Integrating novel forage management into sheep farm systems

Cosgrove, G. P.; Hyslop, M.G.; Anderson, C. B.; Litherland, A. J.; Lambert, M. G.

doi:10.33584/jnzg.2003.65.2527

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…Cosgrove et al (2003) used a farm system model to determine if the greater nutrient intake possible from a spatially separated clover–grass mixture would translate to better whole‐farm performance outcomes. They compared scenarios where proportions of 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, or 0.2 of the available grazing area were sown to spatially separated swards and predicted that growing this pasture type on 0.15 to 0.2 of a typical sheep breeding and finishing farm in North Island, New Zealand, could increase total lamb carcass output and net farm profit.…”

Section: Animal Production Responses To Controlled Spatial Variabilitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Spatial Patterns in Pasture on Animal Grazing Behavior, Intake, and Performance

et al. 2007

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Control over the quantity and quality of food ingested by grazing ruminants in temperate pasture systems remains elusive. This is due in part to the foraging choices that animals make when grazing from communities of mixed plant species. Grazing behavior and intake interact strongly with the feed supply–demand balance, pasture composition, and grazing method. These interactions are not completely understood, even for relatively simple pasture communities such as a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)–white clover (Trifolium repens L.) mixture. When offered a free choice between these species, ruminants exhibit a partial preference for clover compared to grass (about 0.7:0.3) and have a higher intake rate from clover but do not graze to maximize their daily intake of dry matter (DM). When monocultures of grass and clover are offered as a free choice in 50:50 area ratio, animal performance is no different than from a clover monoculture alone. Thus, all of the feeding value benefits of clover are available when only 0.5 of the grazing area is sown to clover. These observations accord with the satiety theory and imply that there are constraints to eating pure clover that animals can overcome by adding grass to their diet, provided their ability to locate and ingest each food is not seriously limited. The challenge for grassland management is to present feed to animals at pasture in ways that allow them to meet their dietary preferences, while also allowing high rates of animal production per hectare.

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Section: Animal Production Responses To Controlled Spatial Variabilitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Spatial Patterns in Pasture on Animal Grazing Behavior, Intake, and Performance

et al. 2007

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“…() and <35 days for Cosgrove et al . (). Continuous stocking may lead to clover being depleted and not able to contribute significantly to the quality of feed offered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…They are also contrary to Cosgrove et al . (), who showed that liveweight gain of sheep was greater on spatially separated monocultures than mixtures. The dissimilarity between the findings of this study and those of previous studies may reflect the difference in the duration of the study, being 8 days for Champion et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of spatial heterogeneity of plant species on herbage productivity, herbage quality and ewe and lamb performance of continuously stocked, perennial ryegrass–white clover swards

Sharp

Edwards

Jeger

2012

Grass and Forage Science

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The benefits of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in pastures are widely recognized. However, white clover is perceived as being unreliable due to its typically low content and spatial and temporal variability in mixed (grass‐legume) pastures. One solution to increase the clover proportion and quality of herbage available to grazing animals may be to spatially separate clover from grass within the same field. In a field experiment, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover were sown as a mixture and compared with alternating strips of ryegrass and clover (at 1·5 and 3 m widths), or in adjacent monocultures (strips of 18 m width within a 36‐m‐wide field). Pastures were stocked by ewes and lambs for three 10‐month grazing periods. Over the 3 years of the experiment, spatial separation of grass and clover, compared with a grass–clover mixture, increased clover herbage production, although its proportion in the sward declined through time (0·49–0·54 vs 0·34 in the mixture in the first year, 0·28–0·33 vs 0·15 in the second year and 0·03–0·18 vs 0·01 in the third year). Total herbage production in the growing season in the spatially separated treatments decreased from 11384 kg DM ha−1 in the first year to 8150 kg DM ha−1 in the third year. Crude protein concentration of clover and grass components in the 18‐m adjacent monoculture treatment was greater than the mixture treatment for both clover (310 vs 280 g kg−1 DM) and grass (200 vs 180 g kg−1 DM). There was no clear benefit in liveweight gain beyond the first year in response to spatially separating grass and clover into monocultures within the same field.

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“…The low preference of deer for ryegrass, yet the ryegrass dominance in deer grazed swards, is evidence to support this principle. Recent studies with sheep (Cosgrove et al 2001 and dairy cows (Marotti et al 2001) have demonstrated the possibility for a novel management system of growing grass and clover separately instead of as an intermingled mix, and giving them the opportunity to freely choose. To our knowledge this has not been tried with deer, but providing the opportunity for them to easily combine their preference for a mixed diet and a high proportion of clover, with a high total daily intake, might benefit performance just as it does for sheep and cattle.…”

Section: Nutritional and Behavioural Aspects Of Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet selection by deer: principles, practice and consequences

Cosgrove

Hodgson²

2003

NZGA R&P Series

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The role of diet selection by farmed deer in their nutrient intake and species selection, and the consequences for the management of forages, is considered. In common with sheep and cattle, sward surface height (SSH) is the most influential sward physical factor on the ability of deer to meet their daily nutrient demand from grazed pasture, and a SSH of 10cm is required for maximum intake and performance. Deer discriminate among pasture species, generally preferring legumes and herbs to grasses. The grass dominance and low proportion of clover in typical permanent pasture grazed by deer reflects their selection for clover and avoidance of grass. This dominance of grass and the difficulty deer face in selecting for alternative species that are present only in a low proportion may constrain intake even when sward height is not limiting. Summer-growing forage species such as red clover (Trif olium pratense), white clover (Tri folium repens), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) have high nutritive value, and result in high liveweight gains by deer when provided as specialist swards at critical feeding times. Recent studies indicate that ruminants prefer to eat mixed diets, and management systems that enable mixed grass-clover pastures with a high proportion of legume to be sustained under selective grazing by deer would provide high nutritive value and maintain a balance between winter and summer in the seasonal distribution of pasture dry matter production. Keywords: Cervidae, deer, diet selection, forage, grazing behaviour, nutrient intake, preference

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Integrating novel forage management into sheep farm systems

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

Impacts of Spatial Patterns in Pasture on Animal Grazing Behavior, Intake, and Performance

Impacts of Spatial Patterns in Pasture on Animal Grazing Behavior, Intake, and Performance

Impact of spatial heterogeneity of plant species on herbage productivity, herbage quality and ewe and lamb performance of continuously stocked, perennial ryegrass–white clover swards

Diet selection by deer: principles, practice and consequences

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