pasture health and drought protection

8/9/2019 Pasture Health and Drought Protection

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Pasture Health and Drought Protection

Slide 1

PASTURE HEALTH ANDDROUGHT PROTECTION

Barbara Bellows, NCAT Soils Specialist

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Slide 2

Respond flexibly to changing con ditions Protect soil and w ater r esour ces

Match livestock and forages to farm resour ces

Rest and rotate animals am ong paddocks

Integrate crop and livestock pr odu ction

Man age conservatively in good years tom aintain production in bad year s

Keys to Pasture Management


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Slide 3

Management Flexibility

Know your farm resources

Soil type and soil quality

Forage species and condit ion

Animal species and health

Financial resources and available markets

Manage according to environm ental conditions

Season of the year, temperature, and rainfall

Climate trends and changing climate conditions


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Slide 4

Forage Species

for Dry Areas

Plants that thr ive dur ing drought Can draw water from subsoil w ith their

deep root systems

Grow w ith limited amounts of water

Plants that survive during drought

Annuals that grow rapidly, then setseed before the onset of drought

Perennials that store food in rhizomesduring periods of drought


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Slide 5

Drought-Resistant Grasses W arm season grasses

Sorghum

Sudangrass

Pearl millet

Crested wheatgrass

Barnyard millet

Cool season grasses

Smooth brome grass

Tall fescue


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Slide 6

Drought-Resistant Legumes

Alfalfa Birdsfoot trefoil

Comm on vetch

Cowpea

Sanfoin

Sw eet clover


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Slide 7

Drought-Tolerant Fodder

Spineless cactus Saltbush

Brow se and shade trees

Crop afterm ath

Drought-affected crops


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Slide 8

Manage Grazing Land

to Resist Drought

Manage forage for dr ought resistance In pastures, interseed drought-resistant forages

On ranges, manage grazing to favor forages that

remain palatable and nutritious during drought

Man age grazing to

Encourage effective forage use

Protect soil quality in paddocks


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Slide 9

Management Intensive

Grazing

Subdivide land into paddocks

Move animals to another paddock whenthey reduce the forage height by half

Regraze paddock when forages regrowand pasture condition is healthy

Soil and forage conditions w ill determinethe right durat ions of grazing and rest

To stimu late anim al movem ent, place w ater,shade, and m inerals at var ious points inpaddock


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Slide 10

Benefits to Land and Forage Managem ent intensive grazing enhances

Effective use and healthy regrowth of forages

Ability of soil to hold water and nutrients

Even distribution of manure

MIG reduces

Selective feeding and overgraz ing

Soil compaction and erosion


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Slide 11

Benefits to Animal Health

Appr opriate stocking rates and effectiverotations prom ote animal health

Puberty is not delayed

Cows produce sufficient milk forcalves

Animals are less susceptible to

parasites and diseases

Healthy animals are moretolerant of toxic plants


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Slide 12

Key Management Practices Manage stocking rates, length of rotation,

and r est time according to land and foragecondition

Tim e rest periodsappropriately and providerested paddocks: this is m oreimpor tant than the length ofthe grazing per iod


