Pasture Management

Improve your pasture and make your farm more productive

Pastures are critical to many types of farms. Farmers have been known to turn unprofitable farms into commercial successes by simply improving pasture. Whether dealing with small or large properties, pasture management is an important part of many types of farm enterprises. This course is designed to be useful to those already managing existing pastures and those who wish to establish successful new pastures.

Every livestock farmer is first and foremost a pasture farmer. He may make use of the natural grasses or he may improve his pastures by planting special grasses or legumes. A good farmer recognises the different grasses and legumes, and understands how to get the best out of them. He will be able to distinguish between desirable and undesirable plants and he will know the grazing habits of his stock.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Pastures
2. The Grass Plant
3. Pasture Varieties
4. Site Considerations
5. Establishing New Pastures
6. Managing Existing Pastures
7. Managing Stock on Pasture
8. Pasture Management Work Tasks

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Determine criteria for selecting appropriate varieties of plants for a pasture.
• Identify characteristics of a pasture plant which are relevant to both making an identification, and to considering its value as a pasture species.
• Evaluate the potential of given sites for pasture development programs.
• Explain the procedures used in managing the establishment of pasture.
• Explain the techniques used in managing pasture which is already been established
• Assess the commercial and nutritional value of pasture species in the context of farm.
• animal feed, and determine appropriate ways of managing stock.
• Develop an appropriate work program for the management of a pasture by a farmer.

What You Will Do

• Prepare a catalogued resource collection of items including pamphlets, brochures and contact addresses for information relevant to pasture varieties.
• List factors that affect the choice of seed mix for a pasture.
• Categorise different pasture seed mixes according to application, detailing the components of each mix together, commenting on appropriate applications for that mix.
• Explain the benefits of seed coating for pasture establishment.
• Label parts of a grass plants on unlabelled diagrams
• Distinguish between different clover and medic species using illustrations
• List different pasture plant varieties suited to your locality, including:
  • grasses
  • legumes
  • other fodder plants
• Identify different species of plants growing in an established pasture in your locality, by labelling a pressed specimen of each.
• Submit samples of seeds you identified
• What type of pasture is inoculated, and why?
• Give and explain one example of why a dairy cow might perform differently when grazed on different types of pasture species?
• Compare samples of different pasture seed mixes.
• List different species which would be appropriate to grow in each of the following situations:
  • Dairy cattle on fertile, moist soil in your locality.
  • Beef steers on poorer soils in your region.
  • Horses for a horse riding school in your locality.
• List factors affecting the suitability of a site for pasture.
• Assess climatic and edaphic data for a specific pasture site, including:
  • rainfall
  • temperature
  • topography
  • soil type
• Compare the appropriateness of different soil cultivation techniques for pasture establishment on a specified site in your locality.
• Explain weed control methods during pasture establishment on a specified site.
• Explain grazing practices appropriate to new pasture on a specified site.
• Establish production targets for a specified pasture, explaining how those targets are determined.
• Select suitable machinery for pasture management including establishment and harvest, explaining the selection.
• Explain the steps involved in preparation of a specified area land for sowing pasture.
• Write a plan for the establishment of new pasture on a specified site, which lists all important tasks in chronological order.
• Explain factors causing change in the nature of established pasture.
• Compare improved pasture with native pasture, with respect to:
  • species present
  • weeds
  • maintenance requirements
• List characteristics of different types of pasture, including:
  • sweet
  • sour
  • mixed
• Determine sustainable stocking rates of a specified type of animal for different pastures.
• Specify the pastures and the animals.
• Analyse the food value of different pastures.
• Compare the grazing behaviour of different farm animals.
• Define the concept of palatability of a specific pasture
• Determine grazing capacity of a specified paddock.
• Specify the crop and all other variables.
• Evaluate the production performance of two different specified pastures.
• Identify different weeds that are significant problems in pasture
• Explain methods of weed control in a specific established pasture.
• Explain the affect of fire on a specific pasture.
• Explain the affect of different soil management practices on pasture, including:
  • fertilising
  • pest control
  • watering
  • cultivation
  • fallowing
• Quantify materials and supply requirements for pasture management.
• List facilities required for the handling and storage of materials and supplies.
• List minimum machinery required for the management of a specified site.
• Develop management plan for pasture in a specified situation, including a program of tasks to be carried out over a 12 month period.
• Explain industry research techniques and develop a conclusion.