ANIMAL IMPACT and NON-SELECTIVE GRAZING for SOIL and VELD IMPROVEMENT. Reitz, South Africa. Johann Zietsman

Transcription

1 ANIMAL IMPACT and NON-SELECTIVE GRAZING for SOIL and VELD IMPROVEMENT Reitz, South Africa Johann Zietsman

2 GOAL: MAXIMUM SUSTAINABLE PROFIT / ha 1. UHDG 2. VELD PRODUCTIVE GENOTYPE 3. CALVING ON GREEN GRASS 4. ENHANCING RUMEN FUNCTION

3 CONTROL

4 CONTROL

5 CONTROL

6 CONTROL

7 CONTROL

8 MANAGEMENT VARIABLES 1. Stock Density Impact / Grazing Severity 2. Recovery Time Nutrition / Grass Vigour 3. Timing 4. Drought Reserve

9 STOCK DENSITY ULTRA HIGH HIGH

10 IMPACT

11 IMPACT BEFORE / AFTER

12 NON-SELECTIVE GRAZING

13 NON-SELECTIVE GRAZING

14 ENVIRONMENTS differ in terms of NUTRITION LOW QUALITY HIGH QUALITY

15 TIME - NUTRITION

16 TIME GRASS VIGOUR (Vigorous overgrazed plant)

17 Must overgrazing be avoided at all costs? GRAZING is POSITIVE DUNG URINE MICROBES SOIL AERATION SALIVA?????

18 TIME - GRASS VIGOUR NON-SELECTIVE OVERGRAZING RECOVERY / DROUGHT RESERVE

19 NON-SELECTIVE GRAZING results in POORER BODY CONDITION MANAGEMENT and BREEDING PRACITICES have to COUNTERACT this EVERYTHING in cattle breeding and management revolves around body condition

20 COUNTER MEASURES: 1. INHERENT BODY CONDITION 2. CALVE on GREEN GRASS 3. EFFECTIVE RUMEN SUPPLEMENTS 4. EARLY (4/5 months) WEANING 5. APPROPRIATE GRAZING MANAGEMENT

21 1. INHERENT BODY CONDITION (same BREED ) LATE MATURING FEEDLOT ADAPTED EARLY MATURING VELD ADAPTED

22 INHERENT BODY CONDITION

23 THE PROBLEM IS: Modern Scientific Breeding THE SOLUTION IS: Unimproved Genetics Accelerated Natural Selection

24 WHOLLY INDIGENOUS BREED COMPOSITES

25 INDIGENOUS BREED COMPOSITE

26 INDIGENOUS BREED COMPOSITE

27 2. CALVE on GREEN GRASS

28

29 3. EFFECTIVE RUMEN SUPPLEMENTS UREA / DEGRADABLE PROTEIN MINERALS PROBIOTIC POLYETHILENE GLYCOL (PEG)

30 Effective Rumen Supplement increases Digestion and Intake

31 4. EARLY WEANING Calves weaned at 4 months Calves more efficient Dry cows need less feed Cows calve in better body condition

32 5. APPROPRIATE GRAZING MANAGEMENT FRESH GRASS (frequent moves) SHORT RECOVERY (non-selective overgrazing )

33 BODY CONDITION (SR X4)

34 CATTLE are essential for SUSTAINABLE VELD and CROPLAND MANAGEMENT

35 SOIL SURFACE CONDITIONS determine ECOSYSTEM HEALTH CAPPED SURFACE COVERED

36 EARTHWORMS

37 GROWTH STIMULATION and NUTRIENT CYCLING SEVERE GRAZING SEVERE BROWSING

38 GRASS ESTABLISHMENT DUNG IMPACT

39 DENSE GRASS COVER KAROO BUSH/ GRASS TREES / GRASS COMBINATION

40 GENERALLY speaking a stocking rate increase of DOUBLE to QUADRUPLE can be expected

41 DRAMATIC FENCELINE CONTRAST (Chihuahua, Mexico)

42 FENCELINE CONTRAST NEIGHBOUR CONVENTIONAL GRAZING RANCHO CARRETAS UHDG

43 STOCKING RATE INCREASE TREATMENT 10 MONTHS LATER

44 WHAT IS NATURAL? Not much of the World is Natural We have to create Agricultural Systems that MIMIC NATURE

45 When clearing an environment such as this for crops / pasture we have to MIMIC the original ECOSYSTEM

46 TREES essential for SOIL FERTILITY ACACIA POLYACANTHA PANICUM MAXIMUM under ACACIA POLYACANTHA

47 TREES soil fertility / grass

48 Grass / Tropical Legume 14 Years Old / 1.25 LAU per ha

49 We have to be very creative in terms of the plants we use and in how we use them

50 Desmodium subsericeum (Tropical Legume)

51 Panicum maximum 6 weeks growth

52 Trifolium burchelianum 1.5 m x 15 cm

53 Crown Vetch (Aliwal North / Burgersdorp)

54 Lucerne / Smuts Finger (Lindley, Free State)

55 Perennial Peanut / Desmodium mix

56 Leucaeana lucocephela (Tropics)

57 Carragana arboresence (Temperate climate)

58 INTEGRATING TREES with PASTURES and CROPS

59

60

61

62 We understand the principles of sustainable / regenerative livestock (and crop) production In regard to cattle we can, at the least, DOUBLE profit sustainably WHAT is holding farmers back?

63 1. Agricultural Institutions, in general, are a BIG problem 2. The human mind is enigmatic: (a) Afraid of making mistakes (b) Comfort zone (c) Become accustomed to mediocrity (d) Looking for recipes

64 THANK YOU May you find the pot of gold at the end of the RAINBOW