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Management techniques for grazing & improving marginal pasture

 

Project Details

  • Project Lead: Jane Thornton (Manitoba Agriculture - retired), Mae Elsinger (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

  • Years: 2015-2021

  • Project Status: Complete

  • Funding & In-Kind Support: Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Growing Forward II, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  • Location: First Street Pasture

  • Scope: Demonstration

  • Keywords: Grazing Management, Livestock Performance, Perennial Forages

Approach

A simple low-cost rotational system has been operating since 2015. A mob grazing paddock was implemented in 2019. Pasture and livestock performance are monitored.

Key Findings

Forage Yield:

  • Forage yield is highly dependent on precipitation

  • This effect makes it hard to determine if forage yield has improved since starting grazing rotations

Mob grazing:

  • Not enough data yet to tell if mob grazing improved forage yield.

Forage Quality & Livestock Performance:

  • Forage is mostly grassy and doesn’t meet nutritional standards without mineral supplementation and additions of legumes to pasture

  • However, cows are generally maintaining condition and successfully raising calves

Stocking Rates & Carrying Capacity:

  • Stocking rates have generally increased in 2015

  • Stocking rates have never reached the long-term carrying capacity

Livestock Distribution:

  • Litter indicates some areas are underutilized

  • Cattle congregate at water sources, treed areas, gates, and favoured grazing areas. Cattle did not congregate at mineral feeders

  • Partitioning Paddock H did not change cattle distribution

Annual forage yields on representative (modal) sites and moist sites at First Street Pasture from 2015 to 2020. Precipitation data from Environment and Climate Change Canada - Brandon Airport Station.

Grazing collar data maps are from 2 cows in Paddock H. This paddock was grazed as a unit in spring (a) but partitioned down the centre in August (b). Grazing periods were 7 and 4+3 days.