Increasing home-grown forage consumption and profit in non-irrigated dairy systems. 4. Economic performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Chapman ◽  
D. Beca ◽  
J. Hill ◽  
J. Tharmaraj ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Winter Cereal ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
The Face ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Feed Costs ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Western Victoria

The profitability of dairy farm systems in southern Australia is closely related to the amount of pasture grown and consumed on-farm by dairy cows. However, there are doubts regarding the extent to which gains in feed supply from perennial ryegrass pasture can continue to support productivity growth in the industry. A farmlet experiment was conducted in south-western Victoria for 4 years (June 2005–May 2009), comparing a production system based on the use of forage species that complement perennial ryegrass in their seasonal growth pattern (‘Complementary Forages’, or CF) with a well managed system solely based on perennial ryegrass pasture (‘Ryegrass Max’, or RM). The forage base in CF included perennial ryegrass with a double-cropping rotation of winter cereal grown for whole-crop silage, followed by a summer brassica for grazing on 15% of farmlet area, a summer-active pasture based on tall fescue (on average 20% of farmlet area), perennial ryegrass oversown with short-rotation ryegrasses (average 16% of farmlet area) and summer brassica crops used in the process of pasture renovation (average 5% of farmlet area). The stocking rate was 2.2 and 2.8 cows/ha on RM and CF, respectively. Both systems were profitable over the 4 years of the experiment, with the modified internal rate of return over 4 years being 14.4% and 14.7% for the RM and CF farmlets, respectively. The coefficient of variation (%) of annual operating profit over 4 years was higher for the CF farmlet (56% and 63% for RM and CF, respectively). A severe drought in one of the 4 years exposed the more highly stocked CF system to greater supplementary feed costs and business risk. By comparison, the RM system performed consistently well across different seasons and in the face of a range of milk prices. The very small gain in profit from CF, plus the associated higher risk, makes it difficult to endorse a substantial change away from the traditional RM feed supply to greater reliance on summer-grown forages on non-irrigated dairy farms in southern Australia, as implemented in this experiment.

Benefits and costs of grazing various proportions of perennial ryegrass and chicory for dairy production

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Lewis ◽  
C. K. M. Ho ◽  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
B. Malcolm
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Individual Farm ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Understanding the economic trade-off between changes in the supplementary feed required and the cost of pasture renovation is important when considering investing in alternative forages. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is the main pasture species used for dairy production in temperate Australia. Alternatives to perennial ryegrass are grown to complement the seasonal growth pattern of perennial ryegrass, and to potentially increase annual dry matter (DM) yield. A case study analysis of a dairy farm in Gippsland was used to explore the benefits and costs over 15 years when either 0%, 20% or 40% of the milking area was sown to chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), with the balance sown to perennial ryegrass. Chicory was part of a 3-year pasture renovation cycle; in the year of establishment, annual ryegrass was sown in the autumn, with chicory sown in spring, followed by 27 months of production. This was compared with a 5-year renovation cycle of perennial ryegrass. Stocking rates of 3.3 and 2.5 cows/ha were modelled. A whole farm budget approach with stochastic simulation was used to quantify the potential effect on profit and risk. The profitability of growing chicory depended on the balance among (1) savings in supplementary feed costs during summer and autumn, and (2) possible reductions in the overall supply of DM during winter and early spring, and (3) increased pasture renovation costs. Stocking rate influenced the most profitable percentage of land sown to chicory. When stocking rate was 3.3 cows/ha, sowing 20% of the milking area to chicory returned a net present value (NPV) over 15 years AU$31 000 greater, on average, than did sowing 0% chicory, and AU$46 000 greater than sowing 40% chicory. With 2.5 cows/ha, sowing 40% of the milking area to chicory returned an NPV AU$39 000–AU$102 000 greater, on average, than did sowing either 20% or 0% chicory, respectively. The ratio of perennial ryegrass to chicory had little effect on the variability of NPV. For an individual farm, the most profitable percentage will fluctuate over time with variations in prices, seasonal conditions and management choices.

