Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Guide To Evaluate And Diagnose Range Management Programs In Extensive Cattle Ranches, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Commonly, range managers and ranchers apply range management principles and practices without a guide, conventional protocol, or a reference frame. This happens because knowledge in education and even in extension or consultant programs is obtained over time in a diversity of ways and, in turn, transmitted or applied in a diversity of methods, according to the experience, academic degree, or organization sense of the rancher himself, or his technician. Existing range management knowledge should be organized and applied in a systematic and conventional way. Medical science provides a good example of systematic management. Patients are “inventoried”, evaluated, diagnosed and treated …

Allocating Rangelands To The Optimum Land Use By Applying A Decision Support System, Seyed Alireza Mousavi, Hossein Arzani, Mehdi Farahpour

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Rangelands in Iran are faced with a considerable level of degradation and human interventions due to pressures for increased food production and the need to generate more benefits for an increasing population. A first step in solving this problem is to develop methodology to efficiently analyse the current situation and effectively reallocate rangelands into optimum land uses. To achieve an agreed solution for land allocation, an interactive approach is required to recognize and comprehensively assess different alternatives.

This paper suggests an introductory framework for developing a decision support system for allocation of rangeland areas into the most optimum use.

Using Expert Knowledge To Develop Management Actions For Tasmanian Lowland Native Grasslands Under Climate Change, Kerry L. Bridle, Louise Gilfedder, Nicholas Macgregor

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Climate change projections for Tasmania suggest that the climate in 2070 will be warmer than present, with increasingly variable seasonal rainfall (Grose et al. 2010). Results from climate change modelling suggest that grassland communities may not exist over their current range in the future (Prober et al. 2012). Lowland temperate natural grasslands have been greatly reduced in areal extent since European settlement in the early 1800s. Two ‘Lowland temperate native grassland’ communities are listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999): Themeda triandra grasslands and Poa labillardieri grasslands. Careful landscape planning for current …

Ewe Body Condition: Does Farmer Practice Meet Research Guidelines?, Marie J. Casey, John S. Scandrett, David R. Stevens

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A group of sheep farmers in the Southland region of New Zealand were surveyed in the winter of 2011 to determine their current winter management practices and ewe performance. This followed a 3 year Sustainable Farming Fund project to investigate if there was a relationship between maintaining an even ewe body condition score (BCS) during pregnancy and the incidence of vaginal prolapse (bearings). The program included a series of workshops to help farmers improve their ewe winter management and it became apparent that the actual winter feeding practice and ewe performance was relatively unknown.

The research was done to document …

A Plant-Physiology Approach To A Fire-Y Problem, Helen G. Daily, Shaun Lisson, Kerry L. Bridle, Peter A. Lane, Stuart Anderson, Ross Corkrey

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

As vegetation dies, it dries and becomes more flammable. Fire agencies require accurate and timely assessments of curing (the percentage of dead material in the sward) to model grass fire behaviour and calculate fire danger ratings (Cheney and Sullivan 2008). Visual observation is commonplace and the more objective use of the Levy Rod is recommended, although both have drawbacks (Anderson et al. 2011). There is great potential for pasture growth models to provide curing estimates to assist with the management of wild grass fires (Gill et al. 2010). This PhD project focused on plant physiological characters to populate …

Identifying Opportunities For Improved Adoption Of New Grazing Innovations, Geoff Kuehne, Rick Llewellyn, Pannell Pannell, Perry Dolling, Roger Wilkinson, Mike Ewing

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Those aiming for high levels of adoption of grazing-related innovation are often frustrated at low and slow uptake by farmers. This paper describes a new tool, ADOPT (Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool), that can be used to evaluate the potential adoptability of grazing innovations (Kuehne et al. 2012). ADOPT aims to: (1) predict an innovation’s likely peak level of adoption and likely time for reaching that peak; (2) encourage users to consider factors affecting adoption during project design; and (3) engage R, D & E managers and practitioners by making adoptability knowledge and considerations more transparent and understandable.

