Grazing systems – The Outcomes of Good Land Management

T.H. McCosker1, P. Richardson2, A. Curcio1, B. Davidson2

1 Resource Consulting Services Pty Ltd.(RCS), Yeppoon, Qld,

2 Maia Grazing

Cell Grazing, a time control grazing system, is defined by RCS as following the principles which have evolved since 1990.

  1. Plan, monitor and manage grazing.
  2. Rest period is adjusted to suit the growth rates of the plant.
  3. Stocking rate is adjusted to match carrying capacity.
  4. Manage livestock effectively.
  5. Apply maximum stock density for minimum time.
  6. Use diversity of plants and animals to improve the ecosystem.

Grazing Charts: the number one skill to master!

Time Control Grazing (TCG) has been described by McCosker (2000) and includes similar systems with different names such as Management Intensive Grazing (MIG), planned grazing, Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing (AMP) and cell grazing. In the last 20 years, the industry has moved on with widespread adoption of grazing systems which incorporate a period of pasture rest, such as rotational resting and rotational grazing. Digital tools have begun to capture data that can be analysed to determine trends.

We used the data from Project Pioneer to explore the outcomes associated with the adoption of cell grazing principles.

This study supports the growing body of knowledge about the outcomes of good land management, including maintaining high levels of ground cover, and improvement in water quality in catchment run-off. Within this study (link below), it also shows that Time Control Grazing methods have also been shown to reverse ecosystem degradation and improve soil and ecosystem function.

Read the publish paper here Grazing-systems_-Recent-Findings-in-Australia-2

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