[Eric Dobbe]

Interesting discussion. I believe grazing management is the most important consideration for any livestock system. Our livestock are our employees – they work for us to improve soil function. I agree with your definition of overgrazing.

Essentially grazing management is all about managing time. I have applied the RCS and probably most grazing recommendations of consuming 60% leave 40 and daily moves. Try and keep pasture in the power growth curve, leaf recovery and adjust recovery time according to time of season (fast growth – fast move, slow growth- slow move). My conclusion for the above after 2 seasons, is that you end up selectively grazing and the recovery period is hard to get right. I couldn’t slow the rotation down sufficiently and ended up with sacrificial paddocks that I supplement fed in.

This year I have tried a much less known technique called “Total grazing” as promoted by Johan Zietsman and Jim Elizondo. Really liking what I’m seeing with this technique. I now graze to 80-90% utilisation and my rotation has slowed right down to >90 days. Instead of leaf recovery – we are root recovery. I think 4 grazings a year is about right for my environment. We still on daily moves (mostly). We are growing more grass and improving composition as we go. I no longer conserve the “Spring Surplus”, instead I let it stand in the paddock and graze and trample in with high density grazing.

[Eric Dobbe]

I have successfully established chicory, plantain, cocksfoot, perennial veldt grass and phalaris over the last three seasons. I have tried winter active tall fescue as well, however it’s probably more suited to higher fertility loams. Where I have got it to grow, it goes reproductive too quickly.

Cocksfoot, veldt grass and chicory are good options for free draining sands. Phalaris is suited to clays and wetter areas. Plantain suited to both. The reason the temperate grasses above are successful is because they have summer dormancy.

Perennial ryegrass is not something I have tried mainly because it will not go dormant.

And yes, survival is all about grazing management – essential to do short duration, long rest period rotational grazing.

[Eric Dobbe]

Redmond, WA. Which is 20min out of Albany.

[Eric Dobbe]

That’s awesome Mark to hear someone else’s experience with ‘total grazing’. There wouldn’t be too many around these parts that have heard about it.

I haven’t yet done the course but am thinking about it. I am going into my first summer under this system and so far so good.

Everyone around me is cutting silage and now hay, which is early due to a shorter than normal spring. I still have growing pastures. Any rain now will fire up the perennials. The biggest shift has been time of calving. Majority of calving here occurs from feb-may. I have shifted to August, Sep with 6 week joining ( bulls went in yesterday). It’s all about matching demand with supply and livestock production per ha as opposed to kg per animal…

[Eric Dobbe]

Dormancy of our temperate grasses is important in our dry summers. Chicory and plantain no problem but the grasses will lose persistence if they are summer active. I have seen failed paddocks of summer active tall fescue and seen perennial rye act as a biannual ( persisted one summer) of course there will be exceptions – valley floors that hang on to moisture or irrigation country…

With regards to perennial establishment. Success is achieved when you are willing to accept lower production for 2 seasons. I have had the most success with conventional approach of chemical and cultivation and precision seeder and use of bio stimulant on the seed. Seeding in autumn not spring. Then it’s up to grazing management: high density-short duration with a focus on suppression of annuals at key times like late spring.

Perennials are pathetic seedlings so annual ryegrass is enemy number 1. I have been very deliberate not to sow ryegrass in any paddocks that I have ambitions to establish perennials.

[Eric Dobbe]

Stock density is really important. I have 70 cow, calf pairs and 20 heifers on about a ha/day to achieve the grazing pressure required.

It doesn’t matter if you get the daily area a bit wrong. I’m always learning and adjusting according to pasture biomass availability, composition and time of year. The point is you are not grazing the new leaf emergence. Also, by grazing with high use efficiency you will find a higher leaf to stem ratio in your pastures than you would if you leave high residual.