Is Rotational Grazing Really Best
US - For many years farmers have been urged to use a rotational grazing programme to increase the yield potential if pastures, but new research says that continuous grazing strategies may be just as effective.
28 April 2008
2 minute read
According to Livestock Round Up, the study, published in January 2008 issue of Rangeland Ecology & Management, claims that its conclusion depends on a number of other factors.
“The preponderance of evidence generated from grazing experiments over the past 60 years has consistently indicated that rotational grazing is not superior to continuous grazing on rangelands,” the article stated, citing conclusions from various experiments dating back to the early 1950s.
For instance, as early as 1951, California rangeland specialist A.W. Sampson concluded at the end of his study, “Two fairly distinct viewpoints (exist) among range conservationists and operators, regarding the merits of rotation or deferred-rotation grazing.” And, more recently, in 1979, H.W. Van Poolen and J.R. Lacey said in an article they published in the Journal of Range Management, “Land managers should place more emphasis on proper stocking intensity and less on grazing system implementation.”
However, Kevin Sedivec, NDSU Extension rangeland management specialist, said the conclusions of the article failed to take into consideration one important factor - grazing systems offer improvements in grazing efficiency.
“The benefits of a grazing system are the improvements in grazing efficiency,” Sedivec said. “When you look at the data in the Northern Plains, we also show the grazing system does not increase the amount of grass you grow and how the animals utilize the grass you grow. We also show no increase in livestock performance using a grazing system. However, we show a significant increase in pounds of beef or livestock production, which comes from an increase in stock rate that you get under a grazing system.”
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