scholarly journals Environmental effectiveness of the cross compliance standard 4.6 ‘Minimum livestock stocking rates and/or appropriate regimens’

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Sepe ◽  
Mauro Salis ◽  
Rosa Francaviglia ◽  
Marco Fedrizzi ◽  
Antonio Melchiorre Carroni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Environmental Effectiveness ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Cross Compliance

The paper presents the main results of the monitoring on the effectiveness of the cross compliance standard 4.6 ‘Minimum livestock stocking rates and/or appropriate regimes’ carried out in two case studies within the project MO.NA.CO: sheep grazing in medium-rich pastures in southern Apennines and in the plain of Sardinia, Italy. The monitoring involved aspects related to soil, flora, livestock and economics (competitiveness differential). The study showed, although in the short term, that the minimum stocking rate 0.2 LU/ha/year was not effective and, conversely, the effectiveness of the maximum level of stocking rate (4 LU/ha) for the maintenance of the habitat. The generalization in applying minimum and maximum rate, not taking into account the climatic conditions, forage resources or farming system (including the species of grazing animal) may lead to a serious nullification of the conditions of the Standard. The authors recommend to identify homogeneous areas and eligible specific stocking rates from all Italian regions, also considering the animal species.

An economic analysis of a 10 year rate of stocking trial with fine-wool

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (92) ◽  
pp. 370 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM George ◽  
RA Pearse
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Labour Costs ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Wool Yield ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Price Relationships ◽  
Clover Pasture

Merino ewes were grazed for 10 years at stocking rates of 8, 12 and 16 ha-1, lambing in winter, spring or summer on a phalaris/white clover pasture on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Wool production, wool yield and count, and lambing and weaning rates were established for the wide range of climatic conditions experienced. A spring lambing is indicated under the within-year price relationships experienced. Under a wide range of wool and lamb prices the optimum stocking rate varied from 12 to 16 ewes ha-1 depending on labour costs.

scholarly journals Valuing Seasonal Climate Forecasts in the Northern Australia Beef Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Cobon ◽  
R. Darbyshire ◽  
J. Crean ◽  
S. Kodur ◽  
M. Simpson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Value ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Seasonal Climate ◽  
Climate Forecasts ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Seasonal Climate Forecasts

AbstractSeasonal climate forecasts (SCFs) provide opportunities for pastoralists to align production decisions to climatic conditions, as SCFs offer economic value by increasing certainty about future climatic states at decision-making time. Insufficient evidence about the economic value of SCFs was identified as a major factor limiting adoption of SCFs in Australia and abroad. This study examines the value of SCFs to beef production system management in northern Australia by adopting a theoretical probabilistic climate forecast system. Stocking rate decisions in October, before the onset of the wet season, were identified by industry as a key climate sensitive decision. The analysis considered SCF value across economic drivers (steer price in October) and environmental drivers (October pasture availability). A range in forecast value was found ($0–$14 per head) dependent on pasture availability, beef price, and SCF skill. Skillful forecasts of future climate conditions offered little value with medium or high pasture availability, as in these circumstances pastures were rarely overutilized. In contrast, low pasture availability provided conditions for alternative optimal stocking rates and for SCFs to be valuable. Optimal stocking rates under low pasture availability varied the most with climate state (i.e., wet or dry), indicating that producers have more to gain from a skillful SCF at these times. Although the level of pasture availability in October was the major determinant of stocking rate decisions, beef price settings were also found to be important. This analysis provides insights into the potential value of SCFs to extensive beef enterprises and can be used by pastoralists to evaluate the cost benefit of using a SCF in annual management.

scholarly journals Environmental effectiveness of GAEC cross-compliance standard 2.2 "Maintaining the level of soil organic matter through crop rotation" and economic evaluation of the competitiveness gap for farmers

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamberto Borrelli ◽  
Roberta Farina ◽  
Paolo Bazzoffi ◽  
Antonio Melchiorre Carroni ◽  
Paola Ruda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Culture Technique ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Effectiveness ◽  
Lag Times ◽  
Cross Compliance

Within the Project MO.NA.CO was evaluated the Environmental effectiveness of GAEC cross-compliance standard 2.2 “Maintaining the level of soil organic matter through crop rotation” and economic evaluation of the competitiveness gap for farmers who support or not the cross-compliance regime. The monitoring was performed in nine experimental farms of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) distributed throughout Italy and with different soil and climatic conditions. Were also evaluated the soil organic matter and some yield parameters, in a cereal monocropping (treatment counterfactual) and a two-year rotation cereal-legume or forage (treatment factual). The two-years application of the standard “crop rotations” has produced contrasting results with regards to the storage of soil organic matter through crop rotation and these were not sufficient to demonstrate a statistically significant effect of treatment in any of the farms considered in monitoring, only in those farms subjected to more years of monitoring was recorded only a slight effect of the standard as a trend. The variations of organic matter in soils in response to changes in the culture technique or in the management of the soil may have long lag times and two years of time are not sufficient to demonstrate the dynamics of SOM associated with the treatment, also in consideration of the large inter annual variability recorded in different monitored sites.

