Pampas Grass for Beef Cattle on Hill Country Farms

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 2, 15 February 1957, Page 153

Pampas Grass for Beef Cattle on Hill Country Farms

THOUGH pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) was first suggested as a supplementary feed for cattle in New Zealand as early as 1876 (l), its main period of agricultural use in this country was from the early 1930 s to the late 19405. During the last few years the acreage of pampas grass has declined considerably and in 1954 a survey was made of all the pampas grass stands grown on hill country runs for the wintering of beef cattle. In this article D. I. Glue, Instructor in Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Wellington, deals with the findings of this survey.

IN 1947 and 1948 officers of the Department of Agriculture stationed in every district in New Zealand made a survey of farmers’ plantations of pampas grass. In an account of this survey (2) it was shown that dairy farmers, particularly in the more closely farmed districts of the North Island, were making extensive use of pampas grass for the wintering of dairy cows, thereby reducing the necessity for providing hay. In 1951 a follow-up survey was made of the same properties and the results (3) showed that pampas grass had lost a good deal of ground in the intervening 4 years. Not only had the acreage declined, but many plantations were in poor condition and were showing obvious signs of deterioration. A number were pampas grass plantations only in name, supplying little or no grazing, and had been virtually abandoned.

Though these two. surveys had covered few hill country farms, there appeared to be some evidence in both surveys that pampas grass was regarded favourably for the wintering of beef cattle on hill country runs. To test this belief instructors of the Department of Agriculture stationed in all districts throughout New Zealand carried out a further survey during the latter part of 1954 of all pampas grass grown on hill country farms for the grazing of run cattle. Results of the 1954 Survey Thirty-seven pampas' grass plantations, with a total area of 137 acres, were listed throughout the country, most of the stands being less than 5 acres in area. The survey showed clearly that in most New Zealand hill country districts pampas grass was of little importance for grazing run cattle.

It was not used in the North Auckland Land District, and was little used in the Auckland Land District, except in Raglan County, where 13 stands were reported on. Even here, 10 of the farmers were only mildly enthusiastic about pampas grass and several considered that the areas would supply more valuable feed if they were sown down in high-producing pastures. In the Gisborne Land District it was used to a limited extent in the Wairoa area. Six stands were’ reported on, but the instructor considered that only one stand was being properly managed and was of real value to the farm. He has since reported that pampas grass stands proved of great value when pastures were severely damaged by the recent invasion of army worms in this district. In the Hawke’s Bay Land District, where 7 stands were reported on, pampas grass was regarded as a valuable standby in times of shortage, such as a dry summer or a severe winter, provided management and utilisation were at a high level of efficiency. In the Taranaki . and Wellington Land Districts pampas grass was used by run cattle only to an extremely limited extent. In the South Island pampas grass was practically unknown for grazing run cattle.

Utilisation of Pampas Grass

The survey showed that generally the main use of pampas grass was to provide feed for run cattle in June, July, and August to supplement pasture grazing. Most farmers considered that pampas grass was not sufficient by itself, but must be supplemented by hay, silage, or some other class of supplementary feed. Some farmers grazed the pampas in conjunction with a pasture run-off, but others used it to counteract the watery nature of a crop of turnips or chou moellier.

In addition to its main use of carrying breeding cows, steers, and young stock through the winter, pampas grass was frequently regarded as an insurance against summer droughts. The value of the shelter which a good, dense stand supplies during rough weather was also frequently remarked on.

Thrift and Palatability of Stands

The thrift of stands ranged from poor to excellent, most being classed as very fair to good. It was noticeable that farmers who managed to graze the pampas grass hard down once or twice every year had a much higher opinion of its palatability than those who were unable to control the growth. This confirmed the results of feeding trials carried out at the Department of Agriculture’s Ruakura Animal Research Station, where it was found that the nutritive value of the herbage declined rapidly as it became more mature, the fall in quality being sufficiently great to justify a recommendation that pampas grass stands be grazed down twice a year (4).

Farmers’ and Instructors’ Opinions . Though opinion varied from extremely adverse to enthusiastic, most farmers questioned were not in favour of pampas. grass and many considered they would get more feed from the areas if they were in special-purpose or autumn-saved pastures. A number stated that stands were difficult to establish and control and there was general agreement that, if they were not controlled, stands quickly lost vigour and palatability. The following were typical of the unfavourable comments expressed by farmers and instructors: — Now that the hill country is being topdressed there is no longer any need for the winter feed supplied by pampas grass. To make pampas grass grow well it is essential to plant it on the best land, where good pasture will produce more and better forage than pampas grass. For over-wintering cattle swedes and hay are much superior to pampas grass, which has a limited use as a run-off for the swede crop. Some favourable opinions were also expressed:—

Pampas grass allows a number of paddocks to be spelled during winter. It saves considerable labour in feeding out hay. Its greatest value is as shelter, particularly for sheep, when storms occur soon after early shearing. It is also handy during a facial eczema ■ scare. It is of value not only during droughts but when the drought is over, as there is often no roughage left to winter the cattle. Conclusions from the 1954 Survey There seems to be little doubt that pampas grass has lost favour as a grazing proposition for hill country cattle in the last 6 years because of the following factors: 1. With the advent of aerial topdressing and oversowing many hill country farmers have increased the productivity of their pastures to such a degree that they no longer need to rely on the pampas grass even to supply winter feed. It is interesting to recall that the previous surveys showed that pampas grass reached its greatest popularity during and immediately after the Second World War, when fertilisers were in short supply and pastures had deteriorated through reduced fertiliser applications. 2. In recent years a number of techniques have been evolved to supply grazing from pastures during winter. These include early autumn

topdressing, the provision of autumnsaved pastures, the technique of laxer grazing in autumn (going into the cold weather with more growth cover), and more efficient rationing of winter feed by means of the electric fence. 3. Many hill country farms have paddocks that are of relatively easy topography and with recent advances in haymaking and silage-making machinery these paddocks have been harvested to supply winter feed. 4. In the last 5 years there has been a considerable increase in the acreage of crops, such as turnips and chou moellier, grown for winter feed on hill country. It appears then that pampas grass is not making a major contribution to the wintering of run cattle in New Zealand and is regarded more as an insurance in times of emergency such as an exceptionally severe winter or a summer drought. It is, however, still playing a valuable part on some properties where cropping or haymaking is difficult or impossible. References 1. S. M. Curl, "On a Few of the Grasses and Other Herbage Plants that Might be Advantageously Introduced into Cultivation in New Zealand”. Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst., vol. 9, pp. 531-538. 18'7'6. 2. P. B. Lynch and W. L. Osborn, "Pampas Grass in New Zealand”. N.Z. J. Agric., vol. 77, pp. 4-10. 1948. 3. S. H. Saxby, “Survey Shows Decline in Use of Pampas Grass”. N.Z. J. Agric., vol. 85, p. 114. 1952. 4. A. A. Dunlop and M. R. Coup, “The Nutritive Value of Pampas Grass”. N.Z. J. Sc. Tech., vol. 32(A), pp. 21-34. 1951.