LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;
- Define forage crops and other related terms
- Describe the classification of pasture
- Describe pasture establishment, management, and utilization
Let us start by learning about terms used in forage crop production;
Forage crops: crops grown for the sole purpose of feeding livestock. Forage crops include fodder crops like clover, Lucerne and Napier grass, and pasture grasses.
Pasture: a piece of land supporting the forage crop. Livestock graze directly on the pasture.
Fodder crop: this refers to forage crop which is harvested to be fed to animals. Sorghum, Napier grass and kale are examples of fodder crops.
Direct sowing: this refers to the establishment of a pasture crop in a seedbed where no other crops are growing (clean seedbed).
Over sawing: this refers to the establishment of a pasture in an already existing pasture. For example, a legume pasture can be established on an existing grass pasture.
Under sowing: this is the technique of establishing a pasture crop under an existing crop. For example, a pasture legume can be established under the main crop like maize.
CLASSIFICATION OF PASTURE
Pastures can be classified on the basis of different things. Let us see how pastures are classified.
1. Classification on the basis of the establishment
- Natural pastures: pastures growing naturally and extensively.
- Artificial pastures or leys: temporary cultivated pastures made up of legumes and high-quality grasses.
2. Classification based on stand
- Pure stand: a pasture on which either grasses or legumes are growing.
- Mixed stand: a pasture where a legume and a grass or a mixture of legumes and grasses are growing.
3. Classification based on altitude
- High-altitude pastures: pastures growing in high altitude areas, above 2500 meters above sea level. These pastures are recommended for dairy farming. They include Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and Giant setaria (Setaria splendida). High altitude legume pastures include Lucerne (Medicago sativa).
- Mid-altitude pastures: pastures that do well in mid-altitude areas of between 1500 and 2500 meters above sea level.
- Low-altitude pastures: pastures that do well in lowland areas of 1500 meters above sea level and below. These areas receive low amounts of rainfall and they are suitable for beef farming.
PASTURE ESTABLISHMENT
Pastures can be established in different ways. They can be established by planting vegetative material, they can also be established by the sowing of seeds. Pastures can be established through the process described below.
- Start by selecting a suitable fodder crop and variety for the ecological zone.
- Clear the land and cultivate it.
- Harrow the land to a fine tilth for seed sowing. If the establishment is vegetative, harrow to an appropriate tilth.
- Apply phosphate fertilizers at planting. Organic manure can also be applied.
- Planting can be done by direct planting, under sowing, or over sowing.
- Firm the seedbed with rollers after planting.
PASTURE MANAGEMENT
The following are the different ways in which a pasture can be managed:
- Controlling weeds
- Gapping or re-seeding
- Controlling pests and diseases
- Topdressing with nitrogenous fertilizers or with manure
- Topping to stimulate better re-growth
- Light grazing in the first stages of establishment. This is done to encourage lateral growth.
PASTURE UTILIZATION
pasture utilization refers to the total amount of fodder (in terms of dry matter) that is consumed. This can be through grazing directly, cutting and feeding animals in zero-grazing units, or in form of forage reserves.
The following are the different ways through which pastures can be utilized:
- Zero grazing or stall feeding.
- Direct grazing like rotational grazing.
- Conserving excess crops like the making of hay.
Forage can either be grasses or legumes. Examples of grasses include Rhodes, Napier, and Setaria. Examples of legumes include Clover, Desmodium, and Lucerne.
FORAGE CONSERVATION
Forage conservation refers to the preservation of forage plant materials in order to provide livestock feed, after the primary period of growth of these plants.
Forage can be conserved in the following ways:
- Making silage: silage refers to forage that is fermented anaerobically.
- Making hay. Hay refers to dried forage.
- Standing forage. This is when a part of the forage is left behind for later use.
Reasons for forage conservation
- To avoid wastage in times when the forage is plenty.
- To ensure a sufficient supply of forage throughout the year.
- To ensure good utilization of land.
METHODS OF FORAGE CONSERVATION
There are two main methods of forage conservation. they are hay and silage making.
HAY MAKING. This involves the dehydration of green pastures to between 16-20 percent moisture content. The procedure of making hay is as follows;
- Cut the green pasture and dry the material for approximately 3 days in the sun.
- When the materials have dried to a moisture level of between 16-20 percent, store them under shelter.
SILAGE MAKING. This involves conserving forage in a succulent form by anaerobic fermentation. The procedure of making silage is as follows;
- Harvest the forage when it's of high quality.
- Wilt the forage to approximately 30% Dry Matter.
- Chop the forage into 1-3cm long parts.
- Compact the forage. You can use heavy materials to make it as compact as possible.
- Add a fermentable substrate and ensile.
- After filling, the sealing should be airtight.
- Maintain the airtight sealing until it's time to feed.
