The more grass grown, the higher the production. This simple summary of pasture-based farming systems was the underlying theme at a recent B+LNZ Central Canterbury Farming for Profit field day at Rakaia Gorge’s Quartz Hill Station.
Quartz Hill Station Manager Gus Lang outlined his approach to maximising pasture production, while Allister Moorhead and Greg Dunshea from Agricom talked about different pasture species and their specific management requirements (Greg and Allister’s presen tation will be covered next week).
Gus had worked on dairy farms for 10 years before returning to his sheep and beef farming roots but has taken the principles of dairy pasture management and is now applying them in a pasture-based hill country, mixed stock environment.
He told the 100-plus attendees that the difference between good and great pasture management is proactively managing various scenarios to ensure feed supply matches feed demand across Quartz Hill’s six stock classes at different times of the year.
“The question I ask myself at the end of each day is did I feed each stock class as well as I could.”
Gus believes the key to maximising pasture growth comes down to consistently optimising residuals; not grazing so low that there is a risk of underfeeding, compromising animal performance and causing pasture damage and pugging.
Gus aims for post-grazing residuals of 1500kgDM/ha - and as a rule of thumb for Red Band gumboot wearers - pre-grazing covers are ideally at the top red band ( 2400-2500 kgDM/ha) and post-grazing at the bottom red band- but he encourages farmers to use whatever tools they have available ( sward stick, rising plate meters)- so long as they do the measurements. Optimal grazing occurs at the two-and- a-half to three leaf stage
“You need to be constantly monitoring and measuring.”
“Consistency is key. Targeting residuals leads to better outcomes.”
In spring, the focus is on maintaining pasture residuals to encourage clover growth and to manage surpluses.
In summer, the focus is on feed quality and for this reason, Gus aims to get ewes and lambs out of set stocking and onto grazing rotations as early as possible.
“We aim to keep the ME as high as possible for as long as we can. This comes when you hit the right grazing residual targets.”
In autumn the focus is on setting up pastures for mating and in winter it is on preparing covers for spring.
Feed budgeting critical
A feed budget is critical for bringing together feed supply and the demands of different stock classes through the seasons.
This means knowing what typical pasture growth rates are at different times of the year. Each farm will be different, hence the importance of physically measuring pasture production. For example, Gus will measure pasture growth in three or four indicator paddocks in spring.
If these paddocks typically grow 50kgDM/ha/day in spring, - but measurements show they are only growing 45kgDM/ha – then management can be adjusted accordingly.
While dairy farmers see the consequence of their management decisions in the vat every day, Gus says sheep and beef farmers don’t have the same feedback loop, therefore growth rate monitoring, Body Condition Scoring and understanding daily feed demand is key at critical times of year.
With the Lumina lamb programme at Quartz Hill there is a more regular feedback loop of weekly lamb weighing compared to most systems, but with capital stock cattle, deer and ewes the weighing and Body condition Scoring is more intermittent.
Subdivision ensures even grazing throughout paddocks and boost pasture production. This is where break and E. fencing are such valuable tools, particularly when combined with pasture measurements. These speed up the feedback loop so farmers can quickly see whether they are underfeeding or overfeeding.
Using tools
Gus is an advocate for using tools such as B+LNZ’s Feedsmart tool or the Grazing Calculator app or to quickly calculate breaks or how long a paddock will last stock to meet their demand. These can be used in the paddock and take the guess work out of feed management.