The impact of system changes to a dairy farm in south-west Victoria: risk and increasing profitability

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 557 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Heard ◽  
C. M. Leddin ◽  
D. P. Armstrong ◽  
C. K. M. Ho ◽  
K. A. Tarrant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
South West ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Face ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
The Impact

A case study modelling approach was used to examine changes to a dairy farm in south-west Victoria to maintain or increase profit in the future 5–10 years in the face of some ‘cost-price squeeze’, emphasising impacts on both returns and risk. Five changes to the status quo system were analysed. Each involved increasing pasture consumption on the milking area and non-milking leased area (where appropriate). The five changes were: (1) reducing leased non-milking area by 100 ha; (2) converting 60 ha of non-milking leased area to milking area, reducing leased non-milking area by 100 ha and reducing stocking rate on the milking area; (3) converting 187 ha of leased non-milking area to milking area, increasing herd size to 800 cows and reducing stocking rate on the milking area; (4) discarding all leased area, reducing herd size to 370 cows and reducing stocking rate; and (5) converting 127 ha of non-milking leased area to milking area, discarding all other lease arrangements and reducing stocking rate. Mean ± standard deviation of nominal owner’s equity at the end of Year 10 was $2.59M ± $1.33M, $5.42M ± $1.26M, $5.76M ± $1.21M, $7.47M ± $1.64M, $6.01M ± $0.78M and $6.10M ± $1.19M for the status quo and development options 1–5, respectively. For most but not all of the development options, the risk associated with the profit, cash and equity as measured by a range of indicators improved markedly over the performance of the farm system under the status quo. Both substantial increases and decreases in herd size were attractive. Irrespective of the direction of change in herd size, the most profitable options involved reducing stocking rate per ha and reducing purchased supplementary feed compared with the status quo. Significantly, changing to increase productivity greatly reduced the risk of having less equity at the end of Year 10 than the starting equity. Optimising the amount of home-grown grazed feed, and using purchased supplements efficiently are important, particularly if the milk being sold is subject to export market prices and variation. The most appropriate changes to dairy farm businesses in response to changes in the operating environment will vary from farm to farm – but maintaining the status quo in the face of change is not an option that meets farm family goals.

Increasing home-grown forage consumption and profit in non-irrigated dairy systems. 1. Rationale, systems design and management

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Chapman ◽  
J. Hill ◽  
J. Tharmaraj ◽  
D. Beca ◽  
S. N. Kenny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Winter Cereal ◽  
Dairy Systems ◽  
Milk Solids

The profitability of dairy businesses in southern Australia is closely related to the amount of feed consumed from perennial ryegrass-dominant pasture. Historically, the dairy industry has relied on improvements in pasture productivity and utilisation to support profitable increases in stocking rate and milk production per hectare. However, doubts surround the extent to which the industry can continue to rely on perennial ryegrass technology to provide the necessary productivity improvements required into the future. This paper describes the design and management of a dairy systems experiment at Terang in south-west Victoria (780-mm average annual rainfall) conducted over four lactations (June 2005–March 2009) to compare the production and profitability of two forage base options for non-irrigated dairy farms. These options were represented by two self-contained farmlets each milking 36 mixed-age, autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian cows at peak: (1) well managed perennial ryegrass pasture (‘Ryegrass Max’, or ‘RM’); and (2) perennial ryegrass plus complementary forages (‘CF’) including 15% of farmlet area under double cropping with annual species (winter cereal grown for silage followed by summer brassica for grazing on the same land) and an average of 25% of farmlet area in perennial pasture based on tall fescue for improved late spring–early summer feed supply. The design of these systems was informed by farming systems models (DairyMod, UDDER and Redsky), which were used to estimate the effects of introducing different forage options on farm profitability. The design of the CF system was selected based on modelled profitability increases assuming that all forage components could be managed to optimise forage production and be effectively integrated to optimise milk production per cow. Using the historical ‘average’ pasture growth curve for the Terang district and a mean milk price of $3.71 per kg milk solids, the models estimated that the return on assets of the RM and CF systems would be 9.4 and 15.0%, respectively. The objectives of the experiment described here were to test whether or not such differences in profitability could be achieved in practice, and to determine the risks associated with including complementary forages on a substantial proportion of the effective farm area. Key results of the experiment are presented in subsequent papers.

scholarly journals 110 Managing Feed Efficiency to Improve Dairy Farm Margin

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 20-20
Author(s):  
Micheal J Brouk
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Production Cost ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Animal Reproduction ◽  
High Feed ◽  
Efficiency Factors ◽  
Feed Costs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Made In

