Week 10 Tutorial (Livestock Production Systems

utilization

What type of livestock are typically farmed on New Zealand hill country farmland?

Sheep and Beef.

What type of livestock are typically farmed on New Zealand flat farmland?

Dairy cattle.

List the two most common breeds of beef cattle farmed in New Zealand.

Angus and Hereford.

List the two most common breeds of sheep farmed in New Zealand.

Merino(Fine Wool) and Romney(Meat and Coarse Wool).

List the three most common breeds of dairy cattle farmed in New Zealand.

Holstein-Friesian, Jersey and Kiwi Cross (Cross between Holstein-Friesian and Jersey)

New Zealand grazing pasture is dominated by which two plant species?

Perennial ryegrass and white clover.

• Ryegrass 80%: white clover 20%

Describe the typical annual pattern of pasture growth in New Zealand. (be able to draw a graph that represents the typical annual pattern of pasture growth in New Zealand)

• Spring: has a high growth rate

• Summer: Pasture growth slows down

  • Less rain fall- Dries out the grass-brown looking grass(Not great quantity but also bad nutrition quality due to increased fiber levels due to seed heads forming).

• Autumn: In some areas of New Zealand there is often a little bit of growth due to increased rain.

• Winter: Pasture Growth tapers off and reaches its lowest point during the winter months.

  • Not because it is is dry but because it is cold.

  • Thus the grass will be nice and green(good nutrition quality), there will just be very little growth(bad quantity).

When during the year does New Zealand typically experience pasture surplus?

Spring.

Discuss how a pasture surplus could be managed. Why is it necessary to control/manage a pasture surplus?

• Conserving surplus grass from the spring to be used during the deficit summer/winter seasons.

  • Hay making.

• Keep grass in “vegetative window” to maximize quality and maintain growth.

• During surplus

  • Speeding up the rotation.

  • Harvest and make grass silage or hay.

  • Top/Mow

    • Put animals into eat cut grass, or to create hay silage

  • Take paddocks “out” and plant something (ie, a crop to use in summer/winter, or for grass renewal, etc…)

  • Get more/other stock.

When during the year does New Zealand typically experience pasture deficit?

Winter and Summer.

List and discuss options to overcome periods of pasture deficit.

• Conserving surplus grass from the spring to be used during the deficit summer/winter seasons.

  • Hay making.

• Growing crops to be fermented and used as feed during these seasons.

  • E.g. Maze silage-fermented corn.

• Alternatives to grass that grow well in varying seasons.

  • Clover on sheep farms grows well in summer.

  • Chicory is used as summer crop on the Massey dairy farm.

• Keep grass in “vegetative window” to maximize quality and maintain growth.

• During Periods of Deficit (Summer)

  • Alternate forages

    • Brassicas (bulb/leaf turnips, forage rape), herbs (plantain and chicory), red clover, lucerne

  • Fertilize

    • Stimulates pasture growth

      • Need to consider timing and can pair irrigation to maximize effects).

  • Irrigation

    • Encourages grass growth as in summer it is dry.

  • Graze strategically/decrease stock units/allow animals to lose weight.

  • Supplementary feeds.

    • Silage, hay…

    • Also allows pasture time to accumulate.

  • For dairy, if summer deficit serious – cows may switch to once-a-day milking or be dried off early.

    • reducing energy requirements and thus amount of food you need to feed them.

• During Deficit(winter)

  • Alternate forages

    • Brassicas (swedes, forage kale), fodder beet, green oats.

    • Also allows pasture time to accumulate.

  • Graze strategically

    • Reducing movement with temporary fences to avoid animals doing any damage to other sections(by trampling ect); until they have eaten all the grass in their section.

  • Decrease stock units

  • Supplementary feeds – silage, hay, concentrates…

List two common alternate forage types that can be used to fill a summer pasture deficit.

• Brassicas (bulb/leaf turnips, forage rape)

• Herbs (plantain and chicory)

• Red clover

• Lucerne

List two common alternate forage types that can be used to fill a winter pasture deficit.

• Brassicas (swedes, forage kale)

• Fodder beet

• Green oats.

In New Zealand pasture-based livestock production systems, what activity typically occurs in spring and why?

Calving/Lambing

• Lactation is very energy demanding: Animals are often born during the high feed availability of spring for this reason.

What units is pasture growth typically measured in?

Kilograms of dry matter per hectare per day (kg DM/ha/day).

What is pasture dry matter a measurement of?

Indicates the weight of the dry matter once moisture(water) has been removed; Indicates the amount of nutrients available in pasture.

• If pasture has high lvl of DM it is more nutritous as it contains compounds needed for growth:

  • Carbohydrate

  • Protein

  • Fat

  • Vitamins

  • Minerals

What two environmental factors are the primary drivers of pasture growth?

Temperature and Rainfall

In New Zealand, the rate of grass growth is typically lowest in which season?

The grass growth rates are typically lowest in winter.

• This is because in winter the cold drastically reduces grass growth.

In New Zealand, the rate of grass growth is typically highest in which season?

The grass growth rates are typically highest in spring,

• Due to sufficient rainfall , increasing temperatures and lengthening sunlight hours.

List the typical pre- and post-grazing pasture mass targets for sheep.

Generalized pre-grazing target is 1,100-1,500 kg DM/ha, and post-grazing target is 800-1,000 kg DM/ha.

List the typical pre- and post-grazing pasture mass targets for dairy cattle.

