Broad acre pastural farming presents a wonderful opportunity to integrate a variety of productive plant and animal species and build carbon rich soil. They represent the type of habitat we evolved within and can be a richly rewarding habitat to construct and manage.
The following topics are explored in this module:
The following topics are explored in this module:
- Broadacre farm: Management of pastures to promote soil and livestock health
- Livestock Nutrition: Looking at livestock condition scoring and planning feed strategies to keep livestock in good health.
- Livestock health: Improving the outcome of calves through feeding, shelter and care.
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Holistic Grazing
Grazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture, grazing is one method used whereby domestic livestock are used to convert grass and other forage into meat, milk and other products. This method of grazing imitates that of grazers in natural prairie ecosystems, which have examples of the most fertile soils in the world. Once the grazers are moved onto the pasture, they quickly convert the plant matter to manure. This results in a high input of fertility into the soil and promotes better growth of grasses and herbs.
Mimicking the grazing patterns of ecosystems with diverse grazers, the cows are followed by chickens and pigs using innovative mobile animal shelters. Each species takes a specific role in fertilizing and enriching the diversity of the perennial prairie polyculture it feeds upon. Many small selective herbivores follow larger grazers, who skim off the highest, tough growth of plants, exposing tender shoots. For terrestrial animals, grazing is normally distinguished from browsing in that grazing is eating grass or herbs and browsing is also eating woody twigs and leaves from trees and shrubs.
It is a system developed from synergistic relationships between pastures, animals and humans - that yields far more per acre than industrial models. The practice of holistic grazing also helps to increase water retention in the soil and is an effective means of regenerating degraded dry lands and even deserts. Applied at the farm scale it is also an excellent strategy for creating resilient, regenerative and lucrative farm businesses.
Mimicking the grazing patterns of ecosystems with diverse grazers, the cows are followed by chickens and pigs using innovative mobile animal shelters. Each species takes a specific role in fertilizing and enriching the diversity of the perennial prairie polyculture it feeds upon. Many small selective herbivores follow larger grazers, who skim off the highest, tough growth of plants, exposing tender shoots. For terrestrial animals, grazing is normally distinguished from browsing in that grazing is eating grass or herbs and browsing is also eating woody twigs and leaves from trees and shrubs.
It is a system developed from synergistic relationships between pastures, animals and humans - that yields far more per acre than industrial models. The practice of holistic grazing also helps to increase water retention in the soil and is an effective means of regenerating degraded dry lands and even deserts. Applied at the farm scale it is also an excellent strategy for creating resilient, regenerative and lucrative farm businesses.