Grazing management: setting the table, designing the menu and influencing the diner

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Gregorini ◽  
Juan J. Villalba ◽  
Pablo Chilibroste ◽  
Frederick D. Provenza
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Nutrient Excretion ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Wide Range

Pastoral livestock-production systems are under increasing environmental, social and consumer pressures to reduce environmental impacts and to enhance biodiversity and animal welfare. At the same time, farmers face the challenge of managing grazing, which is intimately linked with profitability. Recent advances in understanding grazing patterns and nutritional ecology may help alleviate such pressures. For instance, by managing grazing to (1) manipulate links between ingestive–digestive decisions and temporal patterns of nutrient excretion, (2) provide phytochemically diverse diets at appropriate temporal (the menu) and spatial (the table) scales and (3) influence the behaviour of animals (the diners) on the basis of their specific ‘personalities’ and needs, to overcome or enhance animal differences, thereby enhancing their and farm productivity and welfare, as well as our health. Under pastoral systems, synergies between animals’ and farmers’ grazing decisions have the potential to offer greater benefits to the animal, the environment and the farm than does simple and parsimonious grazing management based on a single component of the system. In the present review, we look at grazing and its management through an alternate lens, drawing ideas and hypotheses to stimulate thinking, dialogue and discussions that we anticipate will evolve into innovative research programs and grazing strategies. To do so, we combined experimental and observational studies from a wide range of disciplines with simulation-modelling exercises. We envisage a more holistic approach to manage grazing based on recent advances in the understanding of the nutritional ecology of grazing animals, and propose management practices that may enable pastoral livestock-production systems to evolve continually as complex creative systems.

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 ethical basis of intensive livestock production systems

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 266-266
Author(s):  
G. Gatward
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Animal Rights Movement ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Impact

Many of the ethical issues regarding the livestock production systems of the late twentieth century have concentrated on the process of intensification. The extent of public disquiet at the welfare and ethical implications of intensification has been reflected in the burgeoning membership of animal welfare and animal rights organisations. The reasons for this increase as well as the impact that it has had on the livestock industry can be traced back to the 1960s, to factors such as the growing urbanisation of the population and especially the emergence of the animal rights movement which focused attention on a wide range of issues including the human exploitation of other animal species. This in turn led to a demarcation between those who supported the animal welfare cause and those who argued for animal rights.

Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Moran ◽  
Philip Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Tropics

Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming provides insight into the logistics, infrastructure and management required for the development of small and large dairy farms in tropical developing countries. Farmers will learn how to improve the welfare, milk quality and productivity of their dairy herds. This book complements author John Moran’s five previous books on the principles of tropical dairy farming. The manual covers a wide range of topics related to ensuring the sustainability of dairy production systems in tropical developing countries, such as South and East Asia, Africa and Central America. It also provides guidelines for the best management practices of large-scale, more intensive dairy systems. While smallholder farms are the major suppliers of milk in the tropics, many larger farms are becoming established throughout the tropics to satisfy the increasing demands for fresh milk. Blueprints for Tropical Dairy Farming will be a valuable resource for farmers and stockpeople who want to improve the productive performance of their dairy herds, farm advisers who can assist farmers to achieve this aim, educators who develop training programs for farmers or who train dairy advisers in the basics of dairy production technology, and other stakeholders in tropical dairy production, such as local agribusiness, policy makers and research scientists. National and international agencies will learn new insights into the required long-term logistics for regional dairy development, while potential investors will acquire knowledge into intensive tropical dairy farming.

The ethical basis of intensive livestock production systems

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 245-245
Author(s):  
G. Gatward
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Animal Rights Movement ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Impact

Many of the ethical issues regarding the livestock production systems of the late twentieth century have concentrated on the process of intensification. The extent of public disquiet at the welfare and ethical implications of intensification has been reflected in the burgeoning membership of animal welfare and animal rights organisations. The reasons for this increase as well as the impact that it has had on the livestock industry can be traced back to the 1960s, to factors such as the growing urbanisation of the population and especially the emergence of the animal rights movement which focused attention on a wide range of issues including the human exploitation of other animal species. This in turn led to a demarcation between those who supported the animal welfare cause and those who argued for animal rights.

