Pasture Establishment And Management
Overview
A pasture does not happen by accident. Left to itself, bush land in Nigeria grows thorny scrub and coarse, unpalatable grass that cattle, sheep and goats barely touch. A productive pasture, thick with grasses like Guinea grass and Elephant grass and threaded through with nitrogen fixing legumes like Centrosema and Stylo, is built deliberately: the right site chosen, the land cleared and prepared, the right species sown at the right time, and the young sward protected until it can stand on its own.
Building it is only half the job. A pasture also has to be managed once it is grazing ready, and the single decision that matters most is how the animals are allowed onto it. Turn a herd loose on the whole field all season and the pasture quietly collapses under overgrazing. Divide the same field into paddocks and move the herd through them in turn, and the same land feeds more animals, for longer, on less land. This lesson takes you through establishing a pasture, managing it once established, and the grazing systems that decide whether it lasts.
Objectives
- Explain the methods of establishing a pasture
- State the factors considered in pasture establishment
- Explain the practices involved in pasture management
- Explain the systems of grazing
- State the effects of overgrazing on pasture
Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Pasture Establishment And Management. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Which of the following grasses is normally established from vegetative cuttings rather than seed? A. Guinea grass B. Elephant grass C. Centrosema D. Stylo Answer: B
- The main reason grazing is deferred for several weeks after a pasture is sown is to: A. Allow weeds to be identified and sprayed B. Give the young roots time to establish before the plants are bitten C. Wait for the rains to end D. Allow fertiliser to be applied first Answer: B
- In rotational grazing, a paddock that has just been grazed is: A. