scholarly journals Whole-farm management of soil nutrients drives productive grazing systems: the Cicerone farmlet experiment confirms earlier research

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 649 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. N. Guppy ◽  
C. Edwards ◽  
G. J. Blair ◽  
J. M. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
High Level ◽  
Rainfall Region

The Cicerone Project included a study of three 53-ha farmlets, each subjected to a different management system. The systems varied first in their input of fertilisers and sown pastures and second in their grazing management. Farmlet A undertook a high level of pasture renovation and had soil fertility targets of 60 mg/kg Colwell phosphorus (P) and 10 mg/kg KCl-40 sulfur (S), while farmlets B and C both had a low rate of pasture renovation and targets of 20 mg/kg P and 6.5 mg/kg S. In addition, both farmlets A and B adopted a flexible rotational grazing regime over the eight paddocks of each farmlet, whereas farmlet C, which had 37 paddocks, adopted intensive rotational grazing. This paper first reviews the literature relating to soil fertility research in the summer-dominant rainfall region of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It then examines whether the soil fertility targets set for the farmlets were attained and how the consequences of fertiliser management measured in this trial related to earlier research findings. Fertiliser applications, comprising both capital and maintenance rates, were based on soil test results but at times were constrained by the availability of finance. Soil tests over 5 years indicated that only nitrogen (N), P and S varied with time within the farmlets while the other indices of soil fertility remained similar. Phosphorus and S levels increased in response to fertiliser applications whereas N levels responded to increases in legume composition, which was stimulated by the higher P and S levels. Multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that farmlet productivity was driven by P and S fertility and thus the two farmlets with lower P and S fertility (farmlets B and C) had similar but lower levels of farmlet productivity compared with farmlet A. Significant increases in several measured pasture productivity parameters were observed in response to the higher P and S fertility on farmlet A, especially when climatic conditions were favourable. The results of the Cicerone farmlet experiment confirm the findings of earlier research on the Northern Tablelands, and elsewhere in the high rainfall zone, that has demonstrated that higher soil fertility levels and pasture renovation enhance the productivity of grazing enterprises more than grazing management, without imposing significant risks to the environment.

scholarly journals Climate Effects on Tallgrass Prairie Responses to Continuous and Rotational Grazing

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuting Zhou ◽  
Prasanna H. Gowda ◽  
Pradeep Wagle ◽  
Shengfang Ma ◽  
James P. S. Neel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Grazing Systems

Cattle grazing is an important economic activity in the tallgrass prairie systems in the Great Plains of the United States. Tallgrass prairie may respond differently to grazing management (e.g., high and low grazing intensity) under variable climate conditions. This study investigated the responses of two replicated (rep a and rep b) tallgrass prairie systems to continuous (C) and rotational (R) grazing under different climate conditions over a decade (2008–2017). The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) were compared between grazing systems (C vs. R), while EVI was compared among paddocks under rotational grazing to show the impacts of time since grazing. The average EVI in rep a was usually higher than that in rep b which could be explained by different land characteristics (e.g., soil types) associated with different landscape positions. Similar to EVI, GPP was usually higher in rep a than rep b. The average growing season EVI and GPP were higher in rotational grazing than continuous grazing in rep b but not in rep a. The average EVI of paddocks in rotational grazing systems only converged in the growing season-long drought year (2011). In other years, EVI values varied from year to year and no paddock consistently outperformed others. The variations in EVI among rotational grazing paddocks in both reps were relatively small, indicating that rotational grazing generated an even grazing pressure on vegetation at annual scale. Overall, climate and inherent pasture conditions were the major drivers of plant productivity. However, the stocking rate in continuous grazing systems were reduced over years because of deteriorating pasture conditions. Thus, the results indirectly indicate that rotational grazing improved grassland productivity and had higher stocking capacity than continuous grazing systems under variable climate conditions. Adaptive grazing management (adjustment in stocking rates and season of use to adapt to changing climatic conditions) instead of a fixed management system might be better for farmers to cooperate with changing climatic conditions.

Sustainable grazing systems for the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. 5. A bioeconomic framework for assessing the long-term economic benefits of grazing management tactics and implications for sustainability

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Jones ◽  
P. M. Dowling ◽  
D. L. Michalk ◽  
W. McG. King
Keyword(s):  
Programming Model ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Sustainable Grazing ◽  
Management Tactics