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Slide 13

Rotation Length Affects Soil

Build up soil fertil ity andquality through extended rest

Allow soil-building plants to

grow and reproduce Do not graze wet paddocks

Rotation length sho uld not be routine

Base length of rest on soil fertility, quality,and m oisture

Do not overgraze droughty paddocks


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Slide 14

Rotation Length Affects

Plant Growth

Base length of rest on plant char acteristicsand grow th

Plant recovery from grazing varies

according to variety and species

Temperature, light, and moistureaffect plant grow th and recoveryfrom grazing

Tim e rest periods so preferredforages can reproduce


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Slide 15

Grazing and Plant Growth

Anim als rar ely rem ove all leaf tissue the firsttime they graze

Moving animals quickly through paddocks

m inim izes repeat grazing, decreasing stresson plants

Plants have difficulty regrow ing if animals

graze m ost of their leaf tissue or dam age thegrow ing point


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Slide 16

Management of

Perennial Forages

Graze peren nial forages before stem elongationto stimulate tiller ing

Rest and do not graze plants

During active til ler growth andelongation

When young plants or rejuvenated

perennials are developing strongroot systems in the spring


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Slide 17

Management of

Annual Forages

Rest paddocks w ith an nual forages

To allow for plant establishment

To allow plants to produce seed

Tim e grazing of annualforages to

Detach seeds from plants

Transport seeds w ithin andamong paddocks

Work seed into the ground


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Slide 18

Stubble Height as a

Rotation Tool

4 stubble in grassyareas

Protects soils fromcompaction

Maintains plant vigor

Traps sediment

6-8 stubble in w ooded ar eas protects

w illow s or other riparian trees frombeing used as for ages


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Slide 19

Managing Stocking Rate Base stocking rate on land capabilities

Quality and growth of forages

Season of the year

Moisture availability

Base stocking rate on anim alcharacter istics and managem ent

Type, age, and reproductive status

Animal access to supplements, feed, and water


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Slide 20

Overstocking Problems

Overstocking in good years Increases the risk of degrading land resources

Decreases productive capacity

in drought years

Prolongs recovery follow ingdrought

If you h ave excess forages, addanim als on a sho rt-term basisor h ar vest for sale or storage


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Slide 21

Pastures Vulnerable

to Grazing

Grazing w et areas Hoof impact compacts soil

Manure nutrients can contaminatestreams or groundwater

Overgrazing droughty areas

Soils become bare from loss of vegetation

Good forages are consumed, weedy forages survive

Grazing steep soils favors erosion and ru noff


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Slide 22

Riparian Areas are

Vulnerable to Grazing Animals congregate on stream banks

Breakdown streambank structure

Compact moist soil

Deposit manure in or near streams

Animals overgraze riparianvegetation

Located where animals congregate

Riparian vegetation is more lushthan upland vegetation


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Slide 23

Vulnerable Area Protection

Use sacrifice areas w hen paddocks are invulnerable condition

If vulnerable areas are grazed

Limit time animals are kept inpaddocks

Provide sufficient time for

paddocks to recover beforeregrazing


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Slide 24

Match Livestock with Land

Beef breeds m ore drought tolerant than dairyanimals

Mix grazing species to use forage r esour cesm or e effectively

Sheep and goats eat plantsthat cattle do not like

Small ruminants use less feed

and water than cattle Mixing species allows precise

balancing of stocking ratesw ith land and water resources


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Slide 25

Breed for Drought

Resistance Br eeding practices can provide a farm w ith

long-term protection against drou ght

Use breeding stock that perform w ell underdrought conditions

Select slow -growing breedsrather than livestock bredfor fast weight gain

These breeds can providedependable growth on poor-quality , dry forages


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Slide 26

Breeding and Water Needs

Br itish sheep breeds need about 20 % m orew ater than do Merino sheep in hot weather .

B o s i n d i cu s cattle need less w ater under hotconditions than do B o s t a u r u s breeds


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Slide 27

Cattle Cross-Breeding B o s i n d i cu s and B o s t a u r u s cross-breeds

produce w ell under dr ought conditions

Best crosses for grow th on poor pastures

Cross B o s t a ur us bull w ith B o s i ndi cus cow

Pure-bred bull (either breed) w ith cross-bred cow

I t ti C d


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Slide 28

Integrating Crops and

Livestock Provides econom ic and m anagement

flexibility dur ing drought

When droughts are predicted orwater stores are low , can

transition fields from crop tolivestock production

When drought-affected crops

cannot be harvested profitably,they can provide value throughgrazing


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Slide 29

Summary

Use flexible, integrated cropand livestock pr actices to

enhance your m anagem entoptions and your potentialfor farm profits

Protect your land r esour ces in good yearsto m aintain produ ctivity in dr ought years

Manage accor ding to the capabilities of

your land


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Slide 30

Illustration Credits

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation,Ardmore, Oklahoma

Drought-Tolerant Fodder


Drought-Resistant Legumes

USDA Photography CenterDrought-Resistant Grasses


Forage Species for Dry Areas

USDA Natural Resources ConservationService

Management Flexibility


Cover

Photo cour tesy of:Slide Title


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Slide 31

Illustration Credits (Cont.)


Rotation Length Affects PlantGrowth


Rotation Length Affects Soil


Key Management Practices


Benefits to Animal Health

USDA Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Benefits to Land and Forage


Management Intensive Grazing


Manage Grazing Land to ResistDrought


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Slide 32



Riparian Areas are Vulnerable toGrazing

University of Missouri Extension andOutreach

Pastures Vulnerable to Grazing


Overstocking Problems


Managing Stocking Rate


Stubble Height as Rotation Tool


Management of Annual Forages


Management of Perennial Forages


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Slide 33


NRCS Image LibrarySummary

USDA Agriculture Research Service Image

Gallery

Integrating Crops and Livestock

USDA Photography CenterBreeding Affects Water Needs


Breed for Drought Resistance


Match Livestock with Land

USDA Photography CenterVulnerable Area Protection

pasture health and drought protection

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