ROTATIONAL GRAZING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 75, 10 March 1933, Page 11

ROTATIONAL GRAZING

MAXIMUM FEED VALUE PRACTISED IN HAWKE'S BAY. SMALL PADDOCKS USED. Rotational grazing as a fanning practice is gradually increasing in Hawke’s Bay. With subdivision of fields, and controlled grazing in conjunction with more complete manorial programmes, farmers are finding that they are obtaining Setter returns, both from sheep &nd dairy stock.

Short leafy herbage, as has been previously stressed in these columns, is of a much greater feeding value than is dry or rank growth. Inis is amply demonstrated by the preference that stock show for short sweet grass, and also by reports of feeding trials carried out bv research workers. In the young stages of growth, the protein content of the grass is at its maximum, and palatability is at its great- . .

To adopt controlled grazing, it is neoessary to subdivide the pastures into blocks suitable for the size of the herd or flock. With dairy cows, if 75 head are being run, five acre paddocks would be needed, for first-class land, and seven to eight-acre blocks for poorer quality land. These paddocks are grazed in rotation, the stock liemg put in each paddock for about one to two days, depending on the amount of feed available. With a spring or autumn flush of feed, stock can be concentrated in paddocks for correspondingly longer periods. Both entire and indiscriminate grazing are harmful to the pasture. Entire grazing is detrimental to the finer grasses, the coarser grasses eventually dominating the sward. Too early graz. ing in the spring is the cause of weeds like daisy and cats-ear coming into the pasture. This is more marked with young grasses than with older pastures. On these older pastures, the grasses have accustomed themselves to prevailing conditions, and the sward is dominated by those grasses which are best able to stand over-grazing. Unfortunately, few if any of these grasses are h'avy yielders. Too close grazing is not advisable from the annual's point of view, as with short pasture the anima] has to use more energy to obtain its food. Consequently, where dairy stock aie being run, the grass should not be less than four inches high, any shorter grass being kept for dry and store stock. With the short grass, the trampling of the stock spoils the pasture more than when it is longer. From the point of view of the grassland. mixed grazing is the best, as it ensures not only full utilisation of pasture growth, but also a more even grazing. Cuttie graze evenly, leaving only the coarser grasses. Sheep graze fairly evenly also, but do not need the grass to be so lengthy. From four to six inches in height is best fc.r dairy stock.