Farmer’s Weekly – 09 August 2019

back to basics

Gettinga livestockfarm’sgrazing
capacityrightis difficult,as
theconditionoftheveldcan
varyconsiderablyfromseason
toseasonandyeartoyear,
dependingonrainfall.Dry
conditionsoftencompelfarmers
todestock,whereasabove-
averagerainfallcanenticethem
toincreasethestockingrate.
Unlesstheychangetoa high-
density,quick-rotationgrazing
systemandoperateaccordingto
differentrules,mostfarmersuse
thestockingraterecommended
bythedepartmentofagriculture
fortheirspecificdistrict.This
is basedonrainfall,aswell
asthegrazingvalueofthe
mostcommonforageplant
speciesfoundintheveld.
Inverydryareas,thestocking
ratecouldbeaslightasone
largestockunit(1LSU)per30ha,
whichmeansthatyoucouldrun
oneheadofcattleweighing450kg
on30haofthefarm’sgrazing.
Withsmallstockunits(SSUs),
theequivalentwouldbeabout
10 sheeporgoats,eachweighing
45kg,onthesamelandarea.

A higherrainfallareawould

havea highercarryingcapacity

andcouldthereforehave

a heavierstockingrate.

Whilerainfallis usuallythe

chiefdeterminantofgrazing

capacity,differentcamps

(evenonthesamefarm)can

carrydifferentnumbers

ofanimals,dependingon

veldtypeandcondition.

Veldtypewillalsodictatewhat

typeoflivestock(speciesand/or

breed)orcombinationofanimals

woulddobestonthefarm.

Cattlethriveonbroad-leaf

grasses;sheepprefershorter

grassormixedgrassandshrub

veld;andgoatsbrowseshrubs

andtreesmosteffectively.

achievinga BaLance

The ideal is to strike a balance

between the needs of your

livestock and the needs of

the forage plants in the veld.

Running too many animals

(overstocking) eventually

degrades the vegetation and

soil, reducing production and

reproduction in the flock or herd.

ABOVE:

Fencing is generally

expensive, but

some fences,

particularly in dry

areas, can last a

lifetime. This one

in the Karoo was

built 80 years

ago using scarce

sneezewood posts.

ROELOF BEZUIDENHOUT

Thenumberof grazingcampsona farmshould

be weighed against the escalating cost of fencing

material, writes Roelof Bezuidenhout.

Wise veld management

helps ensure that your

livestock has enough forage

of sufficient nutritional value

throughout the year.

Whatever you do, long dry

spells or winter conditions are

sure to make some form of

supplementary feeding necessary

at one time or another. Remember

that an animal consumes

anything from 2% to 4% of its

body weight per day, which is

muchmorethanyou might think.

eXPeRience

With years of experience,

you can establish the best

stocking rates for your farm

or communal grazing area

through trial and error. As a

beginner, however, it is better to

be conservative, as the damage

caused by overstocking can take

a generation or more to fix.

It is also a good idea to start

the year with fewer animals

and increase the number to

full capacity as the lambing or

calving season progresses.

If you are unsure of the best

stocking rate for your farm

or communal stocking area,

ask an expert or a successful

neighbour to have a good

look at your veld and give an

honest, objective opinion on its

condition and grazing potential.

ManageMent

Assessing grazing capacity

54 farmer’sweekly 9 August 2019