There have been significant declines in the perennial grass (PG) content in native and sown pastures across temperate Australia. Not only has this reduced agricultural productivity, it has contributed to more serious degradation, such as loss of soil and biodiversity, decreasing water quality, and dryland salinity caused by rising watertables. Results from the Sustainable Grazing Systems Key Program (SGS) research undertaken at Carcoar on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales were reported by Michalk et al. (2003). This research indicated that grazing management tactics can be used to manipulate pasture composition, thereby changing animal production and water-use patterns. The main grazing tactic investigated was termed a summer grazing rest, where resting was imposed in late spring if PG composition was <50%. Reported in this present paper is an economic framework for valuing the long-term benefits of grazing management tactics. The framework involves the development of a bioeconomic modelling system that links a dynamic programming model with biophysical models for water and environmental processes, soil fertility, pasture growth, livestock energy requirements and the change in pasture species composition. The study concludes that long-term economic returns are improved by strategies, e.g. a summer rest, that lead to an increase in PG composition over time. The study also determined that environmental factors, such as deep drainage, runoff and soil loss, are reduced as perenniality is increased.

Improving sustainability of residential homes: occupants motivation and behaviour

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick X.W. Zou ◽  
Rebecca J. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Improvement Measures ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
High Level

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate residential occupants’ motivations and behaviour on energy savings. Energy consumption in residential buildings is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Design/methodology/approach – By using an online survey questionnaire instrument, this research collected 504 sets of responses from households in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Findings – Through statistical analysis of the data collected, this research found that construction cost and government incentive were considered as the major influencing factors on achieving energy-efficient residential building development, and the lower bills resulted from the reduced energy and water consumption were considered as the most important benefits. The research also found that many households exhibited a high level of awareness and had implemented some sustainability improvement measures. It is suggested, based on these research findings, that governments should articulate, by means of education, the rationale and benefits of sustainable home development that are identified in this research and reduce material costs and increase government incentives. Originality/value – A framework on improving residential sustainability was proposed in this paper. Stakeholders in the sustainable home supply chain could use this framework as a reference to pave the way for energy efficient home development from their perspective

WHITE CLOVER OPTIONS FOR SHEEPFARMING IN SOUTHERN REGIONS OF NEW ZEALAND

1989 ◽  
pp. 175-179
Author(s):  
D.L. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Rotational Grazing

Four white clover cultivars 'Grasslands tluia', 'Grasslands Tahora', 'Grasslands Kopu' and 'Grasslands Pit& were evaluated at Grasslands Division, Gore, for 4 years, under 2 grazing managements. Year round rotational grazing was compared with rotational grazing incorporating a 1 P-week period of set stocking during spring. Huia was the best cultivar under both grazing managements. Tahora yields were comparable with those of Huia in spring and summer, and ryegrass yields were best in Tahora wards. The larger leaved and less stoloniferous Kopu and Pitau were not suited to the climatic conditions or the mtensive sheep grazing practices of the region. Keywords: Trifolium repens, Huia, Tahora, Pitau. KOPU, grazing management, stolon morphology, persistence, sheepfarming

scholarly journals Livestock weights in response to three whole-farmlet management systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Hinch ◽  
J. Hoad ◽  
M. Lollback ◽  
S. Hatcher ◽  
R. Marchant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Similar Range

This paper reports changes in livestock weights recorded in a whole-farmlet experiment, which aimed to examine the profitability and sustainability of three different pasture and grazing management strategies. The assessment of liveweights was considered a key component of measuring the integrated effects of the farmlet-scale treatments. The three farmlets comprised a typical management regime, which employed flexible rotational grazing over eight paddocks with moderate soil fertility (farmlet B), a system based on the same grazing management and paddock number but with higher levels of sown pasture and soil fertility (farmlet A) and a farmlet with moderate soil fertility and intensive rotational grazing over 37 paddocks (farmlet C). Early in the experimental period, there were no significant differences between farmlets in the liveweight of any class of livestock. However, from the second year onwards, as the pasture renovation, soil fertility and grazing management treatments took effect, differences in liveweight between farmlets became more apparent and significant. The stocking rate, which was treated as an emergent property of each farmlet, reached a maximum annual average value after 5 years of 12.6, 8.5 and 7.7 dry sheep equivalents (dse)/ha on farmlets A, B and C representing 84, 113 and 51% of their respective target stocking rates which were 15, 7.5 and 15 dse/ha. The liveweights of ewes, both before joining and during pregnancy, varied with year and farmlet with those on farmlets A and B tending to be significantly heavier than those on farmlet C. From 2003 to 2006, liveweights were significantly (P < 0.001) affected by a wide array of factors and their interactions including: date, ewe age, green digestible herbage, legume herbage mass, proportion of farmlet grazed, stocking rate and level of supplementary feeding. The weights of lambs/weaners/hoggets, both pre- and post-weaning, were at times also higher on farmlets A and B compared with those on farmlet C and were affected by a similar range of factors to those which affected ewe weights. Similar relative differences also applied to the liveweights of the other livestock run on the farmlets, namely wethers and non-reproductive cattle. The results suggest that stocking rate was able to be increased towards the higher target of farmlet A due to the higher level of pasture renovation and soil fertility on that farmlet, which led to high liveweights per head as well as the higher stocking rate. However, as the stocking rate increased on farmlet A, the differences between farmlets in liveweight per head diminished and the need for supplementary feeding increased. In contrast, the intensive rotational grazing practised on farmlet C did not allow the farmlet to increase its stocking rate towards its higher target. It appears that the higher proportion of each of farmlets A and B grazed at any one time allowed all classes of livestock to reach higher liveweights per head than on farmlet C, due presumably to the greater proportion of those two farmlets grazed at any one time.

