Post on 22-Dec-2015
EDUARDO G. CANUDAS-LARA, Ph.D.Professor of Veterinary Medicine and
Animal Science Faculty
University of Veracruz, Mexico
GRAZING MANAGEMENT FOR A SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL PRODUCTION IN THE TROPICS
INTRODUCTION
Tropical Grasses (C4) = High Growth Potential
Intensive Grazing Management works (grazing laws)
Farm Administration: an essential aspects
1. Plan: clear goals (animal and forage production, sustainable, profitable,…
2. Organization: identify, group, and assign ranch activities,…
3. Direction: leadership, communication, motivation,…
4. Control: Intensive Grazing System gives more control.
Conserve soil properties by efficient nutrient cycling (sustainability).
Achieve profitability by increasing productivity and reducing cost.
Reduce forest conversion to pasture land by increasing land productivity (animal).
Become competitive in quality and price.
OBJECTIVES
PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEMSOIL:PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEM
GrazingManagement
ForageProduction
AnimalProduction
PastureBiomass
ForageConsumed
+
+
+
Income+
-
-
+
B
B
R
+
R
PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEM
CP
Stocking Rate
Animal Weight
Improved specie/cultivar
Digestibility
NDF, ADF, Lig.
SOIL:PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEM
Irrigation, fertilization,...
Tramping, treading
GrazingManagement
-
"Feedcomplement"
ForageProduction
AnimalProduction
PastureBiomass
ForageConsumed
+
+
+
Income+
+ +
-
+
?
+
Exogenous factors
?
growth
+
Voluntary intake
+
+ +-
-
-
+
B
B
R
+
R
Decay/old
-
PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEM
CP
Stocking Rate
Animal Weight
Improved specie/cultivar
Digestibility
NDF, ADF, Lig.
SOIL:PLANT:ANIMAL SYSTEM
Micro-climate(temp., humidity,...)
Pollution
Irrigation, fertilization,...
Tramping, treading
GrazingManagement
-
"Feedcomplement"
ForageProduction
AnimalProduction
PastureBiomass
ForageConsumed
+
+
+
Income+
+ +
-
+
?
+
Exogenous factors
?
growth+
Voluntary intake
+
+ +-
-
-
+
B
B
R
+
R
Decay/old
-
Urine
FecesMinerals
+
+
+Decomposition
+
+
+
Welldistributed
Baddistributed
+
R
How?
How solar energy is utilized?
How forage is produced? (soil, minerals, water,..)
How animal intake is controlled? (quality, quantity,...)
How the environment is preserved? (nutrient cycling, erosion,
insecticides, herbicides,...)
RATIONAL MANAGEMENT
The common sense is the least common of the senses…
N P K S Mg Ca
+ micros
CO2
O2
C6H12O6
Sugar, starch,...
O.M.
How Solar Energy is utilized?
C H O
GE DE MEMaintenance
ProductionFeces Urine,methane
N P K S Mg Ca
micros
500 kg/ha/año of N125 kg/ha/año of P2O5
500 kg/ha/año of K2O
C H OI
II
III
N P K S Mg Ca
micros
Days
Prod
ucti
on
250 an./ha
50 an./0.2 ha =
40 m2/an/d
250 cows/ha/day = 50-10-40Murphy, 1981
How much minerals does the plant extracts from the soil?
Pasture Utilization Efficiency
Uti
liza
tion
(%
)
Instant stocking rate (an./ha/day)
2 50 100
20 -
50 -
80 -
LAWS of theRational Intensive Grazing System
1o Adequate development
3o Leave some leaves
2o One day grazing
4o Have some reserves :
Sugar cane SilageHay
Concentrated
MATERIAL AND METHOD
LOCATION: Medellin, Ver., Mexico WEATHER: Tropical Sub-humid RAINFALL: 1,700 mm (90% from July to October.) TEMPERATURE: 25º C (mean annual)
Rational Intensive Grazing SystemDeworming, vaccinate, vitamins, implants, tick control,…Weight: individually approximately every 45 days.