Abstract Dairy farm margin has continued to be a challenge for the dairy industry. Several years of challenging milk prices with limited relief from high feed costs and increasing production cost have continued to erode the net margin of US dairy farms. As dairy producers continue to operate in a challenging economic environment, discoveries are being made in various farm efficiencies to improve farm margin. Increased management intensity on all aspects of the dairy farm is resulting in the discover of and improvement of many individual efficiency factors. Key areas of economic efficiency include feed, animal reproduction, replacement animals, labor and resource allocation. Often the answer to improved efficiency involves more than just reduced production cost, but also in the improvement of production to reduce the cost per unit of milk produced. Identifying and focusing on the important factors that can improve overall farm efficiency will enable producers to weather the economic challenges. For dairy producers, one of the complications is the biology of the dairy cow and understanding how to utilize the biology correctly for improved efficiency of milk production. Improved efficiency of milk production requires attention to details in many areas of the dairy. Identifying the correct areas of deficiencies, establishing corrective plans of action and then careful evaluation of the impact of changes are all key to the overall success of improving dairy farm margins and efficiencies.

scholarly journals Efficiency of pasture and supplement management in high producing dairy herds

2003 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
P.V. Salles ◽  
J. Hodgson ◽  
P.N.P. Matthews ◽  
C.W. Holmes ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Feeding Management ◽  
Dairy Systems ◽  
Supplementary Feed

In 1998 a three-year dairy farm monitoring programme funded by AGMARDT (Agricultural Marketing and Research Development Trust) was established on twelve dairy farms in the southern North Island of New Zealand where policy had changed from a focus on high production per ha through high stocking rate to a management based on reduced stocking rate and strategic use of supplements to enhance both production per cow and per ha. The project involved a detailed three-year data collection which included measurements of the quantity and composition of pasture and supplements consumed as well as animal performance. Analysis of the results of the third year (2000/2001) on nine of these farms with complete data sets identified a range of metabolisable energy (ME) intake (50669 - 70135 MJ ME/cow/yr). Supplementary feed represented on average 24% (21 - 27 %) of the total intake of ME, the main supplements being pasture silage (summer to winter), turnips (summer) and maize silage (autumn and winter) consumed by lactating cows, and grazing off by dry stock. There was a range of milksolids (MS) production per cow (372 - 424 kg/year) and per hectare (921 - 1264 kg/year). The average economic farm surplus per hectare of NZ$3077 (NZ$2425 - NZ$3867) for the case-study farms was approximately 43% higher than the top 25% farms in the Manawatu region. Mean values of return on assets for the case-study farms (12.9%) and top 25% farms in Manawatu (13.0%) were similar. Good pasture management based on controlled preand post-grazing herbage mass targets (mean 2650 and 1900 kg DM/ha, respectively), strategic use of supplementary feed to control pasture deficits, and moderate stocking rates (overall mean 2.7 cows/ha), provided high allowances of high quality herbage (organic matter digestibility ranging from 742 to 845 g/kg DM) and maintained high levels of milk production (411 kg MS/cow and 1100kg MS/ha). The comparison with industry data showed that the casestudy farms were highly productive and profitable dairy systems, at least under the conditions of the 2000/2001 season. However, the result indicated the need to improve management skills to limit feed wastage under generous feeding management, and also the limitation of conventional procedures for monitoring pasture consumption in farming systems. Keywords: animal performance, dairy systems, energy intak e, herbage quality, pasture management, profitability

scholarly journals The use of dosed and herbage n-alkanes as markers for the determination of herbage intake

1986 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Mayes ◽  
C. S. Lamb ◽  
Patricia M. Colgrove
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Herbage Intake ◽  
Cyclical Pattern ◽  
Unbiased Estimates ◽  
Grazing Sheep ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Palmitic Acids

SUMMARYThe recovery in the faeces of the n-alkanes of herbage (odd-chain, C27–C35) and of dosed artificial alkanes (even-chain, C28 and C32) was studied in twelve 4-month-old castrated male lambs. The lambs received three levels of cut, fresh perennial ryegrass or a mixed diet of perennial ryegrass (0·70) and a barley-based concentrate (0·30) (500–900 g D.M./day). C28 and C32 n-alkanes (130 mg each), absorbed onto shredded paper, were given once daily for 17 days to test whether the recoveries of herbage and dosed alkanes were similar to enable their use as markers for determining the herbage intake of grazing sheep. Stearic and palmitic acids (130 mg each) were given with the dosed alkanes to half of the animals with the objective of facilitating emulsification of the dosed alkanes within the digestive tract.With the exception of C27 n-alkane, the faecal recoveries of all alkanes were unaffected by diet, feeding level or emulsifying agent. Faecal recovery of odd- chain herbage n-alkanes increased with increasing C-chain length. The recovery of the dosed C28 n-alkane was slightly greater than the recoveries of both C27, and C29 n-alkanes of herbage. The recoveries of the dosed C32 n-alkane and the herbage C33-alkane were the same.The mean herbage intake estimated using C33 and C32 n-alkanes was identical to the actual herbage intake. Other alkane pairs gave slight underestimates of herbage intake ranging from 3·5% for the C28–C29 pair to 7·6% for the C27–C28 pair. No cyclical pattern of n-alkane excretion throughout the day was observed. Examination of daily variations in faecal alkane concentrations indicated that the start of alkane dosing should precede the sampling of faeces by at least 6 days.These results suggest that accurate estimation of herbage intake in grazing sheep is possible from the simultaneous use of dosed C32 and herbage C33 n-alkanes as markers.The method may be particularly useful in enabling unbiased estimates of herbage intake to be made in animals receiving supplementary feed.

