Module 3-range management

Question 1

for successfully raising cattle on range what needs need to be met for the cattle

Answer 1

The plants must provide sufficient nutrients to sustain the animals; when live plant material is insufficient for the animals’ needs, supplemental feed must be provided.

Question 2

what are perennial plants

Answer 2

plants that survive for a single growing season & must be reseeded each year

Question 3

what are grasses

Answer 3

herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base; maybe ‘native’ or ‘tame/seeded’

Question 4

what are legumes

Answer 4

flowering plants with roots that bear nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria; alfalfa and clover are the most common pasture legumes

Question 5

what are forbes

Answer 5

broad-leafed herbs that are not grasses

Question 6

what is forage

Answer 6

all plants that are suitable for animal consumption

Question 7

what is pasture

Answer 7

seeded/tame perennial and/or annual plants used for grazing livestock

Question 8

what is range

Answer 8

native perennial plants used for grazing livestock

Question 9

what is fodder

Answer 9

harvested feed put up in the form of hay, silage or grain used to supplement diets when pasture/range is insufficient; generally used for winter feeding

Question 10

what are some benefits of grazing management

Answer 10

protects the environment from damage by the grazing animal ensuring sustainability of the pasture or rangeland to continue to support livestock

Question 11

what does sustaining a natural system require

Answer 11

sufficient plant material be present for photosynthesis to occur to prevent the death of the plants

Question 12

what happens to plants if overgrazing occurs

Answer 12

cause death of forage species and allow invasion of weeds

Question 13

what are thr basic pasture requirements to prodrce heslthy livestock on range

Answer 13

requires careful management of the soils and plants used for grazing; a healthy range or pasture is needed to produce healthy livestock

Question 14

what do grazing systems control

Answer 14

control timing, intensity, and frequency of grazing to optimize plant viability and soil quality

Question 15

The grazing systems employed by ranchers managing extensive livestock operations are

Answer 15

(1) continuous grazing; (2) rotational grazing; and (3) complimentary grazing

Question 16

what is continuous grazing

Answer 16

involves putting livestock out on pasture or range and leaving them in that pasture for the grazing season

Question 17

what are some disadvantages to continuous grazing

Answer 17

the livestock will overgraze preferred areas reducing the quality of the forage over time

Question 18

what are the advantages to continuous grazing

Answer 18

is that the only labour required is that to maintain fences, ensure the water supply and replenish salt and mineral supplements

Question 19

what is rotatanol grazing

Answer 19

systems utilize at least two pastures. Grazing animals are kept in one area for a period of time and then moved to the next pasture. The frequency of movement between pastures is determined by a number of factors including season, type of forage and stocking density. Rotations are carried out according to the growth status of the plants with animals allowed to graze an area when the vegetative state provides maximum forage quality and quantity and being removed before the area becomes overgrazed

Question 20

for rotatinal grazing when are animals added to a pasture and when are they taken out

Answer 20

Typically, livestock is moved into an area when the forage stand is ten to twelve inches high and removed when it is grazed down to four inches

Question 21

what are the benefits of rotational grazing

Answer 21

Rotational grazing allows higher stocking rates over the entire grazing area than continuous grazing and helps maintain the integrity of the soil and the plants throughout the area

Question 22

what are the disadvantages to rotational grazing

Answer 22

it does require more labour to move livestock from pasture to pasture and has higher overhead costs for cross-fencing grazing areas.

Question 23

is rotational grazing intensive or extensive

Answer 23

Rotational grazing systems can be extensive with cattle moved between pastures once or twice a month or even every other month or they can be intensive with cattle moved between pastures two or three times a week or even daily

Question 24

what is involved with an intensively grazed land and what are the benefits

Answer 24

Intensively managed pastures involve more cross-fencing to create smaller areas and more labour for moving cattle between pastures but they do increase the number of head that can be fed on a given area of land.

Question 25

what are complementary grazing systems

Answer 25

are rotational systems based on forage types that complement each other seasonally. Complementary grazing systems employ pasture areas of early or spring forages, such as crested wheatgrass for use early in the grazing season and later forages such as native grasslands for the latter part of the season

Question 26

what knowledge is involved with complementary grazing systems

Answer 26

Managers must be knowledgeable about forage species and their individual growth cycles to properly employ complementary grazing systems.

Question 27

what is interspecies grazing

Answer 27

Interspecies grazing is usually practiced with cattle and sheep which, with their different grazing habits and forage preferences, help maintain the diversity of plants and, if interspecies grazing is carried out in conjunction with rotational grazing, the defoliation of plants being grazed tends to be more uniform than it is with only a single species

Question 28

how much more productive can you make your land from adding sheep to a cattle pasture

Answer 28

Adding sheep to a cattle herd can increase land productivity by 20 to 25 percent

Question 29

what is a health benefit to interspecies grazing

Answer 29

Adding sheep to a cattle herd can increase land productivity by 20 to 25 percent

Question 30

What considerations need to be taken into place when deciding your cows nutritinal needs

Answer 30

Accurate assessment of animals’ feed requirements is essential as they vary seasonally, with age, and with reproductive status. The nutrient content of plants also varies seasonally and depends on the species of plant and its stage of growth.

Question 31

What are some things to consider when estimating nutrients of a plant

Answer 31

The nutrient content of plants varies seasonally and depends on the species of plant and its stage of growth.