Generalized pre-grazing target is 1,900-2,100 kg DM/ha, and post-grazing target is 1,500-1,600 kg DM/ha.

Define pasture utilization.

• Pasture utilization is the amount of pasture eaten relative to the amount of pasture grown.

Measurements of pre- and post-pasture mass can be used to estimate what animal production variable?

Intake is the key variable.

• Intake = Pre-grazing cover – Post-grazing cover

However it can also be used to measure grazing days, and appropriate stocking rates can be calculated.

What type of fertiliser is often used to stimulate pasture growth?

Nitrogen fertilizer is commonly used to stimulate pasture growth.

Discuss three challenges facing future farming systems.

• Climate Change-causing environmental changes

• Efficient water usage

• Water inequality (having access to enough water).

• Increasing global populations mean production must increase.

• Social License (opinions on farming).

• Changing regulations/policies

• Developments in technology

• Communication and understanding between increasingly disparate urban and rural populations.

How are we going to increase livestock production to meet future demands?

• Aims for improved production efficiency;

  • Achieving more output from the same or reduced land area.

• The focus is not on increasing stocking rates or intensity but on leveraging technology to improve productivity.

  • Use of C-Dax Pasture Meter robots, temperature and moisture sensors, imaging, AI, GPS, and accelerometer technology.

List three areas where improvement to livestock production can be made.

1. Breeding and genetics for better traits

2. Nutrition and feed efficiency

3. Animal health and welfare practices

Food production accounts for what percentage of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions?

Approximately 26% of global green house gas emissions.

• Livestock and crops both account for 30% of this.

  • With beef by far producing the most.

What are the three main green house gases?

Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Which green house gas is made by ruminant livestock?

Methane.

• Produced during digestion and fermentation in the stomachs of ruminants.

• Majority is belched out as gas.

Globally, which of the livestock production system has the largest land use per kilogram of food product produced?

Sheep( Lamb and Mutton)

• Closely followed by Beef.

What percentage of the global (dietary) protein supply comes from meat and dairy products?

37% of the global dietary protein supply.

Globally, approximately how many animals are currently slaughtered each year for meat?

Approximately 80 billion animals are slaughtered each year for meat.

What is a bobby calf?

Any surplus dairy calf (typically male).

What is the minimum age bobby calves must be before being transported off farm?

Bobby calves must be at least four days old before being transported off farm.

• This ensures that the bobby calf has had sufficient nutrient, is healthy and will be able to walk on the truck by itself.

What are the two humane methods of slaughter currently used for the destruction of male layer chicks?

Maceration (pretty much a mincer ) and Carbon Dioxide gas euthanasia.

Approximately how much dry matter (DM%) does New Zealand pasture typically contain?

• Grass Moisture (~80%)

• Dry Matter (~20%)

Approximately how much dry matter (DM%) does cereal grains typically contain?

• Cereal grains contain ~85% DM

What percentage of dry matter do most feeds contain?

• Most feeds contain ~10% ash in the DM

  • Ash is a estimation of mineral content.

How is the potential feeding value of a animal's diet calculated (DN)

Every crop has a different Feeding Value.

• The potential Feeding Value (FV) of a diet is a function of intake and nutritive value (NV)

  • FV = intake \times NV

What are Seasonal breeders?

• Sheep (and sheep adjacent e.g. goats and deer)

  • Short-day breeder

  • They come into their breeding season as the day begins to shorten

    • Become reproductively active in about autumn.

    • 5 month pregnancy: Allowing the to give birth in spring.

      • Higher chance of offspring survival as spring as increased food supply.

• Horses

  • Long-day breeder.

  • Become reproductively active as the day lengths begin to increase.

    • Become reproductively active in about spring.

    • 12 month pregnancy: Allowing them to give birth in spring.

      • Higher chance of offspring survival as spring as increased food supply.

• Non-Seasonal Breeders

  Reproductively active all year round

  • Pretty Much everything that aren’t sheep or horses

    • Pigs, Poultry, Cattle

      • That being said we treat cows in a seasonal fashion to align births with the pasture surplus in spring.

Describe the generalized calendar for seasonal Sheep Production.

Think: sheep are short day breeders: this means they get pregnant as the day grow longer.

• So they get pregnant in autumn

• They will be pregnant in winter, as they gibe birth in spring.

• Once they have had their babies, they will be weaned off in summer.

Describe the generalized calendar for seasonal Dairy Production.

Cows are not seasonal breeders but are typically farmed as such in NZ.

• Spring: Calving (late winter)/early lactation/breeding.

• Summer: Mid lactation.

• Autumn: Late lactation.

• Winter: Dry off cows in preparation for calving.

What are pre and post grazing targets for cows?

Pre = 1900 to 2100 kg DM/ha
Post = 1500 to 1600 kg DM/ha

What is pasture utilization?

• Pasture utilization is the amount of pasture eaten relative to the amount of pasture grown.

  • Controlling Intake allows us to maximize efficiency and reduce feed wastage.

    • You don’t want your animals overfeeding ect.

• Optimize intake: avoid restriction or excess.

50% of habitable land is used for agriculture, of this 77% is used for livestock. That’s a lot of land!

So what food products use the most land for production?

1- Lamb and mutton
2- Beef

In New Zealand, how many surplus male chicks are disposed of annually?

• In New Zealand, approximately 3 million male chicks are disposed of annually.

  • at one day old:(