Rotational Grazing

Summary

Project participants learned how to rotationally graze pastures. This allowed grazing of winter pastures to commence within two weeks of the autumn break and better winter feed utilisation. Participants were able to observe and understand pasture growth rates and use these skills to optimise grazing management.

Both years of the project, the season started late and was exceptionally dry but warm, which made direct comparison with previous years difficult. Participating producers measured the DSE and dollar return per hectare on the rotationally grazed paddocks. The superiority of rotational grazing was evident and evaluation of the productivity of set stocking techniques was not completed. General discussions with district producers not rotationally grazing, demonstrated significant advantages. Supplementary feeding was reduced and winter feed on offer was higher for those pastures that were rotationally grazed. This was due to both increased pasture growth and a better understanding of how to optimise available feed.