Pasture management is critical skill for graziers. I reckon pastures are the cheapest form of feed for livestock, and good management is essential in meeting livestock production targets.
There's actually a lot more to good pasture management than many people realise. Its not just growing a pasture and letting animals graze it. Good management addresses pasture species, as well as the amount of pasture available to animals, and just as importantly the quality of the pasture.
The amount of pasture needed for livestock is one of the things I often find producers underestimate. Cattle have difficulty meeting their daily requirements when pasture mass falls below 1500kg / DM /Ha.
As pasture mass declines, cattle need to graze longer and work harder to achieve intake, which means production suffers.
At the same time pasture quality is also influencing how much cattle can consume and how well they will perform.
Quality describes the energy and protein of the pasture. The easiest way for producers to understand the quality of their pasture is to consider its digestibility. Digestibility is directly related to the energy levels of the pasture. High digestibility (68 - 72%) can have energy levels of 9 - 10ME
This type of pasture is generally a green leafy pasture. Not only does it have good energy levels, the high digestibility means it will be quickly digested and the animal can graze more frequently and increase its intake. The increase in intake results in improved performance.
When digestibility falls the energy level of the pasture also falls. It results in longer digestion times, which reduces the grazing and intake of stock.
Recognising this is a challenge for all producers. Just as not having enough pasture mass impacts on animal intake, having too much pasture mass also causes problems. I reckon many people don't realise that having pasture over 2600kg /DM / Ha won't actually increase the amount that stock can eat.
Firstly, cattle will only eat until the achieve gut fill. Over 2600kg / DM /Ha the digestibility of pasture is often falling, so it takes longer for the feed to pass through and what feed is consumed is lower in energy, limiting performance.
At the same time there are the challenges of managing pastures to ensure they can establish roots successfully, as well as to allow seed set to happen.
Balancing the demands of stock against pasture quantity and quality is a constant task.
To get the balancing act right, I reckon you need to learn three key things.
First is develop and constantly practice assessing pasture mass in kilograms of Dry Matter / Ha (kg/ DM /Ha).
Secondly learn how to assess pasture quality by assessing pasture digestibility. The window for animal performance is limited pretty much to a range of 60 - 70%. Slight changes in digestibility, for example between 68 and 65% can see significant differences in intake and in animal performance.
To assess digestibility I usually look at both the stage of plant growth, and at cow pats!
Thirdly you need to actually appreciate the daily requirements for the stock you are grazing and start to match those with the pastures you have.
Working on these three skills opens up the opportunity to undertake pasture budgeting. It will also help you make better decisions for your livestock, and if you use supplements to choose the most appropriate options for your situation.
Don't forget, if you want to become a better pasture manager to get in touch with me and we can work through these skills and how best to use them on your pastures.