Chopped + urea
+ concentrated (16% CP)
ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Aerial picture of “El Principio Ranch” 9.2 ha of taiwan grass (22.7 acres)
1.5 ha sugarcane (3.7 acres)
Close up of some paddocks of“El Principio Ranch”
(paddocks size = 2000 m2 or 0.5 acres)
Grazing
Pasture Divisions (paddocks)
2,000 m2
each
2 ½”
4”
2”
Plant Production Parameters taiwan grass under RIGS with fertirrigation
3466DM Intake, %
792752Gwowth rate, DM kg/ha/d
2.90.92.0DM Intake, % AU of BW
13.14.28.9DM Intake, AU/kg/day
28.89.819.0Production, DM t/ha/year
TotalStemLeafParameter
Average of 13 cuts from October of 1997 to June of 1999.
3.6BIOMASA DE HOJ AS
-0.501.00
1.502.002.503.00
3.504.00
FECHA DE MUESTREO
BIO
MA
SA
(t/ha) M
SAntes del pastoreo Después del Pastoreo
BIOMASA DE TALLOS
-
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
FECHA DE MUESTREO
BIO
MA
SA
(t/ha) M
S
Antes del Pastoreo Después del Pastoreo
Animal Production Variables with Concentrated
Supplementation form January to July with 2 kg DM/day of chopped sugarcane with 3% urea and the whole year with 1.14% of their body weight with a concentrated with 16% CP.
Hectares (n) 9.2
Cattle groups (number/year) 3
Fattening period (d) 376
Cattle raised (produced) per year (n) 193
Average initial weight (kg/animal) 240
Average final weight (kg/animal) 374
Stocking rate (AU/ha) (animals/ha) 4.8 7.0
Average daily gain (kg) 1.09
Meat production (kg/ha/year) 2,766
Taiwan with fertirrigation
Feed complement form January to July with 2 kg DM/day of chopped sugarcane with 3% urea, and the whole year with 1.14% of their body weight with a concentrated with 16% CP.
animals/haAU/ha 7.0
Beef production (kg/ha/year)
Average daily gain (kg)
Stocking rate
Average final weight (kg/animal)
Average initial weight (kg/animal)
Cattle raised (produced) per year (n)
Fattening period (d/group)
Cattle groups (number/year)
Hectares (n)
2,766
1.09
4.8
374
240
193
125
3
9.2
Taiwan with fertirrigation
Animal Production Variables with Concentrated
Profit/Loss StatementUS Dollars
NET PROFIT
Profit sharing to workers
OPERATING PROFIT
Other Expenses
Financial Expenses
Sales Expenses
Administrative Expenses
GROSS PROFIT
Production Cost
Total Sales
PARAMETER
$12,354
$650
$13,004
$0
$4,797
$26
$1,007
$18,834
$75,062
$93,895
TAIWAN
Supplementation form January to July with 2 kg DM/day of chopped sugarcane with 3% urea and the year 2000 with 1.14% of their body weight with a concentrated with 16% CP.
NUMBERSNUMBERS
INFORMATIONINFORMATION
(analyze, interpret, compare, take (analyze, interpret, compare, take decisions,…)decisions,…)
FINANCIAL RATIOS
$1,300Net profit per hectare, US$/year
25Profit over investment (reval), %/year
13.1Profit margin, %
0.48Net profit of meat, US$/kg
0.90Total cost of meat, US$/kg
65Total assets productivity, %
0.35Break-even point, kg/animals/day
2.40Break-even point, animals/ha
TAIWAN GRASS
PARAMETER
Supplementation form January to July with 2 kg DM/day of chopped sugarcane with 3% urea and the year 2000 with 1.14% of their body weight with a concentrated with 16% CP.
Rational Intensive Grazing System has demonstrated to be sustainable by recycling nutrient and maintaining production throughout the years.
The system had proof to be profitable and be competitive with high productivity per hectare, quality, and price in the domestic and international markets.
On a macroeconomic environment, the extensive use of this system may reduce the forest conversion to pasture land.
Finally, human population can be fed economically and environmental sustainable.
CONCLUSIONS
Thanks…