scholarly journals Rapid Quantitative Assessment of Rhizoctonia Resistance in Roots of Selected Wheat and Barley Genotypes

Plant Disease ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 640-644
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Okubara ◽  
Natalie Leston ◽  
Ute Micknass ◽  
Karl-Heinz Kogel ◽  
Jafargholi Imani
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Genetic Resistance ◽  
Bare Patch ◽  
Rhizoctonia Root Rot ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Barley Genotypes

Rhizoctonia solani AG8, causal agent of Rhizoctonia root rot and bare patch in dryland cereal production systems of the Pacific Northwest United States and Australia, reduces yields in a wide range of crops. Disease is not consistently controlled by available management practices, so genetic resistance would be a desirable resource for growers. In this report, we describe three rapid and low-cost assays for R. solani AG8 resistance in wheat and barley, with the view of facilitating screens for genetic resistance in these hosts. The first assay uses 50-ml conical centrifuge tubes containing soil infested with R. solani AG8 on a substrate of ground oats. The second assay uses roots of 3-day-old seedlings directly coated with infested ground oats, followed by incubation in plastic dishes. The third assay, suitable for barley, uses whole infested oat kernels in 50-ml tubes. Symptoms are quantified on the bases of root fresh weight and total root length at 7 and 3 days for the tube and coating assays, respectively. Each of the assays show the same disease differential between susceptible and partially resistant wheat genotypes. The assays can be conducted in the laboratory, growth chamber, or greenhouse.

scholarly journals Will current rotational grazing management recommendations suit future intensive pastoral systems?

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny Donaghy ◽  
Racheal Bryant ◽  
Lydia Cranston ◽  
Michael Egan ◽  
Wendy Griffiths ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
Good Agreement

This review aimed to determine whether current grazing management practices will suit future intensive rotationally grazed pastoral systems. A review of literature on grazing management recommendations found that there was good agreement on the ‘principles’ required for optimal grazing management. While these management practices have stood the test of time, it is concluded that shifts in external pressures (e.g., climate, plant selection and breeding, system intensification) compared to the period when farm-level grazing recommendations were first developed, may necessitate a rethink of current grazing recommendations. Examples include greater pasture masses (e.g., around 4000 kg dry matter (DM)/ha vs. the recommended range of 2600 to 3200 kg DM/ha) where short-rotation (annual, biennial) and tetraploid ryegrasses are sown, provided a consistent post-grazing residual can be maintained (possibly between 40- and 70- mm height). Milder winters and the use of ryegrass cultivars with higher growth rates in late winter/early spring may necessitate either lower target pasture covers at calving or shorter rotation lengths during winter. Longer grazing rotations (well beyond the 3-leaf stage, i.e., equivalent to deferred grazing) can be recommended for select paddocks from mid-spring into summer, to increase seasonal resilience across the farm. Longer residuals (even up to 70 mm - i.e., almost double the recommended height) might improve plant survival during periods of high stress (e.g., heatwaves, droughts). Lastly, diverse species pastures may require specific management to suit dominant species other than perennial ryegrass.

scholarly journals Economic valuation of grazing management practices: discrete choice modeling in pastoral systems of Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alphayo I. Lutta ◽  
Lance W. Robinson ◽  
Oliver V. Wasonga ◽  
Eric Ruto ◽  
Jason Sircely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Choice Modeling ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Discrete Choice Modeling

scholarly journals Tapping Into the Environmental Co-benefits of Improved Tropical Forages for an Agroecological Transformation of Livestock Production Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
An M. O. Notenbaert ◽  
Sabine Douxchamps ◽  
Daniel M. Villegas ◽  
Jacobo Arango ◽  
Birthe K. Paul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global South ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
System Transformation ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Livestock Systems

