Grazing to Improve Productivity: Introduction

Compared to other pasture options, ryegrass produces large amounts of quality feed fast. Being able to boost productivity from your ryegrass pasture may be as simple as updating your grazing management technique.

To maximise profitability you need to manage your pasture well. There is a saying ‘use it or lose it’. By not managing your ryegrass pasture properly you will end up wasting it and reducing the productive life of the pasture. There are three aspects to ideal grazing management; interval, intensity and duration.

Grazing to Improve Productivity: Interval

For ryegrass it is best to use leaf appearance intervals to decide when to graze and not pasture height. The best time to graze is from 2 leaves to 3 ½ leaves. As the 4th leaf emerges, the oldest leaf begins to die, so that the tiller maintains 3 live leaves. At this stage, pasture quality begins to decline and increasing amounts are wasted. Tillers only have a limited lifespan so management that maximises tiller survival and replacement will ensure maximum pasture production and persistence.

Grazing to Improve Productivity: Intensity

The harder you graze, the higher the consumption at any one grazing period. However, if pasture is grazed too hard (below 5cm), production and regrowth declines as the plants’ reserves are removed and less leaf remains for photosynthesis. In a set stocked situation these younger leaves will be selectively grazed as they are more palatable, consequently pasture growth rates decline. If the period between grazing is too brief, the grass has little time for regrowth, however if the period between grazing is extended, the grass begins to shade out clover.

Grazing to Improve Productivity: Duration

It is important to find the balance between grazing too hard and too lightly as each has associated consequences. This balance will vary depending on pasture management and other farm activities.

Although the theory of these grazing management strategies is sound, for broadacre farmers in the Esperance region they may not be practical. This is due to large paddock sizes and lower stock numbers. Some farmers have addressed this by strip grazing, reducing paddock size and increasing mob size.

Strip grazing requires a high work load; however it can be very successful. It involves confining sheep into strips in the paddock for short periods of time. Once the first strip has been grazed they are then pushed into the following strip. Strip grazing is mainly used when pasture supply exceeds demand so typically in winter / spring.

Electric fencing is the most effective method of constructing the strips. For more information on strip grazing, click here, or for more information on pasture quality and quantity, click here.