Context. Tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus) has potential to supplement pasture production in steephill country and increase pasture resilience. Aims. To (1) quantify production of edible dry matter (EDM) of pruned 2-year-old tagasaste shrubs and branches from unpruned 10-year-old tagasaste trees, and (2) determine the effect of proximity of the 10-year-old tagasaste trees on selected pasture species established as spaced transplants. Methods. A site was established on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand on steep-hill country (>20° slope). Tagasaste and pasture species production was measured over 3 years. Results. Tagasaste −1 shrubs produced an average of 2.7 kg EDM shrub −1 year and a tree branch produced 129 g EDM year −1 . The metabolisable energy content of tagasaste branches averaged 10.0 MJ kg EDM −1 , the crude protein content ranged from 18% to 27% and neutral detergent fibre content averaged 39%. Branch diameter and length were poor predictors of EDM branch −1 . There was no effect of increasing proximity to tagasaste on DM production of the resident pasture. Effects of increasing proximity to tagasaste on the growth and survival of selected pasture species are reported in a companion paper. Conclusions. Edible-DM production was much greater from shrubs than tree branches and it was not possible to predict branch EDM from branch diameter or length. Implications. A tagasaste silvopasture is likely to be more productive if tagasaste is managed for grazing in situ than if using mature trees for harvesting of branches for browse.

Variegated thistle can dominate north-facing slopes on North Island East Coast hill-country reducing pasture production and livestock carrying capacity. On a hill-country sheep and beef property near Gisborne, the herbicides 2,4-D + clopyralid were applied in early-May by knapsack in combination with a June aerial application of 2,4-D ester. This was more effective than a single June aerial application of 2,4-D ester in reducing the abundance of variegated thistle and enabling grasses from the seedbank to colonise the bare ground in the herbicide-treated patches. Mixtures of grasses, legumes and herbs, oversown onto bare patches previously occupied by thistle plants, did not establish on a north-facing slope. While they did establish on a south-facing slope, the sown species did not persist, most likely due to selective grazing. To establish competitive pasture, natural germination from the seedbank may be less risky than oversowing seed into thistle patches, if desirable species are present in the seedbank.

The improvement in forage quality and quantity of summer-dry hill country pasture resulting from the introduction of clover is well recognised. However, ensuring the persistence of the commonly availablecultivars is challenging, in the face of seasonal moisture stress, intensive grazing, competition from established well-adapted pasture species, low soil fertility and low soil pH – conditions typical of the East Coast of the North Island. Here we quantify the value proposition associated with the introduction of white clover into a case study on a Gisborne sheep and beef farm, using a six-step process. A topographically explicit approach is taken, using an understanding of the underlying spatial variability, based on a combination of soil and pasture measurements, APSIM simulation modelling of pasture growth and farm system modelling of enterprise performance. We show that from a baseline of a typical low-fertility, diverse species hill country pasture, white clover introduction can increase spring and summer forage consumption by 17%, enabling inclusion of an additional 6-month bull finishing enterprise generating a 32% greater carcass weight production and leading to a 49% improvement in farm system EBIT. This represents a positive net present value of over $360,000 for the original investment in white clover establishment into existing pastures.

Variegated thistle (Silybum marianum) is a prevalent weed on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Goats may provide a novel management tool to control thistles, but little is known about how cutting thistles prior to grazing affects thistle consumption by goats. This study investigated the extent to which goats consume either uncut entire variegated thistle plants or cut thistles. Eight groups of three goats were presented with thistle vegetation in each of two replicate 1-hour feeding sessions on 2 consecutive days. Averaged over both days, in the cut treatment, goats consumed 99% of the leaves that had been removed from the thistles and reduced the ground cover of the thistle plants by 68%. In the uncut treatment, ground cover of the thistles was reduced by 46%. A combination of cutting and goat grazing is likely to be a useful tool for stopping variegated thistle debris from smothering pasture and for inhibiting seed setting. Further work is required to test this at paddock scale.

A pasture and farm management survey was conducted on thirteen geographically paired regenerative and conventional beef and sheep farms in the upper North Island to identify differences in pasture attributes and management practices. Farms were paired by geographical location and livestock type. When compared to conventional pastures, regenerative pastures had a similar number of grass, legume and broadleafspecies (averaging 4, 1 and 3 species respectively), three times as much legume (13 compared to 4% content) and 30% less perennial ryegrass in total DM (P<0.01) but a similar broadleaf content. There was no difference between pasture types in pre- or post-grazing covers. Compared to conventional pastures, soils sampled from regenerative pastures had a higher pH, and herbage had higher levels of calcium, boron, molybdenum (P<0.05) and a trend towards lower Olsen P values (P=0.052). There was a divergence between farm types in fertiliser policies, with regenerative farmers generally not using synthetic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) products and applying a wider range of nutrients. Herbicides and pesticides were used across both farm types. Changes in pasture composition (i.e., less perennial ryegrass and more clover) and soil nutrient status were consistent with lower N and P inputs on regenerative farms. Keywords: Botanical composition, botanical diversity,grazing management, regenerative farming