Effects of four grazing management systems on the production and persistence of dryland lucerne in central western New South Wales

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (62) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Brownlee
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
South Wales

During an experiment conducted for eighteen months at Condobolin, New South Wales, the production and persistence of dryland lucerne grazed by Merino wethers at 10 ha-1 yr-1 were measured under set stocking and three rotational grazing treatments differing in length of spelling period between grazings (grazed one week in four, six or eight weeks). The results showed that although dry matter availability and lucerne survival increased with decreased grazing frequency, only 35 per cent of the lucerne survived in the treatment with the slowest rotation.

Changes in botanical composition on three farmlets subjected to different pasture and grazing management strategies

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 670 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Shakhane ◽  
J. M. Scott ◽  
R. Murison ◽  
C. Mulcahy ◽  
G. N. Hinch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Tall Grass ◽  
Soil P

As part of the Cicerone Project’s farmlet experiment, conducted on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, between July 2000 and December 2006, this study assessed the effects of varying soil fertility, pasture species and grazing management on the botanical composition of three 53-ha farmlets subjected to different management strategies. Starting with the same initial conditions, the farmlets were managed to reach different target levels of soil phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S); Farmlet A aimed at 60 mg/kg of Colwell P and 10 mg/kg S (KCl40) whereas Farmlets B and C both aimed at 20 and 6.5 mg/kg of P and S, respectively. Pastures were renovated on six out of eight paddocks on Farmlet A, but only one paddock of each of Farmlets B (typical management) and C (intensive rotational grazing) was renovated. Flexible rotational grazing was employed on Farmlets A and B (each of eight paddocks) while Farmlet C used intensive rotational grazing over its 17 major paddocks, which were further subdivided into 37 subpaddocks. This paper focuses on the botanical composition dynamics observed across all three farmlets and the explanatory variables associated with those changes. Eight assessments of botanical composition were carried out at approximately annual intervals across each of the 37 major paddocks distributed across the farmlets and the results for each of 49 species were aggregated into seven functional groups for analysis. The strongest correlation found was a negative curvilinear relationship between sown perennial grasses (SPG) and warm-season grasses (WSG). The most significant factors affecting the functional group changes were soil P, sowing phase, paddock and date. These factors led to significant increases in SPG and correspondingly lower levels of WSG on Farmlet A compared with Farmlet B. Farmlets B and C experienced similar, declining levels of SPG, and increasing levels of WSG suggesting that intensive rotational grazing did not lead to substantial changes in botanical composition, compared with flexible rotational grazing, in spite of the fact that intensive rotational grazing had much longer grazing rests and shorter graze periods than the other two farmlets. Soil P levels were also significantly associated with levels of cool-season annual grasses, legumes and herbs, especially on Farmlet A. In general, the largest differences in botanical composition were between Farmlet A and the other two farmlets; these differences were most closely associated with those plants categorised as sown, introduced, C3 pasture species. The levels of legume were generally low on all farmlets, due largely to the dry seasons experienced over most of the trial. Efforts to increase the legume composition on all farmlets were more successful on Farmlet A than on the other two farmlets due, presumably, to higher soil fertility on Farmlet A. Farmlet C, with its long rest periods and short graze periods, had a small proportion of legumes, due to the competitive effects of the accumulated tall grass herbage between grazings. The ‘typical’ management of Farmlet B also resulted in low levels of legume as well as increased ‘patchiness’ of the pastures and increased numbers of thistles.

