Overgrazing Is Detrimental To Farm Pastures

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 93, 30 May 1949, Page 3

Overgrazing Is Detrimental To Farm Pastures

The extent to which pasture plants are grazed has a direct bearing on the extent of the root systems and the yield of herbage. Pastures can be grazed both too frequently and too severely, to their detriment.

The application of fertiliser cannot, in itself, overcome the ill-ef-fects of overgrazing, nor is it uti-

lised satisfactorily by overgrazed plants. Deterioration on hill country has been hastened by lack of sufficient control over the grazing animal.

If any great improvement is to be made on hill country grazings, the pasture plants must have an opportunity of developing a more vigorous root and shoot system. This can be attained only by a system of more lenient grazing, or the provision of a rest period between grazings. If some form of rotational grazing can be adopted, there will follow a marked increase in the vigour of the,, overgrazed pasture. This,, in turn, will be reflected in the thrift of the stock and the returns netted by the farmer.