Sustainable Livestock Production........

[The Old Ram-Australia]

It would be of interest to us if some of the members could tell us their definition of this topic and how their management practices result in increased production from the stock while improving the overall health of there land............A little further into the topic if members are interested we are happy to discuss some of ours,provide before/after photo's to show positive outcomes from our actions........................

The small tree in the foreground is in the middle-top of the picture below..................Looking forward to 'any 'responses..............T.O.R.

Quote:" Knowledge only increases in value ,when it is shared."

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Wow, the after picture looks great! Tell us what you changed.

I personally don't have before/after pics, but I have to be careful with my grazing because I have a higher-than-recommended stocking rate. I use a sacrifice lot to keep the animals off the grass when it's too short or too wet.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

Hi and thanks for the positive comments,Its my view that a camera is one of the 'most' important tools on the farm,followed closely by grazing management.................Your reply was so 'quick',it will be interesting to hear what others have got to say!!!!!!!!!........T.O.R.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

I'm also interested in how you got such beautiful results!

Currently we don't have any pasture. Our property is mixed deciduous woodland and we maintain the goats on understory browse (in addition to grass hay, grain, etc.)

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

WOW! and look at that!

glad you got the pix working, btw...

we have a mostly treed lot so we'll be working on pasture... but very interested in how you got this done

 

[freemotion]

I am getting similar results just by adding compost and ashes, but I only have about 2 acres in pasture. Instead of adding a thin layer of compost on the entire field, I do a section at a time, choosing the worst area (dirt and inedible weeds) and smothering it with 4-5 inches of finished compost.

When I added chickens to the mix, my pasture at first looked worse, with the chickens completely digging up some areas, killing all the plants. But when it came back....whoa, baby! They did a great job and really improved my pasture. My pasture was forest a few years ago and is still surrounded by trees, mostly oaks, maples, and cherry. The chickens take care of the areas where the leaves gather and mat down, smothering the grass. They also de-thatch thicker areas.

Mowing the field regularly also improved it. I use a scythe.

Next will be cross-fencing and rotational grazing.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day FM,thank for your response,your system reminds me of how they used to farm in Europe and Britain years ago,I also note you are not a machine man(neither am I,where ever possible).............If it would be possible ,could you post some info about your farm and your management practices,stuff like:size of farm,%of pasture to forest,do you have your stock in a barn over winter(thereby getting your stock of compost),if inside do you use a 'deep litter system?Also what sort of stock/breed do you have?................Some pic's of the farm would be great,if you are happy to post them........Look forward to hearing from you................T.O.R

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day all,the how did you' do it questions are not unexpected,but I would not 'presume' to tell anybody how 'it should be done',instead I will say what we 'don't do' and then add a list of things that we considered when we were going to make changes.....But first I think a little more detail about our place may be of value...............

Our farm is in two blocks 1x200ac and 1x300ac,the first was(prior to the drought)was used for growing out weaner calves to 12 mths or so and sold on.This ceased in the 2nd year of the drought and has been with-out stock for 8yrs................The other block is our sheep breeding block and where we live.The soils are Granite on the lower slopes and poor 'gravelly soils on the upper slopes and ridges.

We run our stock outside 12 mths of the year,there is no hand-feeding of anything ie:hay,grain ,etc.In the time we have had it(about13yrs)we have not spread one pound of fertilizer,we have not turned one inch of soil and we only use herbicides to 'spot-spray declared weeds.ALL of the farm work is carried out by Jenny and myself including,all the sheep work(I am a self taught shearer,last year the flock was 400 head),fencing ,weed spraying and anything else that has to be done and by the way I am 68 plus and Jennys age is a secret.

We then sat down and had a 'good hard look' at what we had.
What were our pastures composed of?
Were our fences in good order and in the 'right place'?
Were our stock handling facility's,correct for sheep?
Identify weed issues?
Was there enough stock water storage in each paddock?
What was going to be the 'right' type of grazing management?
Was there any areas on the farm that could attract 'Govt funding' to protect 'sensitive areas' of habitat and 'vegetation'?