Using E-Learning To Aid Technical Uptake Of Goat-Based Technologies By Small Livestock Producers In The Philippines, Anna Marie P. Alo, Jose Rey Y. Alo, Francisco G. Gabunada Jr., Emilio M. Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The improvement of goat raising in the Philippines by achieving a stable supply of good quality breeders and highly uniform slaughter goats by 2020 is the aim of an Industry Strategic Plan. While a number of ways of promoting science-based technology have been offered to farmers, countless small to medium-scale farmers are almost impossible to reach. Online FLS or e-learning courses on goats have been developed where learners can take the courses from any place, at their own pace, and in their own convenient time. Internet cafes are available throughout the Philippines, where goat raisers are able to access the …

Assisting Smallholder Farmers In Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems To Understand The Potential Effects Of Technologies And Climate Change Through Participatory Modelling, P. Masikati, Andre Van Rooyen, Sabine Homann-Keetui

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Smallholder farming systems in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe are characterized by low production. This low production is not solely due to lack of technologies but is also due to a lack of integrating a diversity of viewpoints belonging to local, expert and specialized stakeholders during technology development. Participatory approaches combined with computer-based modelling are increasingly being recognized as valuable approaches to jointly develop sustainable agricultural pathways. The application of this integrated and iterative process in developing and evaluating the impact of interventions aimed at improving food and feed production is discussed. The process allows farmers to determine the impact …

Grassland Management–The Prograze™ Approach, R. P. Graham, C. M. Langford, G. P. Meaker

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Three courses PROGRAZE™, PROGRAZE™ Plus and STOCKPLAN® have been developed to provide a complete package to assist farmers manage their variable grassland grazing systems. As each package is separate the farmer can use the relevant tool to help them work through major issues they are dealing with at any point in time. All courses are based on the same principle, they do not give answers but rather provide training in skills development, provide key background knowledge and a framework to assist farmers plan and if needed to work through their problems to reach a solution they are comfortable with.

The Role Modelling And Farming Systems Research Can Play In Redesigning Grazing Systems For Improved Productivity And Environmental Sustainability, Angela Avery, Kate Sargeant, Michael A. Friend, Ralph Behrendt, Paul Sanford, Craig Beverly, Cameron Allen, David L. Michalk

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Achieving production and natural resource outcomes from farming systems is critical with growing demand for livestock products, increasing pressure on land and water resources and the desire of farmers to improve profit and standard of living. In many countries this brings to the fore a number of policy dilemmas and conflicts in terms of pastoral household livelihood, regional economic growth and development, as well as natural resource management. By using two case studies; (1) Temperate Grasslands in Southern Australia (EverGraze project); and (2) Western Grasslands in North West China (ACIAR project), this paper considers how farming systems can be redesigned …

Range Management Program: “Los Ángeles” Experimental Cattle Ranch In Northern México, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The arid and semi-arid grasslands of both the ejidos (farming communities) and extensive (private) cattle ranches in northern México face serious degradation problems. This is visibly evident in the extent of soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and invasion of undesirable species (Ceballo et al. 2009). Severe impact of drought and over-grazing are important causes for the declining productivity now common place throughout these north Mexican grasslands. Two important contributing factors to this grassland degradation are: (1) the lack of continuous and well integrated education programs on the range and ranch management; and (2) a scarcity of government and private …

Development Of A Forage Evaluation System For Perennial Ryegrass Cultivar And Endophyte Combinations In New Zealand Dairy Systems, Jeremy R. Bryant, David F. Chapman, Elizabeth Leonard, William H. Mcmillan, Graham A. Kerr, Glenn Judson, Tim Cookson, Grant R. Edwards

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

An economic index for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars is a relatively new concept, although recently introduced in Ireland (McEvoy et al. 2011). By contrast, in dairy cattle breeding, the concept of an economic index rating animals and economic values underlying that index is well entrenched (Philipson et al. 1994; Veerkamp, 1998). Historically, forage evaluation data for individual cultivars were either displayed using absolute numbers for seasonal dry matter production within a season or across all seasons with a notation to indicate statistical differences, or percentage values where a reference cultivar is 100. The adoption of …

