Forage grazing system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forage grazing system - Essay Example Naturally, livestock animals like cattle, sheep, goats and horses live by forage utilization because their digestive system allow them to gain energy and other valuable nutrients (Murphy, 2005). The most efficient way for these livestock to consume forage is to allow them to graze. Nevertheless, an appropriate grazing system is necessary for effective and efficient grazing. Developing a rotational grazing is the most effective way to maximize forage utilization as well as consumption on a limited piece of land. According to W.D. Pitman (2010), paddock grazing refers to a grazing management system whereby livestock is grazed in a rotational manner in a large number of paddocks. Depending on the size of the paddock and the number of animals grazing, a paddock may be used for a number of days before animals are moved to the next paddock. Although it is very intensive, it allows the farmer to prepare adequately in and out of the season. Routinely, rotational grazing takes up to 30 days. This allows the farmer to match the nutritional needs of the animals with the availability of feeds (forage). Rotational grazing will ensure that forage stock are not re-grazed or overgrazed on a particular cycle. This is advantageous to the farmer since it breaks the life-cycles of parasites and other pests. Farmers save a lot of money that could otherwise be used for livestock management. Rotational grazing also allows the farmer to allocate small portions of the land for conservation of grass (silage of hay) especially where growth of grass has gone beyond livestock requirements (United States. Bureau of Land Management. Idaho State Office, 2007). Increased production: - use of modern farm machinery and skills help to increase farm yields. It avails all the resources to the farmer that aids in all operations. For instance, the use of irrigations, farm machineries ensures that the farmer has