Control of water leakage from below the root zone by summer-active pastures is associated with persistence, density and deep rootedness

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 679 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. McCaskill ◽  
G. A. Kearney
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Water Leakage ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Temperate Pastures ◽  
Western Victoria

Temperate pastures that leak water below the root zone have been linked to an increase in dryland salinity in southern Australia through their conservative use of stored water. An experiment was conducted at Hamilton in south-western Victoria to test the hypothesis that deep-rooted, summer-active perennial pasture species can substantially reduce leakage. On topographic crests the experiment compared lucerne and chicory with a traditional perennial ryegrass variety with low summer activity, whereas on the poorly drained valleys the comparison was between tall fescue, kikuyu and a perennial ryegrass variety with high summer activity. Lucerne developed a buffer of dry soil to a depth of at least 5 m. An empirical relationship with June–September rainfall indicated that with this dry buffer, leakage below the root zone would not occur even in the wettest of years. Chicory developed a dry buffer to the depth of measurement (3 m), but plant density gradually declined and leakage started to occur 5 years after sowing. The perennial ryegrass with low summer activity had leakage nearly every year. On the valleys kikuyu was initially the most effective at drying the soil in summer, but its density declined at the expense of annuals and 3 years after sowing it became wetter than the other treatments. None of the pasture options on the valley fully controlled leakage, but both the summer-active perennial ryegrass and tall fescue were persistent and there was little difference in their capacity to extract summer moisture. This study showed that four characteristics were associated with a pasture that controlled leakage – summer activity, persistence, adequate density and deep rootedness. Of the species tested only lucerne satisfied all these criteria.

The yield, quality and irrigation response of summer forage crops suitable for a dairy pasture renovation program in north-western Tasmania

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Eckard ◽  
A. A. Salardini ◽  
M. Hannah ◽  
D. R. Franks
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Block Design ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Permanent Pasture ◽  
Fodder Crops ◽  
Main Plot ◽  
North Western

The yield and quality of perennial ryegrass, short-rotation ryegrass–perennial ryegrass mix, oats, millet, maize, rape, kale, pasja and turnips were determined over a 13-week summer period in 1995–96 and 1996–97. The experiment was conducted on the Elliott Research Station in north-western Tasmania (145˚E, 41˚S) and consisted of 2 irrigated and 2 dryland main plots. Within each main plot was a randomised complete block design with 9 forage crop subplots. Where forage is required through the summer, there is little advantage in establishing millet or oats over a spring-sown ryegrass pasture, mainly as the former still require replacement with permanent pasture in the autumn. However, if additional forage is required from late January then turnips are clearly superior to the other forages evaluated in all respects, apart from a low bulb crude protein (CP) content. Turnips responded significantly to irrigation, producing between 15 and 22 kg DM/ha.mm irrigation applied, with yields ranging between 7.9 and 10.6 t DM/ha dryland and between 13.5 and 14.4 t DM/ha under irrigation. The metabolisable energy (ME) and CP contents of turnips were 12.5 MJ/kg DM and 12.4% in the shoots and 13.4 MJ/kg DM and 7.0% in the bulbs, respectively. In comparison, the other fodder crops tested yielded between 4 and 6 t DM/ha under dryland conditions and between 5 and 7 t DM/ha under irrigated conditions. Turnips were most economic, costing on average A$120/t DM irrigated and $160/t DM dryland, while spring renovation to perennial ryegrass cost $385/t DM irrigated and $344/t DM dryland; clearly more expensive than purchased feeds for this period. These findings confirm the choice of many farmers that, of the species examined, turnips are the most suitable as a summer fodder crop, both irrigated or dryland, and integrate well with a pasture renovation rotation.

