Offered Papers Theme C: Delivering the Benefits from Grassland
Description
New Zealand's diverse grassland resource of 13.5 M ha of permanent pasture, tussock or alpine grasslands underpin an intensive pastoral industry worth NZ$13 billion in 2004. The pastoral industry involves 37,000 farmers and a service industry of about 215,000 persons. It produces 27 M prime export lambs and 180,000 t of predominantly crossbred wool from 40 M ewes; 13 B litres of milk from 5.2 M dairy cattle; 800,000 t of beef from 4.7 M beef cattle and 33,000 t of venison from 2 M deer. Pastures and forage crops, mostly non- irrigated, are grazed 'in situ' by animals through controlled grazing management. The emphasis is on optimising utilisation at each grazing without penalising feed intake, pasture regrowth or persistance. Stocking rate and feed budgeting, along with a flexible stock trading policy are used to match animal demands with seasonal fluctuations in forage supply. The timing and duration of mating are varied to match anticipated seasonal growth. In dairy farming more condensed calving patterns have assisted in extending lactation length.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
New Zealand Pastoral Systems: A Current Perspective
New Zealand's diverse grassland resource of 13.5 M ha of permanent pasture, tussock or alpine grasslands underpin an intensive pastoral industry worth NZ$13 billion in 2004. The pastoral industry involves 37,000 farmers and a service industry of about 215,000 persons. It produces 27 M prime export lambs and 180,000 t of predominantly crossbred wool from 40 M ewes; 13 B litres of milk from 5.2 M dairy cattle; 800,000 t of beef from 4.7 M beef cattle and 33,000 t of venison from 2 M deer. Pastures and forage crops, mostly non- irrigated, are grazed 'in situ' by animals through controlled grazing management. The emphasis is on optimising utilisation at each grazing without penalising feed intake, pasture regrowth or persistance. Stocking rate and feed budgeting, along with a flexible stock trading policy are used to match animal demands with seasonal fluctuations in forage supply. The timing and duration of mating are varied to match anticipated seasonal growth. In dairy farming more condensed calving patterns have assisted in extending lactation length.
