8/25/2023 0 Comments Golden rule farm '![]() The animals graze on the whole area during the entire vegetation period and therefore for fertilisation, labour-intensive fencing of partial areas is necessary. Additionally, the ground may be frozen or covered with snow even before December.įor short sward grazing (German: Kurzrasenweide), the adequate nutrient supply only with farm fertilisers may be even more difficult. On the other hand, the winter ban on fertilisa-tion ends only with the end of February, and a certain rest period must be kept after the application of slurry.Īlso in autumn, the time available for fertilisation between the end of the grazing season and the start of the winter ban on fertilization (1st of December) may be very short. On one hand, grazing should take place as early as possible. Especially in spring, it can be difficult to find a suitable date for the fertilization of pastures. The fertilisation in spring, during the vegetation period and in autumn, depends on the vegetation and the weather. To find the adequate time for fertilising the grazing areas is not always simple. Due to their low body weight, even grazing on extremely steep slopes is possible. On these areas, grazing with small ruminants (sheep, goats) would be a good alternative. On steeper slopes grazing with cattle is not possible anymore. Holstein Frisian, can destroy the sward because of animal trampling.ĭuring wet weather conditions, grazing on slopes should be avoided in order to protect the sward. Due to their higher weight, heavier breeds, e.g. Tyrolean Grey, because they are better suited and better adapted to the slopes. For grazing steeper slopes, it is recom-mended to keep lighter cattle breeds, e.g. However, it is important to keep the appropriate breed. In principle, grazing with cattle on slopes is possible. Use the appropriate animals and breeds suita-ble for the respective slope inclination Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne) or reseeding is pivotal to achieve dense swards and to prevent vegetation gaps and the establishment of undesired species. To this aim, a periodic overseeding with such species (i.e. 10 cm) to prevent large forage contamination with animal excreta.Ĭonverting meadows into pastures requires often accompanying measures to ensure a high proportion of species tolerating grazing in the sward. If cleaning cuts are performed during the growing season, this should be done at a high cutting height (i.e. ![]() grass height or grass yield), at least in the first phase, allows a better understanding of the current status of the grazing areas and to take sound decisions concerning the management.Ī cleaning cut once per year allows keeping plants avoided by the animals (including the dung patches) under control and ensures a homogenous regrowth. A constant observation of grassland and a fast reaction in terms of grazed area/stocking rates to changing weather conditions and grass growth during the grazing season (very low growth rates in early spring, strong increase of the growth rates during spring, decrease of the growth rates in summer, very low growth rates in late summer/autumn) is necessary. Avoid turning out animals at grass growing heights exceeding 12-15 cm, as this leads to high proportion of waste forage and difficulties in achieving post-grazing target heights (3-4 cm).Īll grazing systems require a learning phase. This allows the animals to gradually adapt from the winter ration to the fresh grass and to be fully adapted to grazing as soon as the main grass growth phase starts. Summarising the experience and the knowledge of eight innovative farmers taking part in the practice & science meetings in the Inno4Grass project, the following golden rules should be followed, irrespective of the grazing system, in order to ensure a successful grazing management.Īnimals should be turned out as soon as or even before grass growth becomes visible. ![]() As a difference to other European regions and countries, South Tyrol has unfavourable topographic and structural features (mainly steep slopes, small grassland area per farm) and no well and broadly established knowledge concerning grazing management in the agricultural practice. However, in the last years, some innovative farmers switched their focus on grazing management, aiming at improved labour efficiency, animal welfare and product image. The forage production in South Tyrol relies mainly on meadow management. Description Description of the innovation
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