scholarly journals Agroforestry - an opportunity overlooked?

1990 ◽  
pp. 55-58
Author(s):  
M.F. Hawke ◽  
J.P. Maclaren
Keyword(s):  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country

Agroforestry is defined, and shown to be a very profitable option for hill country farmers. It is suggested that agroforestry should be part of a normal farm portfolio of investments. A 30 to 50-hectare woodlot can be worth a million dollars to the grower, and thus be worth more than the rest of the farm combined. Research on agroforestry by combined forestry and agricultural scientists has been extensive, and many potential useful discoveries have been made. Worthwhile pasture production can be achieved for half of the tree rotation and good livestock performance is possible under low tree populations. Nevertheless, this technology has not been taken up by farmers, possibly because profit from trees is not considered to be an important use of trees, as two surveys indicate. Keywords agroforestry, profitability, opportunity, potential, hill country

Pasture production measurements on hill country

1968 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.E. Radcliffe ◽  
W.R. Dale ◽  
E. Viggers
Keyword(s):  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country

Seasonal and fertilizer effects on the organic cycle and microbial biomass in a hill country soil under pasture

Soil Research ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
KW Perrott ◽  
SU Sarathchandra ◽  
BW Dow
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Sodium Bicarbonate ◽  
Organic Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Phosphorus Uptake ◽  
Phosphate Fertilizer ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Soil Microbial

A two year investigation of soil phosphorus and the soil organic cycle was carried out on a typical hill country site in the North Island, New Zealand. This included investigation of changes in soil phosphorus, as well as seasonal and fertilizer (superphosphate) effects on soil microbial phosphorus and sulfur, sodium bicarbonate extractable phosphorus and calcium chloride extractable sulfur. No net utilization of soil organic phosphorus occurred when application of phosphate fertilizer was withheld. On the contrary, accumulation of organic phosphorus was found in both fertilized and unfertilized plots. Immobilization of inorganic phosphorus into organic forms appeared to be a significant factor in fertilizer phosphorus requirements at this site. It was also a significant cause of the decline in the soil phosphorus status when no fertilizer was applied. Despite declining pasture production, there were no effects of withholding superphosphate on the soil biological cycle as measured by soil microbial phosphorus and sulfur, total organic phosphorus and sodium bicarbonate extractable organic phosphorus. However, seasonal variations occurred indicating storage and release of phosphorus by the soil organic matter and microbial biomass. Release of phosphorus occurred during periods of rapid pasture growth and could account for phosphorus uptake by the pasture at those times.

scholarly journals Pasture production gains from strategic winter nitrogen applications on a North Island sheep and beef hill country farm

2008 ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.R. Puha ◽  
W.Mcg King ◽  
V.T. Burggraaf ◽  
A.H.C. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Late Autumn ◽  
Major Constraint ◽  
Key Words Nitrogen

Inadequate pasture growth from September to November has been a major constraint on animal production at Limestone Downs, Port Waikato. In an attempt to address this, urea was applied by air in two applications per year (late autumn + winter) at rates up to 250 kg N/ha/year for each of 3 years (2004-2007). Key words: nitrogen, slope, aspect, pasture growth, fertiliser response

scholarly journals Comparison of phosphate fertilisers in a grazed hill country pasture

1990 ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.D. Mackay
Keyword(s):  
Phosphate Rock ◽  
Slow Release ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Reactive Phosphate Rock ◽  
Small Plot ◽  
Second Year

A grazing trial evaluated the agronomic effectiveness of 3 different types of phosphate (P) fertilisers. The same fertilisers were also evaluated in a small-plot mowing trial located within the grazing trial. In the grazing trial, which covered 35 ha of summer moist hill country, the partially acidulated phosphate rock (PAPR) and reactive phosphate rock (RPR) were as effective as superphosphate in stimulating legume and pasture production in the first year. In the second year the two slow-release materials continued to perform as well as SSP. In contrast in the mowing trial, superphosphate was more effective than RPR in the first year. This trial technique clearly underestimates the initial effectiveness of PAPR and RPR in grazed hill country. The traditional small-plot mowing trial technique, and the role of PAPR and RPR fertilisers in hill country, both need re-evaluation. Keywords hill country, superphosphate, slow release fertilisers, mowing trials, grazed pasture

scholarly journals Modelling hill country pasture production: a decision tree approach

2004 ◽  
pp. 195-201
Author(s):  
B.S. Zhang ◽  
I. Valentine ◽  
P.D. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Decision Tree ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
The North ◽  
Hill Slope ◽  
Tree Models ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Decision tree models were applied to predict annual and seasonal pasture production and investigate the interactions between pasture production and environmental and management factors in the North Island hill country. The results showed that spring rainfall was the most important factor influencing annual pasture production, while hill slope was the most important factor influencing spring and winter production. Summer and autumn rainfall were the most important factors influencing summer and autumn production respectively. The decision tree models for annual, spring, summer, autumn and winter pasture production correctly predicted 82%, 71%, 90%, 88% and 90 % of cases in the model validation. By integrating with a geographic information system (GIS), the outputs of these decision tree models can be used as a tool for pasture management in assessing the impacts of alternative phosphorus fertiliser application strategies, or potential climate change, such as summer drought on hill pasture production. This can assist farmers in making decisions such as setting stocking rate and assessing feed supply. Keywords: data mining, decision tree, GIS, hill slope, rainfall

scholarly journals SOIL SLIP EROSION AS A CONSTRAINT TO HILL COUNTRY PASTURE PRODUCTION