scholarly journals Stocking rate impacts performance and economics of grazing beef steers on mixed-grass prairies of the Southern Great Plains1

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A Beck ◽  
Matthew R Beck ◽  
Stacey A Gunter ◽  
Jon T Biermacher ◽  
Robert L Gillen
Keyword(s):  
Growing Season ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Grazing Season ◽  
Net Return ◽  
Mixed Grass ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Growing Season Precipitation

Abstract Stocking rate is a fundamental management factor that has major impacts on animal performance, profitability, and long-term sustainability of native range ecosystems. This research was conducted to determine the effects of stocking rate on performance and economics of growing steers grazing a mixed-grass prairie on a rolling upland red shale ecological site at the Marvin Klemme Range Research Station (35° 25′ N 99° 3′ W). The recommended sustainable stocking rate at this location is suggested to be 25 animal unit days (AUD)/ha. Steers [n = 836, initial body weight (BW) ± SD = 216 ± 11.7 kg] grazed at seven stocking rates ranging from 4.13 ha/steer to 1.83 ha/steer over a 7-yr period, from 1990 to 1996, with year considered the random replication. During the experimental period, overall climatic conditions were favorable for forage production with average growing season precipitation of 118% of the long-term average over the 7-yr experiment, and only 1 yr (1994 with only 57% of the long-term average) with growing season precipitation substantially less than the long-term average. Over the entire summer grazing season, average daily gain (ADG) decreased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing stocking rate, such that for each additional hectare available per steer ADG increased by 0.05 kg/d (R2 = 0.88). Contrary to ADG, BW gain per hectare over the grazing season increased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing stocking rate, as stocking rate increased from 4.13 ha/steer to 1.83 ha/steer BW gain per hectare doubled from 33.1 kg/ha to 66.8 kg/ha, respectively. With land costs included in the economic analysis, net return per hectare increased linearly (P < 0.01) from $13 [U.S. Dollars [USD]) at the 4.13 ha/steer to $52/ha at the 1.83 ha/steer. For each additional hectare per steer, net return was reduced by $15.80 (USD)/steer and $15.70 (USD)/ha. In favorable climatic conditions, such as during this 7-yr experiment, economically optimal stocking rates can be more than doubled compared with the stocking rate recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service. Increasing stocking rates decrease individual animal performance but maximize BW gain per hectare, which leads to the increasing economic returns observed. Research is needed to determine the long-term implications of these stocking rates during unfavorable growing conditions and setting stocking rates based on seasonal weather patterns and extended weather outlook predictions.

The productivity of native grasslands oversown with legumes and grazed at five stocking rates in north-east Thailand

1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-198
Author(s):  
R. C. Gutteridge
Keyword(s):  
Total Yield ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
North East ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Stylosanthes Humilis ◽  
Stocking Rates

SummaryStylosanthes humilis cv. Lawson, S. hamatacv. Verano, S. guianensis cv. Endeavour and Macroptilium atropurpureum cv. Siratro were oversown into native grassland dominated by Arundinaria ciliata and grazed by cattle at 2·5, 3·5, 4·5, 5·5 and 6·5 animal units/ha per half-year during the wet season for 4 years.Siratro was the most persistent of the legumes but its susceptibility to heavy grazing pressure limited its contribution at the higher stocking rates. At the start of grazing its mean yield was 1420 kg/ha representing 40 % of total pasture yield while at the end of 4 years in the lowest stocking rate treatment it comprised 18% of total yield at 460 kg/ha.The long-term productivity of the three Stylosanthes species was poor and their percentage contribution to the pastures was either zero or very low by the end of 4 years. Yield of Verano, the most successful of the three, declined from 5000 kg/ha in 1977 to 20 kg/ha in 1980. The main factor contributing to the poor performance of these species was the strongly competitive nature of A. ciliata. Percentage composition, height and yield of this tall, rhizomatous grass increased with time independent of stocking rate, and the illuminance of the Verano canopy was reduced to 0·38–0·65 full sunlight. Cattle showed negative selection for bamboo grass and consumed leaf but not stem; leaf to stem ratio was negatively (and unusually) related to stocking rate.Stocking rate effects were reduced by the intervening dry season resting periods and the over-riding influence of other factors such as the prevailing climatic conditions, disease occurrence and plant interference.

