Managing pastures throughout the year requires tactful management and informed decision making.
Tactical grazing management is just that; a flexible grazing management system that
keeps track of livestock demand, pasture’s capacity along with seasonal changes when
drawing grazing management decisions. Hi, I'm Ollie from Pasture.io. Tap that subscribe
and like button if you find this video interesting. We'll be discussing how tactical Farm managers
such as yourself are using smart approaches to perform management tasks efficiently.
The areas that efficient managers focus on include:
1. Keeping pasture utilization at its highest level
2. Ensuring that ground cover targets are met
3. Tracking of a seasonal feed budget 4. Consideration of pasture targets and capacity
5. Recording grazing plans and incorporating them into future decision making.
Today, we will discuss what tactical grazing management ought to achieve and define its
objectives. We will formulate management strategies farms can switch between according to season
and growth targets. Finally, we will break down tactics for specific conditions. There
are a lot of takeaways for you as a farmer, so, let’s get started.
First up, what is the aim of tactical grazing management?
Our aim behind adopting tactics is to make the most of what pasture has to offer. To
that end, we tirelessly investigate, experiment, and finally discover ways that best fit every
unique farm. Tactical grazing management offers the following benefits.
• It aims to reduce the cost of your production • It promotes the growth of crops
• It hinders the growth of weeds on your farm
• It effectively increase the stocking rate • It maximises pasture utilization
• It optimises pasture productivity and perseverance
• It boosts the production of livestock • It increase the efficiency of feed conversion
with your livestock • And tactical grazing management helps
you move toward sustainable pasture management by reducing the harmful environmental impacts
such as waterlogging, erosion, salinity, and reduction in nutrient value.
Keeping in mind all these achievable aims make tactical grazing management a panacea
to the various pasture troubles. Farms across world use a mix of methods to ensure their
pasture management is up to the mark. Without further ado, we’ll delve into the
ways of grasping tactical management! Number 1 Maximise pasture utilisation
Set a rotational grazing system by incorporating time and pasture growth, paddock division
and subdivision, stocking rates and calving times. Know that the best time for rotational
grazing is all year round, which makes things easier.
Also, apply a rotational grazing system in a way to avoid selective or patch grazing.
Number 2 Enhance pasture growth Rotational grazing when based on plant growth
has the potential of increasing pasture growth up to a whopping twenty percent. Calculating
kg of dry matter per hectare, plant height and leaf stage, all help in setting tactical
rotational grazing. Set rotational grazing throughout the year
for perennial grasses and to produce a favourable long-term impact on pasture composition.
You can also use rotational grazing to achieve pasture growth for a specific season like
winter. Number 3 Control and manage stock intake
To efficiently manage and control the stock intake (i.e. kilogram of dry matter per ha
per day per animal), set the rotational grazing parameters on criteria of animal intake during
critical periods like pregnancy or all year long in case of growing bulls for beef or
milking cows. Number 4 Evaluate and ensure specific livestock
management needs Utilize flexibility when choosing between
set stocking or rotational grazing. Set stocking works better for lambs and for managing single
sire mating. It is also effective for controlling diseases like footrot or any other outbreak.
On the other hand, rotational grazing is more effective when it comes to evaluating and
monitoring livestock performance regularly and for controlling internal parasites.
Therefore, it is recommended to choose a combination of both grazing methods according to the specific
pasture goals and set targets. Number 5 Optimise pasture composition
There can be four different approaches to optimise pasture composition.
• The first is to produce more perennial grass: rotational grazing systems have a lot
to offer if the aim is to increase the perennial grass content. When rotational grazing is
based on time or plant growth stages it reduces the growth chances for broadleaf weeds and
annual grasses. By choosing a rotational grazing system you can tactically lay it for rest
over the summer. • The second is to lead to high sub-clover
content: Increasing grazing pressure and reducing the rest period for late winter/early spring
under rotational grazing can lead to an increase in the sub-clover ratio. However, there are
increased chances of broadleaf weed growth. Stock grazing can also be utilized.
• The third is to minimize annual grasses and weeds: By setting the pasture to rest
over the winter helps minimize tillering and minimises the annual grasses and weeds.
• The fourth is to manage woodland thickening: utilise controlled and well-planned burning
after considering the seasonal conditions. Moving on to number 6 Increase persistence
of perennials It is tactical to use the rotational grazing
system for perennials. The period of rest between grazings is crucial for growth and
persistence as perennial grasses rebuild their root reserves. The seed selection process
is of the essence when planting perennial grasses.
Care needs to be taken in case of less drought-resistant perennial grasses such as cocksfoot and perennial
ryegrass. They need to be put to rest in a dry/warm season or not grazed intensively.
The last point, number 7 Enhance environmental sustainability
A tactical grazing system addresses the need for environmental sustainability, as a a rotational
grazing system is designed to maximize the perennial content while efficiently utilizing
water and meeting the targets of ground cover fulfils the criteria of environmental sustainability.
Set stocking can also be sustainable given a low stocking rate, homogeneous typography,
and low erosion risk. One last piece is a Bonus point number 8:
Occasional set stocking to meet some other production objectives would not compromise
the sustainability of the rotational grazing system. Be sure to use this flexibility to
your advantage. Tactical grazing management is a win-win for
pasture productivity and management. It has the potential of producing more gains and
returns from efficient planning and management. This brings us to an end. Remember to hit
that subscribe button and thumbs-up, and we'll meet again in another video!