scholarly journals Properties of Rennet Cheese Made from Whole and Skimmed Summer and Winter Milk on a Traditional Polish Dairy Farm

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1794
Author(s):  
Grażyna Czyżak-Runowska ◽  
Jacek Antoni Wójtowski ◽  
Danuta Gogół ◽  
Janusz Wojtczak ◽  
Ewa Skrzypczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Titratable Acidity ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Traditional Family ◽  
Organoleptic Characteristics ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Whole Milk ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Skimmed Milk ◽  
Time Of Year

The aim of this study was to compare the rheological and physicochemical parameters, as well as the organoleptic properties, of soft rennet cheese made from whole and skimmed milk in different seasons on a traditional family farm. We analyzed milk from twenty Polish Holstein–Friesian cows for basic composition, number of somatic cells, acidity, and color in terms of the Comission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) lightness*redness*yellowness (L*a*b*) system, and 24 cheeses in terms of texture, acidity, color in terms of the CIE L*a*b* system, and organoleptic parameters in summer and winter. We determined the effects of the season and the fat content of milk on the pH, titratable acidity, color, firmness, and stickiness of the cheese. Cheeses from summer milk showed greater acidification than those from winter milk (p ≤ 0.05). Skimmed milk cheeses from both seasons showed increased firmness and stickiness, and worse organoleptic characteristics, particularly in taste and consistency, than whole milk cheeses (p ≤ 0.05). The highest level of yellow (b*) was found in whole milk summer cheeses; those produced in winter were 16% less yellow. Milk from traditional family farms is a valuable raw ingredient for the production of soft, unripe rennet cheese. However, the variability of organoleptic characteristics related to the season should be taken into account in cheese production. Skimmed cheese can serve as an alternative to full-fat cheese, especially for people looking for low-fat products, regardless of the time of year.

Tactical versus continuous stocking for persistence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in pastures grazed by sheep in south-western Victoria

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Waller ◽  
P. E. Quigley ◽  
G. R. Saul ◽  
G. A. Kearney ◽  
P. W. G. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Western Victoria ◽  
Tiller Density

The survival of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plants was studied in sheep pastures in south-western Victoria during the dry summer of 1996–97. Recruitment of perennial ryegrass seedlings into the pasture sward was also monitored in the autumn–winter periods in 1997 and 1998. The objective was to investigate whether a tactical stocking strategy, consisting of variable length summer, autumn and winter rotations and continuous stocking in spring, might increase perennial ryegrass tiller survival and seedling recruitment in the autumn, compared with continuous stocking all year. The grazing strategies were compared on 2 contrasting pastures: an upgraded pasture [sown with newer cultivars of perennial ryegrass and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) with 26 kg phosphorus/ha.year as applied fertiliser] and a naturalised perennial ryegrass pasture receiving 6 kg P/ha.year. Paddocks were grazed by Border Leicester × Merino ewes, mated to a terminal sire so as to lamb in September. Perennial ryegrass tiller density was higher on the upgraded pasture with a mean density of 7750 tillers/m2 in early summer which declined to zero live tillers by mid summer. Live tillers began to reappear before the opening rains and then increased after the rain. Mean tiller density in the upgraded pasture declined over the 2 summers, with only 2050 tillers/m2 being present 2 months after the opening rains in 1998. There were no effects (P>0.05) of pasture type or grazing strategy on the number of tagged tillers that survived the summer period. Only 12% of the vegetative tillers, randomly tagged in December 1996, survived to May 1997. More than half of the tillers (56%) that produced a seedhead produced daughter tillers which survived the dry summer–autumn period. A significant (P<0.05) interaction between grazing strategy and pasture type occurred with the number of perennial ryegrass seedlings that had established 4 weeks after the opening rains in 1997. There was a 5–11-fold increase in seedling numbers which regenerated in the tactically stocked, upgraded pasture compared with the other treatments. Seedling recruitment was considerably lower in the autumn of 1998, due presumably to an overall decline in perennial ryegrass density relative to annual grasses in 1997. A second experiment investigated the effect of excluding sheep from grazing at anthesis until seedhead maturation or until the opening rains, together with a mechanical seed dislodgment treatment at seed maturity. All exclusion treatments increased seedling recruitment 4–7-fold, compared with continuous stocking. The results suggest a possible mechanism by which perennial ryegrass density can be increased without expensive reseeding.

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