1984 ◽  
pp. 66-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Trustrum ◽  
V.J. Thomas ◽  
M.G. Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Potential Productivity ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Soil Slip ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques

The results and implications of applying remote sensing techniques together with pasture measurements to quantify the influence of soil slip erosion oh hill country pasture productivity in the Wairarapa are reviewed. Sequential aerial photographs were used to identify, date, and measure the area of slip scars of different age. The reduction in potential productivity of hillslopes due to erosion was then determined by measuring the pasture growth ratesof the different aged slips (and uneroded ground) and integrating these with the proportions of the hillslopes of each age class. Three years of pasture measurements in the Wairarapa hill country showed that although slips revegetated rapidly over the first 20 years to within 7080% of the uneroded productivity, further recovery was slow. Our evidence suggests that these man-modified forest soils, once eroded, may never regain the same potential for agricultural production under a pasture regime. Reduction in pasture production associated with erosion was most severe in summer and mid-winter when farmers have the highest risk of major feed deficits. Since native forest removal, the reduction due to erosion in potential pastoral productivity, integrated over whole hillslopes, has reached 18% on these hillslopes. An estimation of the extent to which improved farming technology has probably masked this reduction in potential productivity is discussed. On hillslopes where severe erosion occurs continually, farmers will be faced with increasing difficulty in maintaining animal production levels unless soil conservation and farm management strategies are designed to further mask the impacts of erosion and thereby prolong the viability of pastoral agriculture on such hill country. Keywords: soil slip erosion; pasture production; hillslope; potential pasture production; hill country pasture; erosion rate; farm management technology; physiographic areas; fertiliser level.

scholarly journals Moving from exploring on-farm opportunities with a single to a multi-year focus: Implications for decision making

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Rendel ◽  
A.D. Mackay ◽  
P.N. Smale ◽  
I. Vogeler
Keyword(s):  
Annual Variation ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Small Difference ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Farm Systems ◽  
Optimisation Model ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Farm System

In pastoral grazing farm systems there is growing awareness of the importance of including year to year variation in pasture grown when analysing and designing appropriate and more profitable systems. Few authors have clarified how an optimal farm system incorporates inter-temporal variability. This paper shows for a Whanganui hill country sheep and beef farm, that inclusion of inter-annual variation in pasture growth rate results in a more dynamic farm system than when only average pasture production data are used in a new, multi-year farm optimisation model. The variation in stock numbers, sale dates and pasture covers were quantified, as was the variation in farm profitability (measured as Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation, EBITDA). Interestingly, there was only a small difference in Net Present Value between the two approaches over 10 year's simulation. Keywords: farm systems, variability, INFORM, multiyear

scholarly journals COMMENTS ON THE GRAZING MANAGEMENT SESSION

1984 ◽  
pp. 207-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Milligan
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Critical Levels ◽  
Research Environment ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Better Than

This collection of papers does four significant things: 1. It concentrates on hill country. 2. Precisely defines the research environment in pasture levels and animal production terms. One can clearly see the consequences in animal production at different times of the year when pre-grazing and residual herbage levels are defined and varied and to see the effects of different grazing systems at these pasture levels. Much better than high vs low stocking rates. 3. Attempts to set pature targets as well as animal production targets. 4. Defines critical pasture DM levels both below which pasture production is reduced, and above which control is lost. The proximity to these critical levels will, for a farmer, more precisely define the grazing management system he should adopt and the levels of animal production he should be able to achieve

Revegetation of erosion scars in Wairarapa hill country

1993 ◽  
pp. 177-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.G. Lambert ◽  
N.A. Trustrum ◽  
D.A. Costall ◽  
A.G. Foote
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Grazing Rate ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Rate Of Recovery ◽  
Lotus Pedunculatus

revegetation of erosion scars, 3 fertiliser and 3 seeding treatments were applied to plots on 8 recent scars in the Wairarapa, half each on northerly or southerly aspects. Four scars were grazed, and 4 were not grazed for the first 2% years. Fertiliser treatments were no fertiliser, superphosphate, and superphosphate plus nitrogen. Seedin.g treatments were no seed, a slowestablishing mixture, and a fast-establishing mixture. Changes in vegetative cover were monitored during years 0 to 2l/, and pasture production during years 3% to 5%. Conclusions include: rate of recovery of pastures can be greatly increased by not grazing for 2-3 years and sowing white clover and Lotus pedunculatus; spaceplanting hill slopes with suitable tree species could be accomplished at the same time; if slips are not spelled from grazing, rate of slip revegetation and subsequent productivity from oversowing white clover can be reduced. Keywords: erosion, fencing, fertiliser, hill pastures, oversowing, production, revegetation, slips

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