Recent trends in grazing management philosophy in South Africa.

Abstract

Reasoned argument by researchers in veld management in South Africa and elsewhere has not generally supported a number of contentious recommendations made in recent years in the popular and semi-popular press. The only major changes to general management thinking has been that high performance grazing (or controlled selective grazing) is, except for a few notable exceptions, more appropriate than high utilisation grazing (non selective grazing). In contrast, considerably more evidence has emerged to support the general philosophy which has built up over the years on such issues as optimum stocking rates, periods of absence, stocking densities and the required number of camps in grazing layouts.

Keywords: change; grazing intensity; grazing management; herd effect; management; number of camps; optimum stocking rate; performance; period of absence; selective grazing; south africa; stocking density; stocking rates; veld management

Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa.