Introduction to Pasture Management - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Introduction to Pasture Management

ANSC 110

August 31, 2010

• Pasture is healthy for your animal
• Sunshine
• Room to roam, play, socialize with others
• Allows for natural eating behaviors
• Nutritious

• Properly maintained pasture:
• Can provide adequate energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to maintain most animals
• A cheap source of feed for your animal

• Characteristics -
• Dense
• Diverse
• Weed-free (relatively)
• Well-drained
• Crumbly, porous soil
• Palatable

• Promotes normal healthy behavior
• Providing space for play and exercise
• Promotes social interaction
• Reduces development of vices

• Reduces likelihood of colic
• Lowers incidence of gastric ulcers
• Decreased incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Heaves)
• Increases bone mineral content in young horses

• Can produce 1-4 tons of forage matter/acre/growing season
• Reduces hay costs by approx. $60-100/month

• Reduces fertilizer costs when manure spread properly during year
• Pasture recycles nutrients from dropped manure
• Reduces need to manage bedding from stalls and drylots
• $avings

• Reduces erosion
• Recycles nutrients
• Supplies land surface for ground-water recharge
• Provides an aesthetically pleasing environment for rural and residential neighbors

• Some weeds, grasses, and legumes contain toxic compounds:
• Weed examples:
• Jimsonweed, yellow star thistle,

pokeweed

• Grass examples:
• Tall fescue
• Legume examples:
• Aslike clover, red clover

• Spread of gastrointestinal parasites
• Infective stage of parasites shed in feces
• Optimal conditions for larval development
• High stocking rates  increased risk of infection
• Manure management, appropriate stocking density, and deworming important for horse health on pasture

• Condition of the foot characterized by inflammation of the tissues connecting the hoof wall to the major bone of the foot
• Severe cases may result in rotation of coffin bone
• High prevalence in overweight animals
• Hereditary trait in ponies

• Things to consider…
• Management of the animals
• Grazing management
• Pasture management
• Timing
• Utilize your growing season
• Optimize the stocking rate

• Time spent grazing varies
• Weather
• Forage availability
• Alone vs. with pals
• Flies
• Age
• Will consume approximately ~ 2 – 2.5% BW in DM on a daily basis

• 40-80% time spent grazing
• 9% of a horse’s time is spent walking
• 5-10% time spent lying down
• Primarily 3-4 hours before dawn
• SELECTIVE GRAZERS

• Optimize forage available
• Leave some for later. Avoid overgrazing.
• Know when to graze, when to rest
• Grazing Systems
• Continuous
• Rotational
• Strip

• Periods of occupation
• Recovery periods
• Stocking rate and density
• Paddock/pasture design
• Climate considerations

• Stocking Rate - a measurement of the long-term carrying capacity of a pasture; the number of animals on the entire grazing unit for the entire grazing season
• Stocking Density - the number of animals on a given unit of land for a specific amount of time (short-term measurement).

• Obtaining that optimal pasture requires management of the:
• PLANTS
• SOIL

• Species Selection
• Pasture Ecology
• Water requirements
• Temperature
• Plant anatomy/growth factors
• Pest control

• Pasture Nutrition
• Sunlight / Water
• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Phosphorus
• Other nutrients required
• Soil acidity (pH level)
• TIMING!

• TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!!!
• Seeding
• Grazing
• Resting
• Irrigation
• Fertilization
• Climate-dependent

• Different species of plants have different growth curves
• Variety  healthy pasture year-round

• What plants do I want?
• What plants do I NOT want?
• How do I get rid of the “stuff” that I don’t want?
• How do I keep my pasture looking good?
• Pasture Ecology
• And more . . .