|
Grazing Systems Improvements |
Grazing systems take animals out of the barn and into the pasture to provide high-quality forage and reduced feed costs while avoiding manure buildup. Grazing systems reduce feed costs because farmers and ranchers do not have to grow or purchase forage and grain year-round. Furthermore, grazing systems reduce veterinary costs because animals on pasture have fewer health problems. Pastures require little or no input of pesticides and allow natural recycling of manure. They also provide a continuous soil cover while protecting wildlife habitats and important ecosystems.
The primary grazing system used in Alabama, as in many other states, is continuous grazing. This grazing system is described as the constant use of forage on a given area during the grazing season. Animals are maintained on a single pasture and allowed to graze at will. In contrast, under an intensive rotational grazing, system the pasture is divided into small paddocks and animals are rotated frequently with the help of affordable, electric-powered portable fencing. This grazing system is beneficial because it permits an increase in the carrying capacity of the pasture without plant damage. Additional advantages of intensive rotational grazing are that animals can be easily examined more frequently, and surplus forage can be harvested as hay.
Because of the growing demand for information
on grazing systems, the key goals of this project are to: 1) train
Alabama cattle and sheep producers to manage pasture grazing for
high production per acre, to manage animals properly to minimize
forage wastage, and to achieve good gains by growing animals;
2) make producers aware of developing methods (mixed grazing of
cattle and sheep) to increase efficiency of forage use; and 3)
provide producers with strategies to reduce operating costs and
increase environmental benefits.