Management of grazing systems

1989 ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Stocking Rates

Recent assessments of the relative importance of stocking rate. stocking policy and grazing management on the output from pastoral systems are used as a starting point to argue the need for objective pasture assessments to aid control of livestock enterprises to meet production targets. Variations in stocking rates, stocking policy and other management practices all provide alternative means of control of pasture conditions which are the major determinants of pasture and animal performance. Understanding of the influence of pasture conditions on systems performance should provide a better basis for management control and for Communication between farmers, extension officers and researchers. Keywords: Stocking rate, pasture condition, pasture cover

scholarly journals 87 Evaluation of two stocking rates for grazing heifers on mixed sward native warm-season grass pastures in the Black Belt Prairie region

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 27-27
Author(s):  
Jane A Parish ◽  
Kalisha C Yankey ◽  
Libby S Durst
Keyword(s):  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Sorghastrum Nutans ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Year Effect ◽  
Plant Persistence ◽  
Stocking Rates

Abstract Optimal use of native warm-season grasses in pasture systems involves stocking grazing livestock at suitable rates. The study objective was to evaluate forage nutritive value and heifer ADG at two stocking rates on mixed-sward pastures of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi Vitman), little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), and indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans L.). Pastures (3 replications) were stocked for 56 d during June and July in 2 yr with crossbred (Bos taurus) heifers (n = 24 heifers/year) stratified by initial BW (288.3 ± 1.7 kg) to one of two continuous stocking rates: 1.9 heifers/ha (HIGH) and 1.2 heifers/ha (LOW). Mean forage nutritive values on a DM basis were not different between HIGH and LOW stocking rates, respectively, for CP (7.0 ± 0.2% vs 6.7 ± 0.2%; P = 0.27), ADF (41.0 ± 0.6 vs. 41.4 ± 0.6; P = 0.64), NDF (69.9 ± 0.5 vs. 68.7 ± 0.5; P = 0.09), or relative feed value (RFV) (76.0 ± 1.0 vs. 76.9 ± 1.0; P = 0.53). There was a year effect (P < 0.01) and stocking rate x day effect (P < 0.01) for TDN. At LOW, TDN decreased from day 0 to day 28 (P = 0.02) and day 28 to day 56 (P = 0.02). At HIGH, TDN decreased (P < 0.01) from day 0 to day 28 but remained steady until day 56 (P = 0.21). There was a stocking rate x day interaction (P < 0.01) with ADG: LOW day 28 to 56 (1.20 ± 0.08 kg/day), HIGH day 0 to 28 (0.89 ± 0.08 kg/day), HIGH day 28 to 56 (0.44 ± 0.08 kg/day), and LOW day 0 to 28 (0.30 ± 0.08 kg/day). Further assessment of cattle ADG using more divergent stocking rates and plant persistence measures is warranted to inform ideal native grass stocking rate recommendations.

The intake and production of lactating Merino ewes and their lambs grazed at different stocking rates

1977 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
JP Langlands
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Milk Consumption ◽  
Total Organic Matter ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Maintenance Requirement ◽  
Stocking Rates

Grass and milk consumption and liveweight changes of lambs grazed at stocking rates ranging from 9 to 35 sheep/ha were measured during a 105 day lactation. Grass consumption and wool production of their mothers and of similar ewes without lambs were also determined. The forage and total organic matter intakes of the lamb increased with time while milk consumption declined; all three variables were negatively correlated with stocking rate. The intake of the ewe and its liveweight gain were not sensitive to increasing stocking rate, but wool production declined at higher stocking rates. The maintenance requirement of the ewes was estimated to be 218 kJ metabolizable energy/kg liveweight, and the efficiency with which metabolizable energy was utilized for milk production was 66%. Lactation increased the intake of the ewe but reduced its wool production.

scholarly journals Compost as an Option for Sustainable Crop Production at Low Stocking Rates in Organic Farming

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1078
Author(s):  
Christopher Brock ◽  
Meike Oltmanns ◽  
Christoph Matthes ◽  
Ben Schmehe ◽  
Harald Schaaf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Potassium Sulfate ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Compost Application ◽  
Stocking Rates

Mixed-crop-livestock farms offer the best conditions for sustainable nutrient management in organic farming. However, if stocking rates are too low, sustainability might be threatened. Therefore, we studied the development of soil organic matter and nutrients as well as crop yields over the first course of a new long-term field experiment with a mimicked cattle stocking rate of 0.6 LU ha−1, which is the actual average stocking rate for organic farms in Germany. In the experiment, we tested the effects of additional compost application to improve organic matter supply to soils, and further, potassium sulfate fertilization for an improved nutrition of fodder legumes. Compost was made from internal resources of the farm (woody material from hedge-cutting). Soil organic matter and nutrient stocks decreased in the control treatment, even though yield levels, and thus nutrient exports, were comparably low. With compost application, soil organic matter and nutrient exports could be compensated for. At the same time, the yields increased but stayed at a moderate level. Potassium sulfate fertilization further improved N yields. We conclude that compost from internal resources is a viable solution to facilitate sustainable organic crop production at low stocking rates. However, we are aware that this option does not solve the basic problem of open nutrient cycles on the farm gate level.

The design and interpretation of experiments to study animal production from grazed pasture

1968 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Owen ◽  
W. J. Ridgman
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Pasture Productivity

SUMMARYExperiments designed to assess differences between treatments in pasture productivity as measured by the production of animals are complicated by the stocking rates chosen. The paper attempts toderive a simple model relating production per animal and production per unit area to stocking rate for meat animals, based on biological considerations.A method is proposed which would allow meaningful grazing experiments to be carried out employing only one stocking rate, thus considerably reducing the expense of this type of experimentation.The model is applied to some recent data obtained by Hodgson (1966) and Appleton (1967, personal communication).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document