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Grassland Management

Grassland Management. Grassland Management Practices. GM3. Objectives. LESSON OBJECTIVE. ENABLING OBJECTIVES. Describe nutritional needs of livestock based on ages and stages. Identify and describe grassland management practices to meet nutritional needs of livestock and wildlife.

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Grassland Management

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  1. Grassland Management

  2. Grassland Management Practices GM3

  3. Objectives LESSON OBJECTIVE ENABLING OBJECTIVES • Describe nutritional needs of livestock based on ages and stages • Identify and describe grassland management practices to meet nutritional needs of livestock and wildlife • After completing this lesson on developing a forage management plan, students will demonstrate their ability to apply the concept in real-world situations by obtaining a minimum score of 80% on the Forage Management Plan Evaluation. 01 02 • Evaluate forage quality as it has to do with harvesting forages and recommend proper harvesting times, methods and storage procedures 03

  4. Key Terms • Daily dry matter intake • Management intensive grazing • Carrying capacity

  5. You Be the Producer

  6. You’ve been talking with your grandpa about the need for a Supervised Agricultural Experience Program. While helping you think through your interest and options, he shares that he does have pasture ground available for rent if you’d like to get into beef cattle production. You’ve always wanted to have cattle, so this seems like a prime opportunity, so you agree. In preparation to start your SAE, you’ve realized you need to determine how much forage and how many acres are needed to support a particular number of cattle. Where do you start?

  7. Objective 1 Describe nutritional needs of livestock based on ages and stages

  8. Energy Needs of a Mature Beef Cow for Spring Calving:

  9. Spring Calving on Cool-Season Grass Fall Calving on Cool-Season Grass

  10. Summer Calving on Cool-Season Grass

  11. Used to estimate hay and forage needs of livestock • Important when planning forage pasture needs or determining how much hay to buy or produce for winter • Factors such as size of animal and level of production affect the amount of forage required for production • Dry matter intake is given as a percentage of live bodyweight Daily Forage Dry Matter Intake

  12. Basic Guidelines:

  13. Calculations • Daily dry matter intake = # of animals X avg. weight X forage dry matter • Example: Figure daily DM needs of 10, average milking beef cows weighing 1200 lbs. 10 cows x 1200 lbsx 2.5% = 300 lbs of DM/day

  14. You Try It! • Daily dry matter intake = # of animals X avg. weight X forage dry matter • Example: 1 bull – 2,000lbs, during breeding season 1 breeding bull x 2000 lbsx 2.5% = 50 lbs of DM/day

  15. You Try It! • Daily dry matter intake = # of animals X avg. weight X forage dry matter • Example: 10 heifers – average weight of 750 lbs 10 heifers x 750 lbsx 3% = 225 lbs of DM/day

  16. You Try It! • Daily dry matter intake = # of animals X avg. weight X forage dry matter • Example: 30 lactating cows – average weight of 1,100 lbs, average milk production 30 lactating cows x 1100 lbsx 2.5% = 825 lbs of DM/day

  17. More on Calculations… • The total for the herd is 1,100 lbs. (50 + 225 + 825 = 1,100 lbs.) of forage dry matter per day. • To calculate forage dry matter intake requirements for a specific season, the pounds of dry matter needed per day are multiplied by the number of days in the season • The seasonal dry matter intake requirements for spring (100 days) would be 110,000 lbs.

  18. Effects of Grazing Animals on Pasture

  19. Check It Out! Click on a link to watch a video of about grazing • Cow Grazing • Sheep Grazing • Horse Grazing • Goats Grazing

  20. How Animals Graze • Sheep - Nibble more efficiently, harvest more selective • Cattle - Wraps tongue around grass and tear it • Horses - Highly selective, prefer close grazed forage • Because of these differences livestock do not prefer the same height or type of forage in a pasture • Horses and sheep like short pasture and will even leave tall grass to eat grass that is very short. • Goats prefer some woody species and cows prefer long leafed forages.