The effects of grazing management systems on growth and nematode infections of beef cattle

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 825 ◽  
Author(s):  
MG Smeal ◽  
PJ Nicholls ◽  
GG Robinson ◽  
JK Bowler ◽  
RF Webb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Adult Cattle ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Pasture Contamination ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Different grazing management systems were used in autumn and winter on the Tablelands of New South Wales to reduce parasitic infectivity of pastures. The grazing systems were: pasture ungrazed; pasture grazed by undosed adult cattle, by frequently dosed calves, or by sheep. Pasture infectivity was assessed by worm counts made on parasite-free tracer calves during spring, and on permanently grazing steers during summer and the following autumn. Also, liveweight gains of young beef cattle which were dosed and moved to prepared pastures in late July were compared with those of cattle grazing on pastures which had been contaminated by undosed calves. All the grazing systems resulted in reduced levels of pasture contamination with worm eggs, and lower worm burdens of Ostevtagia ostevtagi and other nematodes during spring and early summer. The effects of grazing systems were reflected in greater liveweight responses compared with those of cattle grazing contaminated pasture. Grazing with sheep or adult cattle and using ungrazed pasture produced significant gains of up to 57 kg head-l during spring and summer. In some Tableland areas, continuous grazing of prepared pastures from July to December led to clinical parasitism in summer. The results suggest that pastures were freshly contaminated during spring which, in turn, resulted in a massive increase in O. ostevtagi burdens during summer.

GRAZING SYSTEMS FOR EWES AND LAMBS

1962 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. Calder ◽  
J. W. G. Nicholson ◽  
H. M. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Period ◽  
The Other ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Creep Feeding ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Internal Parasites ◽  
Grazing Systems

Two experiments were conducted to compare forward creep grazing of lambs with other grazing management systems for ewes and lambs. In the first experiment, forward creep grazing with and without creep feeding of concentrates was compared with rotational grazing, using 7 ewes with single lambs per plot of [Formula: see text] acres. The first lambs reached market weight by the 57th day of the experiment, at which time the average lamb gains were higher on the creep grazed-creep fed groups, but there was no difference in the gains on the other two systems. The experiment was continued for 35 days and during this period the lamb gains on the creep grazed plots were higher than on the rotationally grazed areas. This later period coincided with a period of reduced herbage growth due to below normal precipitation. The average daily gains for the entire experimental period were.45,.51 and.57 pounds for rotational, creep, and creep fed-creep grazed systems respectively.In the second experiment, forward creep grazing was compared with rotational grazing and free range grazing, using a higher stocking rate of 8 ewes and 10 lambs per plot. The average daily gains for the experiment were.38,.40 and.34 pounds for rotational, creep grazed, and free range systems respectively. The differences between grazing systems were not statistically significant at P = 0.05. Both the ewe and lamb gains were lower on the free-range system than on the other systems. The ewe gains were higher on the rotationally grazed areas than the forward creep grazed areas in both experiments. This indicates that forward creep grazing of lambs can be advantageous under conditions where herbage is abundant.Evidence obtained from helminth ova counts on fecal samples, and examination of representative digestive tracts of the lambs marketed, indicated that the forward creep grazing of lambs reduced but did not prevent a build-up of internal parasites.

Sheep camping influences soil properties and pasture production in an acidic soil of New South Wales, Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yining Niu ◽  
Guangdi Li ◽  
Lingling Li ◽  
K Yin Chan ◽  
Albert Oates
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Acidic Soil ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
South Wales

This paper reports sheep camping influences on soil chemical and physical properties, and pasture dry matter (DM) production of an acidic soil on the southwest slopes of New South Wales, Australia. The experiment was conducted in the spring (October-November) of 2005 on a long-term field experimental site after 13 yr of rotational grazing. The factors considered were sheep camping (distance from the camping site), pasture type (perennial vs. annual pastures) and lime application (limed vs. unlimed treatments). Over 13 yr of rotational grazing, significant amounts of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were deposited near the sheep camping site via the deposition of animal excreta. Total C increased from 32.8 g kg-1 20 m away from the camping site to 41.9 g kg-1 at the camping site in 0-5 cm soil depth. The Colwell P increased from 44.0 to 125.9 mg kg-1 from the non-camping area to the camping site in 0-5 cm soil depth. The most interesting result from the current study is that soil bulk density decreased as the intensity of camping increased. On the perennial pastures, soil bulk density was 0.96 and 1.34 g cm-3 at the camping site in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil depths, respectively, whereas soil bulk density was 1.14 and 1.39 g cm-3 at 20 m away from the camping site at the corresponding soil depths. Across pasture types, mean pasture DM was highest at the camping site (7.3 and 6.6 t ha-1 for the limed and unlimed pastures, respectively), and lowest 20 m away from the camping site (5.4 and 4.5 t ha-1 for the limed and unlimed pastures, respectively). The vigorous pasture growth and high organic matter at the camping site may have had a "cushioning effect", thereby reducing soil compaction. However, this camping effect was confined to within 5 m of the camping site. It is concluded that sheep camping can create spatial heterogeneity in soil chemical and physical properties. The non-uniform influence on pasture productivity and composition could be minimised by altering the grazing management strategies, such as periodic relocation of the site of shelter, or further subdivision of the grazing paddock, if necessary. Key words: Soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bulk density, grazing management

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