
pp. 19-19
Author(s):  
D J Roberts ◽  
J D Leaver
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Grazing Season ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Reverse Trend ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Stocking Rates

In a previous study (Phillips and Leaver, 1983) grass silage was offered indoors overnight to dairy cows which were set-stocked during the day. The intakes of herbage DM were high in spring and declined thereafter, with silage DM intakes showing the reverse trend. This suggested that a single daytime stocking rate could be practised throughout the grazing season if silage was available ad libitum as a buffer feed. In this experiment, three daytime stocking rates were compared.In a continuous design experiment lasting 24 weeks (17 April to 5 October 1983) 36 late winter calving Friesian dairy cows and heifers were housed and offered grass silage ad libitum overnight in a feeding passage. During the daytime the cows were set-stocked at 8, 10 or 12 cows/ha. Concentrates were fed at a level of 3 kg/day for weeks 1-16 and 22-24; 5 kg/day were fed for weeks 17-21.

Management of grazing systems

1989 ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Stocking Rates

Recent assessments of the relative importance of stocking rate. stocking policy and grazing management on the output from pastoral systems are used as a starting point to argue the need for objective pasture assessments to aid control of livestock enterprises to meet production targets. Variations in stocking rates, stocking policy and other management practices all provide alternative means of control of pasture conditions which are the major determinants of pasture and animal performance. Understanding of the influence of pasture conditions on systems performance should provide a better basis for management control and for Communication between farmers, extension officers and researchers. Keywords: Stocking rate, pasture condition, pasture cover

The intake and production of lactating Merino ewes and their lambs grazed at different stocking rates

1977 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
JP Langlands
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Milk Consumption ◽  
Total Organic Matter ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Maintenance Requirement ◽  
Stocking Rates

Grass and milk consumption and liveweight changes of lambs grazed at stocking rates ranging from 9 to 35 sheep/ha were measured during a 105 day lactation. Grass consumption and wool production of their mothers and of similar ewes without lambs were also determined. The forage and total organic matter intakes of the lamb increased with time while milk consumption declined; all three variables were negatively correlated with stocking rate. The intake of the ewe and its liveweight gain were not sensitive to increasing stocking rate, but wool production declined at higher stocking rates. The maintenance requirement of the ewes was estimated to be 218 kJ metabolizable energy/kg liveweight, and the efficiency with which metabolizable energy was utilized for milk production was 66%. Lactation increased the intake of the ewe but reduced its wool production.

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