2018 georgia grazing school€¦ · 2018 georgia grazing school: sketching out the ideal: planning...

Phillip Brown USDA-NRCS Grazinglands Specialist

2018GeorgiaGrazingSchool:Sketching Out the Ideal: Planning the Grazing System

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SketchingtheIdeal

PhilipBrownUSDA-NaturalResourcesConservationService

Athens,GA

SketchingtheIdeal–TheReality

•  Idealissiteandmanagerspecific•  Thelandscapemaynotfitthetheoreticalideal

SketchingtheIdeal-DevelopingaPlan

•  AGoodPlanWillForceYoutoArticulateExactlyWhatYouAreTryingtoAchieve

DetermineYourObjectives

•  Whatdoyouwanttoachieve?– NarrowObjectives–Installawateringfacilityinfield#1

– Why?•  IncreaseGrazingEfficiencyinfield#1•  Excludelivestocktothestreamthatbordersfield#1•  Improvewaterqualityforlivestock

– Whatwillaccomplishingthosedoforyouroperation?


•  IncreaseGrazingEfficiencyinfield#1–  RemoveInefficiencies

•  ExtendGrazingSeason•  IncreaseStockingRate

•  Excludelivestocktothestreamthatbordersfield#1–  Conservesoilresources–  Improvedownstreamwaterquality

•  Improvewaterqualityforlivestock–  Increasedanimalperformance


•  OftenaddsuptoBroaderObjectives– Profitability– Time/QualityofLife



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InventoryResources

•  Money/Budget•  Time•  Labor•  Skills•  Equipment/Tools•  Soil/LandscapeResources•  ForageResources•  LivestockResources

IdentifyProblems

•  WhatResourcesdoyoulack?– What’sthebestworkaround?

•  Whatarethespecificproblemsthatexistrelatedtoyourgrazingsystem?– Lackoffencingandorwatertoadequatelymanageintensityandfrequencyofgrazing

– Seasonaldistributionofavailableforage– Soilfertility

AnalyzeYourInformationandFormulateaPlan/Plans

•  Withtheresourcesyouhaveorcanobtainhowareyougoingtoaddresstheproblemsencounteredandachieveyourobjectives.

ConsiderStartingwithStockingRate

•  HowdoIcontrolthisweed….•  DoIneedtoapplywhatthesoiltestrecommends•  CanIbroadcastseedtothickenaweakenedstand

•  WhatshouldIseedtoimprovemypasture•  Theunaskedquestion………….

ConsiderStartingwithStockingRate

•  Authorssuggestthatthedecisionofstockingrateismoreimportantthananyothersinglegrazingmanagementdecision

•  Becauseofitsprominentroleindeterminingforageplantgrowthandpersistence,foragemassandallowance,animalperformance,sizeofnutrientpoolsandfluxesbetweenpools,soilchemicalandphysicalcharacteristics,waterquality,andprofitabilityofthegrazingoperation.

Soil/Landscape-InventoryTools•  GoogleEarthPRO/SoilWeb/WebSoilSurvey



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WebSoilSurvey–AerialPhotography WebSoilSurvey–TopographicImages

WebSoilSurvey-LandCapabilityClass

WebSoilSurvey–Slope&DrainageClass



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GoogleEarthPro•  FreeDownload-https://www.google.com/earth/desktop/

•  GoogleEarthLibrary–DownloadTopographicMapsandSoilsInformation

•  http://www.gelib.com/•  http://www.gelib.com/soilweb.htm•  http://www.gelib.com/usgs-topographic-maps-2.htm

SoilTypeandLandscapePosition

Landscape-Soils

•  Productivity•  Flooding&PondingDurations

•  DrainageClass•  SimilarSoilsSupportSimilarProductivity&PlantCommunities

SWPD WD

AlfalfaCrimsonCloverArrowleafCloverSmallGrains

AnimalMovementGateLocation-Wrong

AnimalMovementGateLocation-Right AnimalMovement

•  Ideallyworkingfacilitywouldserveasacentral“Hub”witheasyaccessfromallpaddocks

•  Realistically–landscapeorinfrastructuresimplymaynotfit,oryouareworkingwithanexistingfacilitybadlyplacedforyournewplan

•  Objective–Minimizethroughpaddockmovestootherpaddocksandworkingfacility



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AnimalMovement

•  LanesMayBeNecessary•  FollowContours•  AvoidPoorlyDrainedAreas•  KeepVehicleTrafficOff•  WideEnoughForEquipment•  Grazeable

GrazingDistribution-Water˛

Manure and urine distribution, all sampling dates

Urine = 2.22 ft diameter (3.87 sq ft or 0.36 sq m)Manure = 1.28 ft diameter (1.29 sq ft or 0.12 sq m)

All manure and urineUrine 1Urine 2Manure

Whole paddock

GrazingDistribution Utilization&UniformityofUse



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ProvidingWater

•  WaterLocation– Centralized

•  Allowsforeasiersubdivisionandbetteranimaldistribution

–  Ideallyallpasturewouldbewithin800feetorlessofawatersource

– Awayfromshadeandmineralfeeder

•  Thinkflexibilityrelatedtofurthersubdivision.Whethertemporaryorpermanent

MissedOpportunity….

>900Feet

Water source effect on animal performance

0

1

2

3

AD

G (

lbs)

Cows Calves Steers

PondTrough

0.49

0.01

2.262.70

1.762.05

Willmsetal.,2002 35

MineralFeeder

•  PortableMineralFeeder–  Easilymovedawayfromwatersourceandshade

–  Relativelyinexpensive

–  Portabilityallowsforflexibility

–  Don’tGroupShade,Minerals,andWater



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Heatstressandcattleperformance

•  Subjectoflivelydebate.•  Radiantenergy(sunlight)increasessurfaceandair

temperatures.•  Beefcattleinthesunvs.shadeinhotenvironments

had:–  higherinternalbodytemperature(MitlÖhneretal.,2001)–  increasedrespiration(MitlÖhneretal.,2002)–  increasedheartrate(Broshetal.,1998)–  lowerDMI,ADGandmeatquality(MitlÖhneretal.,2002)–  decreasedconceptionrates(Roman-Ponceetal.,1976)

HeatStressProblem–SketchWaystoAddressit

HeatStressProblem–SketchWaystoAddressit HaveaContingencyPlan

•  WhatIf…– Drought– Excessivemoisture– Thewellgoesout

ImplementingthePlan

•  Tryitonlimitedacresfirst•  MinimizetheInvestment

– TemporaryFence&Water

•  Adaptthesetupasyouworkwithtemporaryequipment

•  Transitiontomorepermanentfacilitiesasthesystemgrowsandyoubecomemorecomfortablewiththesetupandmanagement

EvaluateYourPlan

•  StartandStopHayFeedingDates•  BodyConditionScoring•  ManureConsistency•  ForageQualityTests•  LivestockorAnimalDaysPerAcre•  Keepafewgrazingrecords

– On/OffPaddockDates– NumberofAnimalsGrazed– Whatwentwrong……



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LivestockorAnimalDaysPerAcre TakeHomeMessage•  TrytoDevelopaFlexible

SystemThatGivesYoutheAbilitytoManagetheIntensityandFrequencyofGrazing

•  PuttheIdealonPaperFirst

•  StartSlow

•  EvaluateandAdaptasYourComfortLevelIncreases

TakeHomeMessage–GrowRoots NobodycansketchYOURplanbetterthanYOU



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QuestionsorComments?

2018 georgia grazing school€¦ · 2018 georgia grazing school: sketching out the ideal: planning...

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