GRASSLAND FARMING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 80, 15 September 1947, Page 7

GRASSLAND FARMING

(Continued from last issue) Grazing Management Trials At Grasslands, Palmerston North, four intensive farming systems are under trial. These are as follows: (1) All grass farm, wheer all feed is consumed on a rotational grazing basis at its optimum nutritive stage with 8 sheep per acre over the entire year, plus extra stock brought in in the spring and autumn to graze the surplus feed. (2) All grass farm with a set standard flock (11 sheep per acre over the full year) and where the excess feed in the spring is conserved as hay and silage. (3) All grass farm with a set standard flock (11 sheep per acre). Special purpose pastures are laid down and graze-managed with long periodic spells to cater for the low periods of production. Also special purpose topdressings using rgpidly available nitrogen for the production of out-of-season grass. (4) Part grass farm (60 per cent.) with a set standard flock (11 sheep per acre), provision being made for low periods of production by the growing of supplementary fodders and root crops on the remaining 40 per cent, of the farm. These small farmlets are one acre in area and are divided up into 10 one-tenth acre paddocks. Farmlet No. 1 has produced 14,3751b5. dry matter over the past 15 months and has, with ease, maintained 8 sheep, 4 6-tooth wethers over the winter, plus supplementary sheep in spring and autumn. The total increase of live weight of the sheep is 6721b5. and the gross wool clip 1471b5. per acre, plus wool growth on supplementary sheep. Farmlet No. 2 has produced 10,8521b5. dry matter as grazing and 29221b5. dry matter as hay and silage. The total increase in live weight of stock is 5501b5. and the wool clip 1861bs. per acre. Farmlet No. 3 has produced 15,1451b5. dry matter. The total increase in live weight of stock is 6531b5. and the wool clip 1711bs. per acre.

Farmlet No. 4 has produced 9878 lbs. dry matter from grazed pastures and 16951b5. of dry matter from fed on crops. The total increase in live weight of stock is 5361b5. and the wool clip 1691b5. per acre. Conclusion Intensive grassland farming in the North Island, at least, offers a dry matter production per acre of well up to 14,ff001bs. dry matter. It is highly doubtful if the great majority of North Island grasslands reach more than half this figure. We have the climate to grow grass—there may be periods of droughts and even these could be largely countered by irigation over large areas of the Waikato at least. But what is lacking is a full appreciation of the potentialities for production if only we will get down to a full'exploitation of good strains of grasses and clovers, liberally fed with phosphate and lime, well and truly grazemanaged to give maximum production coupled with nutritive value, and full consideration to the spread and control of stock so that there is returned to the pasture a uniform and copious shower of fertility from those grazing animals.