If there are any of you who wish to know how we went about answering the above,we are happy to 'field questions 'on any of the points raised.The answer to the above formed the basis of the FARM PLAN, as it has been sound planning that has driven much of our success.

QUOTE" If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

There are many more facets to the plan and if anybody wants more' info',we can 'chat' about it in future 'posts' if thats your wish.

I started this 'topic' with the intention of it being a two way street and I want to 'learn' your systems in order to improve ours.

I have added a few more 'before and after' photo's for you to think about.

We look forward to your comments on the topic ,thus far.. T.O.R.

Developed woodland grazing.

2nd and 5thaddock is west facing ,gets hottest wind/sun and coldest winds in winter.
Log in 3 is in the top left in 4.

 

[Bossroo]

Do you have plans to harvest 1/2- 2/3 of the more mature trees as a crop? Do you remove the dead/ downed trees and branches? This would increase the amount of sunlight for pasturegrass production as well as remove volumes of water used by the mature trees thus raising the water table so that the grasses would use more of the available rainwater. Have you reseeded with better grass types or improved grass seed ? Have you done soil tests on various locations of the property? The results will tell you what fertilizers and minerals are needed where that animal manures alone may not be able to supply. This would increase the grass' quality as well as quantity. How about pasture crossfensing for proper pasture rotation ? What breed of sheep do you keep? The Dorper is a much better browser and gain weight much better on poorer browse, weeds, grass than most other breeds thus producing more meat per sheep. Since they browse very well, they will save on the need for spot spraying. These few little things will improve the land and make it much more productive.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day and thank you Bossroo for your response and questions ,which I will endeavor to answer.................Most of our timber is on the 'higher ground and ridge-tops,years ago all the 'good timber' was logged out for building,fencing and the like.What remains is OK for firewood and is suitable to the production of eucalyptus oil if no stock was carried and 'regrowth 'encouraged.We use our tree cover for stock shelter and to protect the slopes from erosion.....
We only remove timber for firewood and leave the bulk of it there as habitat for birds and reptiles..........
We have and excellent native grass species which thrives in 'shade'(Microlaena stipoides),responds to rain at any time of the year and has evolved over ,000s of years to handle our highly acid soils.Our district was settled in the 1800s and our farm has been 'livestock' farmed for over 100yrs,with all manner of stock ie: beef and dairy cattle,meat and wool sheep.When we purchased it was quite run-down and was considered to be 'whether 'country(suitable only for running de-sexed male sheep for Merino Wool).There have been many efforts made over the years (before us)to sow improved pastures,but the 'highly acidic' nature of the soil meant that most failed and only Cocksfoot(Dactylis glomerata),I think you refer to it as Orchard Grass, not only survived but thrived...............Since we have acquired the block,the change in management ,improved 'soil health' and the 'breaking of the drought' has revealed a whole lot of species we thought could not do well here..................The rain and resulting lift in the' water table'plus the 100% groundcover we now enjoy has meant that we now have Clover's galore,Rye,Phalaris and Fescue,plus a whole host of 'Native Grasses' on our 'best country'.
Our Granite country is so acid that a 10 yr trial run by the Dept of Ag concluded that the application of even vast quantity's of Lime would not achieve a satisfactory result.So we just work with what we have got.........
I am glad you raised the subject of fertilizers and minerals,much of our problem was the result of using(or abusing) Superphosphate over many years,which when combined with the acid soils 'locked up' many essential minerals.......Rather than spread minerals on the ground we feed a broad range through a mix, a la Pat Colby's,by doing it this way we figue that we rebalance the stocks system and the excess hits the ground in a form the plants can use immediately.........
The Dorper is an interesting breed,a few years ago a breeder suggested I change our flock over to this breed and if I was 40 or so I would follow that course,but I would change to the Asswarsie,because it has two strings to its 'bow' ,milk and meat and the breed appeals to the' ethnic group' we service.........
Thank you once again for your 'response'regards T.O.R.