  21. Quick Quiz • Do a quick calculation: Given a herd of 20 stocker calves, weighing 600 lbs each how much dry matter will they need to consume each day? • Answer: 20 calves x 600 lbs x 3% = 360 lbs dry matter / day. • Describe the different nutritional needs of a bred heifer. • Answer: maintenance, growth, and fetal development • Calculate the dry matter intake of a 2000 lb bull during breeding season for a month. • Answer: 1 bull x 2000 lb x 2.5% = 50 lb DM/ day x 30 days = 1500 lbs of dry matter/ month.

  22. Objective 2 Identify and describe grassland management practices to meet nutritional needs of livestock and wildlife

  23. What is the key to efficient livestock production? Feeding & Management

  24. Grassland Management Components • Soil Test Results • Analysis of soil fertility • Soil Identification • Information on the type of soil and drainage and use classification • Maps • Visual representation of the land • Includes types of soil and physical layout, such as water, slope, and drainage • Plant Composition • Quality, quantity, and variety of plants in a plot • Livestock Needs • Nutritional needs based on species, age, sex, production level, and environment • Herd Inventory • Quantity of animals within each classification

  25. Developing a Grassland Management Plan • Acquire an aerial photograph of the grassland and outline the fields included in the plan. • Complete soil tests for each field. • Conduct a complete grassland inventory looking at plant composition to determine the quality and quantity of pasture available and assist in calculating stocking rates. • Evaluate wildlife habitat. • Select a grassland management plan, choosing a grazing system and deciding what areas should be grazed and what fields should be mechanically harvested.

  26. Objective 3 Evaluate forage quality as it has to do with harvesting forages and recommend proper harvesting times, methods and storage procedures

  27. Mechanical Harvesting • Harvesting for hay or harvesting for silage

  28. Hay • Entire herbage of plant may include seed heads but mainly leaves and stems, cut and dried for later feeding • Harvested at low moisture levels • Can be stored outside or in a barn Objectives of Making Hay • Produce a high yielding – high quality crop • Rapid curing time or drying time • Minimize leaf loss • Minimize cell respiration • Avoid leaching loss due to rain • Avoid molding • Do not harvest between 20-40 % moisture • Maintain dry weight and quality in storage

  29. Haylage • Harvested at same stage of maturity as for hay • Baled at 40-60% moisture • Can put up hay in a narrow window if it is going to grain • Can store outside with minimal losses • Higher in quality due to reduced drying time

  30. Grain-Crop Silage • Forage preserved in succulent condition by partial fermentation • Cut when moisture is high • Stored in bunkers, bags, silos, or piled on the ground and covered Advantages of Silage • Less field and harvest losses than hay • Choice of many crops that can be used • Mechanization of harvesting standing crop • Less likely to weather damage • Can be stored for long periods with little loss • Flexibly used in livestock programs

  31. Improved Curing and Preservation • Conditioning • Mechanical – rake, tedder, crimper/crusher • Chemical – carbonate salts, Conservi, Quick-M-Cure • Net Wrap • Plastic cover • Store on tires or pallets • Preservatives – preserve quality during storage • Organic acids – proprionic – used to preserve high quality, high moisture hay, low pH • Ammonia – preserves high moisture hay from mold Increases digestibility and CP • Urea – increases crude protein level

  32. Check it Out! Click to watch a video on Forage Harvesting

  33. Where do losses occur when harvesting forage? • Leaf loss – rotting • Dry matter loss • Quality loss– nutritive value, intake potential and mold

  34. Where do losses occur when harvesting forage? • DM loss during haymaking

  35. Where do losses occur when harvesting forage? • Storage Losses • Stored in Dry = 5% loss • 1% dry matter loss for every 1% increase in moisture above 15% moisture • Round bales stored outside: 5-40% loss • Annual rainfall of 30 in or more 33 % loss • 40% of loss occurs from bottom of bale

  36. Evaluating Alfalfa Hay • Leafiness • Color • Minimum foreign material • Forage analysis: on a dry matter basis • Example: Alfalfa Grades

  37. Check It Out! Click to watch video on judging Alfalfa Hay

  38. Conclusion The goal of grassland management is to be able to provide for the nutritional needs of the livestock and wildlife from standing forage in the most economical and environmentally sound way. By providing nutritious forage to graze for the majority of the year we are able to maximize quality and well as yield.

  39. Exit Card • What did you learn about grassland management practices? • What questions do you still have about grassland management practices?

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