The evaluation of veld by animal production

Abstract

There is a lack of conclusive experimental evidence, in terms of animal production, to substantiate some of the generally accepted "basic principles" of veld management in the Republic of South Africa. It is suggested that this may be due to the failure to recognize and/or consider the large number of possible variables associated with the comparison of grazing management systems. Due to the low carrying capacity of the veld, its resilience, and a large number of variables, experimentation in this field is expensive, laborious, of long duration and occupies large areas. Specially selected and adapted experimental designs may however facilitate this research.

Keywords: grazing management|grazing systems|rotational grazing systems|continuous grazing systems|research|experimental designs|experimental analyses|stocking rates|veld|carrying capacities|evaluations|animal production|animals|experimental evidence|veld management|basic principles