An analysis of the fundamentals of grazing management systems

Abstract

The resting and grazing components of grazing management cycles as practiced in South Africa are evaluated from the points of view of objective and effect. While the desirability of resting for seeding and an increase in vigour is recognized, little is known of the optimum duration and frequency of rests in the various types of grazing. The upper limit of camp numbers per group of animals beyond which an increase in resting benefit is only slight appears to be approximately six. While continuous grazing is generally believed to be detrimental to sward composition because of selective grazing, it seems that this effect is due rather to incorrect stocking rates than continuous grazing per se. Rotational grazing does, however, offer a means of attaining higher stocking rates without detrimental effects. High Utilisation Grazing and High Production Grazing are two different methods of applying rotational grazing which have different objectives and different effects. The most suitable method to use in any situation depends on the nature of the sward and the reaction of the component species to defoliation. However, both methods require multi-camp systems for best results.

Keywords: objective assessments|defoliations|methods|rotational grazing systems|stocking rates|selective grazing|continuous grazing systems|resting phases|seeding|grazing|resting|management strategies|grazing systems|grazing management|fundamentals|analyses|vigour