From Research To Practice Change–Achieving Adoption Through Regionally Packaged Technology And Farm Systems, Kate Sargeant, Scott Glyde

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The rate and extent of adoption of grazing systems technology is limited by the relevance of recommendations and the complexity of integrating new practices into farming systems. This paper describes how, through development of regional information packages, a national project is enhancing adoption of the outputs from research investment. Every farm has unique goals, soils, landscape, enterprise setup and existing practices. When making investment decisions, farmers consider the cost and potential impact of each option compared to other competing options, the fit into their existing management philosophy and other changes necessary to realise the potential benefit. Overlaying this, farmers consider …

Farmer-To-Farmer Mentoring–Delivering Real Change In Practice On Uk Livestock Farms, Sara J. Gregson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

A pilot project was set up whereby mid-performing livestock producers could access knowledge from other farmers in order to produce more milk and meat from grass. In the United Kingdom grass utilisation on pasture that is grazed, is low - generally no better than 50%on dairy units, and even less on beef and sheep farms. The BGS Grazing Partners scheme was devised by the British Grassland Society (BGS) in 2009 by council member Sara Gregson, after completing a Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Eighteen experienced and successful grassland farmers were trained in mentoring skills. Farmer-to-farmer mentoring helps producers, who are too shy …

Demonstration Farms To Improve Grassland And Household Incomes In Western China, Jing Wang, Mengli Zhao, David R. Kemp, Gemma Turnbull

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Western China is the less developed area of China, of which about 3.31×10⁹ ha is grassland. The livelihoods 40 million people, the majority ethnic minorities, are supported by this grassland. To achieve balanced growth while reducing economic disparities is one of the major challenges that China faces to maintain both its current GDP growth rate and social stability. The development of demonstration farms is an efficient way to alleviate or ideally to solve this challenge. Recent studies conducted on the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia have shown, that under current conditions, stocking rates can be reduced to get both …

Adoption Of Forage Technologies By New Zealand Farmers–Case Studies, John Caradus, Simon Lovatt, Bruce Belgrave

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Pastoral farmers seek to continue to increase on-farm productivity and to do this they need new forage options that they can adopt into their current management strategies. The less disruptive these technologies are to accepted farmer management strategies the greater the likelihood of adoption. Four case studies show that New Zealand farmers have rapidly adopted new technologies that include forage herbs, white clovers with improved stolon growing point densities, and novel endophyte technologies.

Degradation Of Grassland Ecosystems In The Developing World: The Tragedy Of Breaking Coupled Human-Natural Systems, Shikui Dong, L. Wen, Yuanyuan Li, J. P. Lassoie

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Since Hardin (1968) published his famous theory "Tragedy of the Commons" supported by examples showing that communal grasslands can be easily overgrazed when herdsman increase their herd numbers, a lot of research has supported the viewpoint that rangeland degradation and desertification in much of the pastoral areas in the developing world are caused by overgrazing (Arnalds and Archer 2000). With increasing focus on change at the global scale, many scientists, guided by the disequilibrium theory, hypothesized that climatic variability and change rather than overgrazing is associated with rangeland degradation. We argue that neither overgrazing nor climate change can alone explain …

Dutch Dairies Reward Grazing, Anjo Elgersma

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Changing societal drivers and consumer demands require systems that provide desired human foods produced through sustainable production systems. The aim was to show effects of grazing system on milk fatty acid (FA) composition in Dutch farming practice and to analyse current developments in grassland utilization and dairy payments. Milk conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentration was a function of hours cows spent at pasture, both at a regional and at a farm scale. Despite beneficial effects of fresh herbage in the dairy production chain on unsaturated FA in milk, the trend in The Netherlands is that cows are more indoors and …

Herder Mental Stocking Rate In The Rangeland Regions Of Northern China, Yanting Yin, Xiangyang Hou, David L. Michalk, Xiangjun Yun, Yong Ding, Xiliang Li, Jizhou Ren

