What kind of animals graze

A model for forage selection Summary Exam References Establishment Overview Pre-Test Instructional Objectives Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pasture establishment Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pasture renovation. Discuss the steps in seedbed preparation. Discuss the considerations of seed quality. Discuss the methods and timing of seeding. Discuss the purpose and wise utilization of companion crops.

Instructional Objectives Explain why producers and the public should be concerned about weeds. Describe several ways in which weeds cause forage crop and animal production losses. Describe methods in determining quality List several poisonous plants found on croplands, pasturelands, rangelands, and forests. Describe the five general categories of weed control methods. Describe the concept of Integrated Pest Management and how it applies to weed control. Distinguish between selective and non-selective herbicides and give an example of each.

Describe how weeds are categorized by life cycle and how this is correlated with specific control methods. Describe conditions that tend to favor weed problems in pastures and describe how to alleviate these conditions. Describe several common weed control practices in alfalfa production.

List printed and electronic sources of weed control information. List local, regional, and national sources of weed control information. Describe the impact of defoliation on grass plants. Discuss how grasses regrow. Discuss how livestock interaction impacts grass growth. Discuss grass growth in mixed stands. Discuss the practical applications of regrowth mechanisms. References Fertilization Overview Pre-Test Instructional Objectives Discuss the importance of soil fertility and the appropriate use of fertilization.

Define and discuss the nitrogen cycle. Discuss the major elements needed for good soil fertility and plant growth. Define and discuss micronutrients. Discuss the uses and methods of liming. Discuss fertilizer management for mixed stands. Describe the benefits of BNF in economic and environmental terms. Estimate the amount of BNF that is contributed by various crops. List and discuss factors that affect the quantity of nitrogen fixed. Describe the processes of infection and nodulation in forage legumes.

Describe the process of inoculation in the production of forage legumes. List and discuss the types of grazing. Compare and contrast the different types of grazing. Discuss the livestock dynamics on pastures and grazing. Well-built post assembly. Animal access to the water needs to be managed to prevent environmental damage from hooves and too much manure. It may be necessary to fence the entire stream or pond and use a controlled and designed water access site Figure 8.

In many situations, water can be easily and cheaply moved to portable water tanks via the new plastic pipe Figure 9. The key is to monitor the streamside areas in your pasture to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Stream access site for cattle. Figure 9. Dairy cows drinking from portable water tank in pasture. Animal facilities. Managed grazing is a low-cost system, but investing in adequate facilities like good fencing is critical. Other animal facilities include handling equipment for gathering and working animals; lanes for mud-free, wet weather travel; and shade for extremely hot weather.

Every pasture, every kind of animal, and every part of the country will have different challenges to a productive grazing system. Your responsibility as the manager is to identify the problems and apply solutions.

How do you design a fence, build a stream access site, or determine the correct fence charger? Local experts are often the best source of this informa- tion. Get to know your fence builders, extension agent, NRCS staff, and other land and animal experts in your area. Some of these organizations also have cost share programs for grazing and environmental conservation practices.

The Internet and various websites are other important sources of information. A well-managed grazing system will improve the health and the productivity of a pasture. If you do the right thing at the right time, grazing animals are good for grazing land.

Knowledge of plant growth and how animals graze will help you do the right thing. Do not worry about having the correct size or number of pastures or be overwhelmed by the details of a grazing system. The most important thing is to get started on an improved grazing system. Your experience on your farm, combined with new grazing knowledge, is the best teacher. A well-managed pasture can improve the environment and your bottom line.

Contact the University of Wisconsin Extension, or cecommerce. Contact University of Missouri Extension Publications, or muextension.

Contact University of Wisconsin Extension, or cecommerce. Department of Agriculture, and Washington counties. WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension office.

This information given herein is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that nondiscrimination is intended and no endorsement by WSU Extension is implied. Summary Well-managed pastures are A lways the B est C rop for the environment, for the grazing animal, and for you.

The best crop for the environment would protect the soil from wind and water erosion; catch the most rainfall possible to recharge the under- ground water system; hold, capture, and use nutrients. Pasture also gives the animals the freedom to exercise, choose their diet, and recycle their own manure Figure 1.

Pasture managed with controlled grazing can lower your costs. Grazing for Productive and Environmentally Friendly Pastures The four steps to a grazing plan are: Learn how plants grow and animals graze. Identify your goals for your pasture. Determine your fencing, water, and animal facility needs. Practice, practice, practice the art of grazing.

Step 1. Learn how plants grow and animals graze. To achieve your goals, you need to know how plants grow and how animals graze. Pastures grazed very short in the fall will be slower to. Grazing animals are remarkable forage harvesting machines. Livestock select, bite off and chew plants differently. Each livestock species has a tool or set of tools that help it gather food, grind and swallow. The main livestock involved in grazing forages are cows, sheep, goats and horses. Herbivores such as cattle, beef and dairy, sheep, goats and horses may get all of their feed from forages.

It is important to look at how different livestock chew their food and interact with a pasture to really understand how to utilize the growth and regrowth of forage grasses. Livestock consumption issues include digestibility and palatability of grasses, their chewing habits, as well as the effects that trampling can have on forage plants. By swinging their heads, the cow then pulls or tears the plants and chews the food slightly, then mixes it with saliva before swallowing.

Cattle normally graze for 6 to 11 hours a day usually just after dawn and just before dusk, with shorter times during the day or at night. After the grazing period, the ruminant animal rests and ruminates, regurgitating the forage it has eaten, chewing, mixing it with more salvia and swallowing it again.

Rumination time in ruminant livestock ranges 5 to 9 hours daily. Cows prefer not to eat around their own manure piles but will graze around different livestock manures. Cows are heavier livestock animals that can cause more damage to a pasture than lighter livestock such as sheep or goats.

Sheep use their lips and teeth as their harvesting tools. Their cleft lips move away from their teeth on the lower jaw and bring food in, while the upper jaw has a dental pad just like a cow. This mouth structure allows sheep to bite plants closer to the ground and be more selective about what is eaten. Goats have teeth on their lower jaw and a strong dental pad on the upper.