MMFS Module 8: Turn Pasture into Product
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Chapter 8.1 - Know your feed supply
Key decisions, critical actions and benchmarks -
Review annual rainfall patterns
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Determine your current pasture growth pattern
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Determine variability in your pasture growth
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Modify your pasture supply
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Deferred grazing through containment feeding
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Utilise cereal crops
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Chapter 8.2 - Know your animal demandKey decisions, critical actions and benchmarks
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Estimate feed quality
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Estimate pasture mass/feed on offer
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Set annual targets for livestock classes and pasture
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Assess stock condition
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Set trigger points and plan to meet your targets
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Monitor your plan
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Modify the annual animal demand curve
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Time of lambing
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Stock sales and purchases
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Time of shearing
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Chapter 8.3 - Match animal demand to feed supply and minimise riskKey decisions, critical actions and benchmarks
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Introduction
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Plan your feed year
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Does pasture supply meet animal demand?
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What animal factors can I change?
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Complete regular feed budgets (measure and monitor)
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Manage the grazing system to control stock intake
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Manage the grazing system to maintain optimum pasture levels
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Implement tactical grazing
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Are paddocks unevenly grazed?
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Increase pasture utilisation on part of your property
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Plan for drought
Increase pasture utilisation on part of your property
Meat & Livestock Australia January 25, 2022
When trying to increase pasture utilisation, start off with one or two paddocks as a trial, to practise pasture and stock assessment skills and feed budgeting. It may be the better land classes or paddocks where there are obvious signs of poor utilisation (too much dead pasture, low legume content).
It is often best to make incremental lifts towards your stocking rate target which will allow you to increase confidence and build skills. For example, you might decide to increase the stocking rate in winter by 10% this year, based on analysis of the average pasture supply curve and the amount of dead pasture left in paddocks. One option could be to retain an older age group of ewes or more wethers, rather than purchasing stock if the risk of introducing disease is a concern.