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In 2002, the Chinese government issued the “balancing animals and grass” policy to control the degradation problem of northern China, but these programs have been widely resisted by herders. We proposed that herder had their mental stocking rate, which refers to the number of animals that the herders think they can place or maintain on a piece of rangeland over a specified period of time. It is the mental stocking rate that guides herder on how to adjust livestock-breeding practices. This study surveyed herder opinion of grass-animal balance in the meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe regions of northern …

Entry Points To Improve Livestock Water Productivity In Selected Forage Based Livestock Systems, Amare Haileslassie, Katrien Descheemaeker, Michael Blummel, Peter Craufurd, Kebebe Ergano

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Agricultural production is challenged by increasing water scarcity and simultaneously growing demands for food and feed. Globally livestock feed sourcing is seen as one of the major causes for water depletion, and therefore increasing livestock water productivity (LWP) is necessary. Feed sources in Forage Based Livestock Production Systems [FLPS (grazing, mixed-irrigated and mixed-rainfed)] largely consist of pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, and also plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals. In drylands (arid and semi-arid) eco-regions, FLPS are generally extensive and thus the scale of water depletion for feed production is a major concern. This paper …

Current Status Of Stylosanthes Seed Production In Southern India, Nagaratna Biradar, Vinod Kumar, B. V. Rajanikant

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

India is a significant producer of Stylosanthes (stylo) seed (principally S. hamata). Most of this seed is produced by villagers and small farmers in the Anantpur district, Andhra Pradesh, southern India. This is one of the poorest regions in the State, with harsh climatic conditions, poor, zinc-deficient soils, and (in the stylo seed production area) farm sizes averaging less than 2 ha. Marketing is handled by an informal network of seed traders who distribute stylo seed within a 25-30 km radius and, via the next level of traders, to other parts of India. A survey of seed production in …

Farmer To Farmer Spread Of Fodder Crops--An Analysis On Mango Orchards In South India, Nagaratna Biradar, B. G. Shivakumar, Vinod Kumar

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

India ranks first among world mango (Mangifera indica L.) producing countries, accounting for about 50% of world production. Karnataka in southern India is one of the important mango producing provinces of the country. The total area under mango crops in Karnataka is 160,000 ha of which 90,000 ha is in prime fruit yielding stage. In the year 2011-12 alone the area under mango crops has gone up by 10,000 ha (DoH, 2013). The usual planting distance followed by most farmers for mango is 10 m by 10 m. Intercropping, mainly with small millet is practiced until the mango trees …

Fodder Seed Bank–An Initiative For Green Fodder Production During Lean Period By Kvk, Jehanabad Under Nicra Project, Shobha Rani, R. K. Sohane, Dinesh Mahto, Basant Kumar Sharma

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Fodder production is an often-overlooked aspect of livestock rearing. The scarcity of fodder during lean period poses great problem before the livestock owners. The case with availability of green fodder is even more serious. Green fodder is essential for feeding of the dairy animals as poor nutrition is the biggest constraint in animal production, especially in dairy cattle production. This problem arises mainly due to the fact that ruminants are basically fed with fibrous forages and low quality roughages such as straws, especially during the lean seasons. The fodder seed availability is a major constraint apart from the interest of …

Forage Seed System, Indigenous Knowledge And Constraints Of Forage Production In Afghanistan, Srinivas Tavva, Roberto Tellaria, Zewdie Bishaw, Niane Abdul Aziz, Serkan Ates, Yashpal Singh Saharawat, Hyatullah Esmati

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Afghanistan seed sector is in transition after the postwar reconstruction and rebuilding (Kugbei et al., 2011). Though the national seed policy and law was enacted in 2009 (Gazette, Govt. of Afghanistan, 2009), its implementation is yet to take off. Availability and access to quality seed is one of the major limiting factors for the crop-livestock production system in Afghanistan. Informal seed sector is dominant where the vast majority of farmers are saving their own seed of both local and improved varieties of forage crops. The purpose of this study is to understand the status of the forage seed …

