Grazing Systems
When properly implemented, a grazing system can help rangeland and livestock managers achieve management objectives related to rangeland and livestock production and ecosystem structure and function. Selection of the proper grazing system depends upon understanding the unique combination of topography, soils, vegetation types, and climate that overlap the management unit. No grazing system is better than any other, but each system is appropriate for specific conditions.
A grazing system is a particular way of managing the interactions between plants, soils, and grazing animals. If you graze animals, you already have a grazing system of some kind. As you begin to design or redesign your grazing system, remember that any grazing management problem usually has many possible solutions, and very few things you can do are "right" or "wrong." Most of all, remember than no one grazing system is "best."
By addressing a few simple principles, most grazing management problems can be solved. The successful grazing plan creatively combines these principles specifically for your operation's unique circumstances. Your grazing system will be your particular way of managing your plants, soils, and grazing animals.
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23-02-2015 ECHO's recent activity to integrate livestock more effectively includes revamping the farm's pastures and grazing approach. While for many years ECHO has demonstrated cut-and-carry forage feeding systems for goats, in early 2014 our interns and staff identified goals for minimizing the labor...
- Abstract,Improving grassland and pasture management in temperate agriculture, 2018 The sustainability of agricultural and livestock systems has been a major challenge for researchers throughout the world. Concerns regarding the impacts of current agronomic and management practices have been...
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Access Agriculture Video Zero-grazing is where fodder is cut and carried to cows which are kept in stalls. It is suited to where land is scarce. When the manure that the cows produce is mixed with water it can provide the fuel for a biogas plant. The mix of methane and carbon dioxide can be used...
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15-07-2016 Since 2014, the ECHO Farm in North Ft. Myers, Florida has been upgrading and expanding its pastures using the managed, rotational, intensive grazing model. With paddocks sub-divided by electric fencing, cows and goats are moved regularly and systematically from intensively grazed plots to fresh,...
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07-03-2018 Practice andprinciples from tenyears on the ground in southern, central and northern Kenya
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03-03-2016 Session: Thisl talk will be about the history of Holistic Management in Laikipia since its start in 2010. It will describe the approach used, the tools, the preliminary results and the challenges that remain. The session shares the experience from Northern Kenya Conservancies and speaks of...
- Abstract, Tropical Conservation Science, 2011 Deforestation and conversion of native habitats to exotic pasture and crops, plus inefficient agricultural and cattle management practices, are placing great pressures on natural resources in the Pantanal and Cerrado. To prevent further deforestation...
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Abstract, Sustainability, 2018 Grazing land ecosystem services including food provision and climate regulation are greatly influenced by soil health. This paper provides a condensed review of studies on the response of three important soil properties related to soil health to grazing land...
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20-01-2005 Although many small-scale farmers in eastern Africa have dairy cows of exotic breeds or crosses, they do not feed them in a way that will achieve high milk yields. This practical handbook contains information on nutritional needs at various stages of the cow's life and suitable feeding...
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01-01-2004 This is a book about a remarkable method of handling cattle on the range, written for the benefit of the range rider. Bud Williams teaches a remarkable method called low stree livestock handling.
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When properly implemented, a grazing system can help rangeland and livestock managers achieve management objectives related to rangeland and livestock production and ecosystem structure and function. Selection of the proper grazing system depends upon understanding the unique combination of...
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Abstract, UN Environment and GRID-Arendal, 2019 Pastoralism is practiced by millions of people worldwide. It has roots in every part of the world and back thousands of years to the beginning of agriculture. But while pastoral societies have existed for millennia, we still don’t know that much...
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Abstract, Ambio, 2015 The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to livestock, particularly in the...
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Abstract, PhD Thesis, 2018 Ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, can digest cellulosic substances and can convert plants to products such as milk, meat, wool, and mohair. Pastureland, therefore, is critical to the production of these ruminants and the products they provide. In order to...
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Lightning Talk, ECHOEast Africa Pastoralist Symposium, March 29, 2022. Presenter: Jeremy Lowney
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Access AgricultureTraining Video Pastures that are grazed continuously get exhausted and grow little forage for the animals. Divide your pasture in sections using a fence, and let the animals graze one section at a time. When the pasture plants are half-way eaten, move the animals to another...
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TheInternational Grassland Congresspromotes interchange of information on all aspects of natural and cultivated grasslands and forage crops for the benefit of mankind, including sustained development, food production and the maintenance of biodiversity. International Congresses are held every...
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Access Agriculture Trianing Video Zero-grazing is where fodder is cut and carried to cows which are kept in stalls. It is suited to where land is scarce. When the manure that the cows produce is mixed with water it can provide the fuel for a biogas plant. The mix of methane and carbon dioxide can...