Individual pasture and forage species have specific grazing requirements. You can use these requirements to increase or maintain that species in the pasture or to decrease a species, eg, to increase the relative contribution of other species in the mixture. The table below contains species specific information and the following are some general rules for grazing management:
Grazing frequency
Plants that can cope with heavy, continuous grazing during their growing season are those with a prostrate (flat) growth habit (sub clover, annual medics and many broadleaf weeds such as capeweed, Erodium and thistles), or those with rhizomes or stolons (bent grass, couch grass, kikuyu). These plants are able to maintain some leaf for photosynthesis even when kept grazed very short, and hence are able to survive. Plants that have a more upright or erect growth habit, such as many introduced and native perennial grasses, and most annual grasses, are less resilient to heavy, continuous grazing, because most leaf (and stem) material is easily removed by stock, leaving little capacity for regrowth.
Grazing tactics
- If you want to modify your current grazing system or methods, be clear about the benefits you are trying to achieve, for example: Use rotational grazing to increase autumn/winter growth rates of desirable perennial and annual grasses. This will improve the size and persistence of perennial grasses and also help suppress broadleaf weeds.
- Use crash-grazing or set stocking (with a high stock density) in spring to prevent annual or perennial grass weeds dominating in problem paddocks and also to increase the annual clover content
- Remove stock from paddocks when groundcover falls below the acceptable limit in your district to protect the pasture and the soil (see procedure 6.2 in Healthy Soils). Maintain groundcover and litter at the time of the season break to reduce germination of annual broadleaf weeds such as capeweed. However, leaving more than 2,000 kg DM/ha (litter/dead pasture) in the paddock at time of the autumn break will reduce germination of annual clovers
- Maintain a flexible approach. Varying seasonal conditions from year to year will affect pasture composition so you need to be able to adapt your grazing system accordingly
- When applying your grazing strategy or tactic, refer to the seasonal targets you have set for the class of livestock grazing the paddock/s (see tools 10.4 and 10.5 in Wean More Lambs).Pasture and animal production objectives are not always compatible and compromises (economic, environmental and social) have to be made
- Rest periods (for rotational grazing systems) should be based on allowing the grass you want to be most dominant in the pasture to grow back a target number of leaves. Only when this target number of leaves has regrown on a tiller has the plant fully restored its reserves in readiness for the next grazing and re-growth cycle. This may require lowering your stock numbers or deferment of grazing. The following table lists these targets for species where clear.