Sustainability Of Grassland Resources In Afghanistan: A Review, Yashpal Singh Saharawat, Hyatullah Esmati, Abdul Rahman Manan

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Afghanistan is land locked country with arid and semi-arid climatic conditions. Out of 65 million ha of its land area, grassland and pastures cover 30 million ha. The grassland is reducing significantly from last six decades mainly due to poor governance in the last three decades of war and conflict, non-existence of scientific capacity and capability, land encroachment, increasing population, urbanization, poor policies and support from the Government, consistent increase in the population of cattle (291%), goats (160%) and (donkeys 290%) during the last two decades (World Bank, 2011).

Constraints For Grassland Development In Kadesara Kala Village, Lalitpur, Bundelkhand: A Case Study, Ravi Pratap Singh, Rajiv K. Agrawal, Satendra Kumar, Sunil Kumar, M. M. Das, J. B. Singh, Satyapriya

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

India is maintaining a livestock population of over 500 million and has a grim situation of forage and feed deficit to the tune of 35.6% green fodder, 10.95% crop residues and 44% concentrate. In term of nutrients, the deficit is expected to the tune of 24.6 and 19.9% respectively by the year 2020. The gap is to be bridged up through development as well as extension of appropriate fodder production technologies suitable for different farming situation strategies. Fifty-eight % of the available fodder comes from grazing land and 42% from stall feeding with crop residues (30%) and leaf fodder (12%). …

Reversing Land Degradation Through Grasses: A Systematic Meta Analysis In The Indian Tropics, Debashis Mandal

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Soil water infiltration influences potential top soil loss by erosion, as well as the partitioning of runoff into slow flow and quick flow. The aim of the work presented here was to critically review studies of the effects of grasses on reversing the process of land degradation and improving the soil infiltrability in the tropics, using a systematic review. The study area was divided into arable and non-arable conditions and the effect of grasses were deduced as grass strip and pastoral systems, respectively. I then applied meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that use of grasses as grass-strips in agriculture increases …

Adaptation To Changing Institutional, Market And Bio-Physical Environments: The Case Of China’S Grasslands, Colin G. Brown, Scott A. Waldron, John W. Longworth

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In the modern world, small pastoral herder households living on grasslands in countries such as China face major challenges in adapting to changes in their institutional, market and bio-physical environments. In China, these changes have been profound over the last 30 years. Herders, their communities and others dependent on the grasslands have responded to these developments but not always as might be expected. In this paper, the sources of the macro-forces in China that have created the pressure for change at the grass roots are outlined and the micro-adjustments made by herders and others in response to these pressures are …

Pasture Reform And Its Implementation In Kyrgyzstan, А. Egemberdiev, K. Ismailov, M. Bayaliev

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Presently the determination of mechanisms for effective management and sustainable use of pasture resources rely heavily on agricultural policy development. This is not only the case in the Kyrgyz Republic but also in other countries because grasslands are a significant resource covering about half of the earth’s surface. The success of developing and implementing policy goals on grassland use often has direct impact on vital national issues as: the welfare of the people; food safety; preservation of the ecological integrity of natural ecosystems, as well as greenhouse gas sequestration in each country where pasture use is critical in the economic …

Socio-Economic Implications Of The Forage Livestock Balance Policy, Li Yang

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

There are generally two kinds of rangeland dynamics models, range model and state-and-transition model, as the concept of livestock carrying capacity was not as useful as expected in non-equilibrium rangeland systems (Behnke and Abel 1996; Turner 1993), although the equilibrium and non-equilibrium ecosystems are not distinguished as different (Briske, Fuhlendorf et al. 2003). Based on range model theory, the Forage Livestock Balance Policy (FLBP) has been implemented for ten years in China.

This policy has been trying to adjust the utilization of grasslands according to the assessed livestock carrying capacity (LCC). After ten years experience, this paper reports on the …