TO strengthen the integration of cattle feedlots in the Command Livestock Programme, Zimbabwean farmers need to be aware of what is known as rotational grazing feedlots.
Most farmers in Zimbabwe rely heavily on communal pastures to feed their precious cattle.
The lack of proper pasture management makes these areas a poor forage source for livestock.
Intensive grazing management, short duration grazing, Savory systems, strip grazing, controlled grazing, Hohenheim grazing, high-intensity, low-frequency grazing and Voisin grazing, all refer to a variety of intensive rotational grazing systems; although each term implies a slight difference in management.
In most countries, pastures represent a large untapped resource for farmers since more than one quarter of agricultural land is in some form of pasture, which according to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about 60 percent of the world’s pasture land is covered by grazing systems and these systems supply approximately nine percent of the world’s beef production.
Yet, a very large percentage of pastures suffer from poor, uneven fertility coupled with serious weed and erosion problems.
Most pastures are continuously grazed throughout the season.
This continuous grazing results in the lowest possible pasture yields since the forage is not allowed to recuperate between grazing.
To produce good livestock feed from pasture, farmers must manage their pastures differently. By managing and using rotational grazing, the farmers can even make profit from pastures. Animal production is integrated with crop production. Moreover, livestock, such as cattle, are primarily fed on rotational pastures and crop residue.
This integrated farming system aims to achieve acceptable and sustained production levels and high profits.
Currently, mixed farming systems are the largest category of livestock system in the world. Intensive rotational grazing management offers a number of advantages over both continuous grazing and less intensive rotational systems.
These include:
l more stable production during poor growing conditions (especially drought),
l greater yield potential,
l higher quality forage available,
l decreased weed and erosion problems,
l more uniform soil fertility levels.
Under rotational grazing, only one portion of pasture is grazed at a time while the remainder of the pasture ‘rests’.
To accomplish this, pastures are subdivided into smaller areas (referred to as paddocks) and livestock are moved from one paddock to another.
Resting grazed paddocks allows forage plants to renew energy reserves, rebuild vigour, deepen their root system and give long-term maximum production.
For rotational grazing to be successful, the timing of rotations must be adjusted to the growth stage of the forage. Unfortunately, rotational grazing is often reduced to regular animal shifts from paddock to paddock based on rigid time schedules rather than in response to forage growth rate.
Rigid schedules reduce the benefit of rotational grazing. Rotational grazing can be practised in a variety of intensities. Systems can range from two to 30 or more paddocks.
Recent data from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) shows that in 1997, an average of 3,3 tonnes of soil per acre were lost each year due to erosion on Wisconsin (US) cropland.
In Minnesota (US), an average of 2,1 tonnes of soil per acre were lost each year on agricultural lands due to erosion and 5,8 tonnes of soil per acre per year from wind erosion.
Well-managed perennial pastures also have several environmental advantages over tilled land. They decrease the potential of soil erosion dramatically; require minimal pesticides and fertilisers and decrease the amount of penned runoff.
Rotational grazing may also decrease your need for silage which takes an estimated average of seven hours per acre each season. It also reduces the need to haul manure from the cattle pens, because most manure is dropped in situ by the cattle directly on the pasture.
Managing intensive rotational grazing involves a higher level of management with greater paddock numbers, shorter grazing periods and longer rest periods.
In general, though, more intense management results in greater livestock production per acreage. Rotational pasturing also helps the quality of water in several ways.
High levels of nitrates and pesticides in our ground and surface waters can cause human, livestock and wildlife health problems.
Rotational pasturing reduces the amount of nitrates and pesticides leaching into our groundwater in two ways: Less is applied thus the deeper forage root systems take up nutrients from greater depths.
Rotational pasturing also reduces contamination into streams and lakes.
Nutrients contained in surface runoff enrich waters of lakes and streams with nitrogen and phosphorous which promotes excessive aquatic plant growth (leading to low oxygen levels in the water which suffocates most water life).
Pastures have reduced runoff compared to cropped fields and, since cattle spend less time in the barnyard, less manure is deposited there and barnyard run-off is reduced.
Converting erosion-prone land into rotational pastures for livestock is also a good way to reduce erosion loss and preserve the most fertile soil with higher water holding capacity for future crop production.
Furthermore, some insecticides and pesticides are toxic and can be very damaging to wildlife, birds and humans.
Usually, while a broad-spectrum of insecticides kill target pests, they also kill beneficial insects that could help prevent future pest outbreaks.
Insecticides in surface waters kill aquatic invertebrates – food for fish, shorebirds and waterfowl. Herbicides can also be toxic to animals and may stunt or kill non-target vegetation, which may serve as wildlife habitat. The reduced need for pesticides in rotational pasture grazing systems is beneficial to all. Rotational grazing operations require less capital, thus they can also be more financially flexible.
Once in operation, rotational grazing will reduce the need for equipment, fertiliser, pesticide and labour costs; translating into great savings for the farmer.
Some farmers may be reluctant to try rotational grazing because of the time they assume it will take to move livestock. However, if paddock and fencing design is efficient, the time to move cattle is minimal since it takes no more time to move large groups of 250 to 500 head of cattle than it does to move small groups such as 50 or less.
Rotational grazing can help improve long-term pasture quality and fertility by favouring desirable pasture species and allowing for an even distribution of manure.
Rotational grazing can also increase the amount of forage harvested per acre over continuous grazing by as much as two tonnes dry matter per acre.
Animals in rotational grazing systems are often healthier. A healthier herd is more profitable and allows the option of increasing herd size or improving the herd by selecting animals based on higher beef or milk production or reproductivity.
Since natural pastures form the main feed source for the small-scale livestock producer in Zimbabwe, massive overstocking has led to severe degradation over large areas.
Rotational grazing schemes incorporating simple grazing rotations appear to offer the best potential measure to halt the degradation of the environment while improving the welfare of livestock is the answer to the Command Livestock programme currently underway.
Stock feeds are the lifeblood of cattle and cattle are the lifeblood of the country.
Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, lecturer, musician, art critic, practising artist and corporate image consultant. He is also a specialist art consultant, post-colonial scholar, Zimbabwean socio-economic analyst and researcher. He can be contacted on e-mail: tonym.MONDA@gmail.com