Livestock are critical for incomes, livelihoods, nutrition and ecosystems management throughout the global South. Livestock production and the consumption of livestock-based foods such as meat, cheese, and milk is, however, under global scrutiny for its contribution to global warming, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water use, pollution, and land/soil degradation. This paper argues that, although the environmental footprint of livestock production presents a real threat to planetary sustainability, also in the global south, this is highly contextual. Under certain context-specific management regimes livestock can deliver multiple benefits for people and planet. We provide evidence that a move toward sustainable intensification of livestock production is possible and could mitigate negative environmental impacts and even provide critical ecosystem services, such as improved soil health, carbon sequestration, and enhanced biodiversity on farms. The use of cultivated forages, many improved through selection or breeding and including grasses, legumes and trees, in integrated crop-tree-livestock systems is proposed as a stepping stone toward agroecological transformation. We introduce cultivated forages, explain their multi-functionality and provide an overview of where and to what extent the forages have been applied and how this has benefited people and the planet alike. We then examine their potential to contribute to the 13 principles of agroecology and find that integrating cultivated forages in mixed crop-tree-livestock systems follows a wide range of agroecological principles and increases the sustainability of livestock production across the globe. More research is, however, needed at the food system scale to fully understand the role of forages in the sociological and process aspects of agroecology. We make the case for further genetic improvement of cultivated forages and strong multi-disciplinary systems research to strengthen our understanding of the multidimensional impacts of forages and for managing agro-environmental trade-offs. We finish with a call for action, for the agroecological and livestock research and development communities to improve communication and join hands for a sustainable agri-food system transformation.

PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION OF IMPROVED GRASSES AND FORAGE LEGUMES FOR SMALLHOLDER LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL AMERICA

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDWIN GARCIA ◽  
PABLO SILES ◽  
LISA EASH ◽  
REIN VAN DER HOEK ◽  
SEAN P. KEARNEY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Participatory Evaluation ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Forage Legumes ◽  
Cattle Systems ◽  
Livestock Systems

SUMMARYSmallholder livestock systems in Central America are typically based on pastures with traditional grasses and associated management practices, such as pasture burning and extensive grazing. With the rise of the global population and a corresponding increase in demand for meat and milk production, research efforts have focused on the development of improved grasses and the incorporation of legume species that can increase productivity and sustainability of Central American livestock systems. However, farmer adoption remains very limited, in part due to the lack of site-specific evaluation and recommendations by local institutions. Using a multi-site participatory approach, this study examined the potential of five improved grasses and five species of forage legumes as alternatives to the broadly disseminated grass Hyparrhenia rufa (cv. Jaragua) in pasture-based cattle systems in western Honduras and northern El Salvador. Improved grasses (four Brachiaria sp. and Megathyrsus maximus) produced significantly more biomass than H. rufa; also four of the five legume varieties evaluated (Canavalia ensiformis, Canavalia brasiliensis, Vigna unguiculata, and Vigna radiata) demonstrated high adaptability to diverse environmental conditions across sites. Farmer participatory evaluation offers a valuable means to assess performance of forages and will likely contribute to their improved utilization. Future research is needed on more refined management recommendations, pasture system design, costs and environmental benefits associated with the adoption of these forages in local livestock production systems.

ANIMAL AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIC BRADFORD
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Pastoral Systems

Livestock play a very important role in the agriculture of most developing countries, accounting on average for an estimated half of agricultural output through their direct and indirect contributions. Major functions include: production of human-edible food from human-inedible forages, crop residues and by-products; concentrating nutrients, thus increasing the quality of food and producing high-value products for sale; serving as a source of savings and income for producers who lack access to banks or credit; recycling plant nutrients and improving soil fertility; serving as a food reserve; and providing draft power. Crop-livestock systems are in general more stable and more productive than cropping systems alone. A perceived problem due to livestock is overgrazing and environmental degradation, but these are usually the result of human mismanagement of the animals. Traditional pastoral systems can be not only persistent, but ecologically sound. The currently observed problems associated with pastoral systems in arid and semi-arid lands are more likely to result from breakdown of traditional management practices due to human population increase and external intervention or social changes, or from abiotic factors such as climatic variation, than from flaws in the traditional system. Research and development programs can increase the contributions of animals to the well-being of their owners and to the economies of developing countries. Some areas with high potential include: evaluation of local genetic resources; assessment of feed resources and design of economical, efficient supplementation strategies; and reduction of costs of disease control by development of multivalent vaccines. There are opportunities for large increases in efficiency of resource utilization and animal productivity. However, a more thorough understanding of social and economic as well as biological aspects of production systems than has usually existed in development projects is essential for interventions, where they are indicated, to be effective. Key words: Food quality, efficiency, production systems, sustainability, genetic resources, animal traction

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