Grazing Systems Research and Impact of Stocking Strategies on Pasture–Animal Production Efficiencies

Abstract

Grazing systems research includes a wide array of component experimentation to assess plant–animal responses on pastures during short‐term, seasonal, and long‐term periods. Pasture‐animal experiments seek to assess forage growth responses to grazing and to quantify relationships between forage growth and nutritive value to gains per animal and per hectare. These experiments have used fixed and variable stocking rate management, continuous or rotational methods of stocking, and other stocking strategies to evaluate levels of production efficiencies. Stocking strategies require the integration of periodic and total forage mass, associated nutritive attributes, specific defoliation regimen responses, and incorporation of weather conditions to meet end‐point objectives. The flexible integration processes includes forage–animal databases, availability of land resources, and intuitive experience to accommodate erratic weather conditions. Scientists have the opportunity to develop and validate stocking strategies through long‐term, site‐specific grazing systems research as well as collaborative, ecoregion research efforts. Documenting the influence of stocking density on nutrient cycling, stand maintenance, ecotype diversity, and watersheds will further define soil–forage–animal responses and impacts. Management prerequisites for application of stocking strategies includes foundational forage–animal interface relationships, land resource limitations, animal husbandry behavior awareness, initiation and termination of stocking sequences, projections and expectations for climatic changes, and biological and economic risk–reward expectations. Scientists involved in grazing system research are challenged to integrate soil, forage, and animal databases to discover and document production efficiencies and stocking strategies for implementation by scientists, students, and stakeholders.

Participatory Evaluation of Improved Grasses and Forage Legumes for Smallholder Livestock Production in Central America

“…To achieve the full benefits of the improved pastures, a change in management practices must accompany the change in genetic material. This region is characterized by relatively low soil fertility and a prolonged dry season, thus grazing schemes should be designed through collaboration between producers and technicians and include rotational grazing to achieve greater efficiency of grazing areas (Peters et al ., 2003; Rouquette, 2015). This co-design of pasture systems also needs to consider climate change and the associated increase in drought intensity, as well as explore the suitability of multiple options (e.g., silage).…”

Tall fescue sward structure affects the grazing process of sheep

“…In recent years alternative management of agricultural systems have been sought that support the principles of eco-efficiency 1 – 3 . Carvalho et al 4 and Laca et al 5 presented a perspective on precision livestock management, which is based on productive efficiency with environmental responsibility.…”

Mob and rotational grazing influence pasture biomass, nutritive value, and species composition

“…Unlike continuous grazing, which is inefficient from both plant and animal productivity standpoints, rotational and mob grazing offer unique advantages to livestock producers. Rotational grazing involves rotating cattle through paddocks at designated intervals (usually after 28–35 days of regrowth) and allowing one‐half to three days of grazing to occur (Paine, Undersander, & Casler, 1999; Rouquette, 2015). Mob grazing, also referred to as intensive, regenerative, ultra‐high density, or adaptive grazing, involves infrequent but intense (very high stocking density) grazing events that allow for substantial amounts of biomass accumulation between harvests (Allen et al., 2011; Bittman & McCartney, 1994; Brink, Jackson, & Alber, 2013).…”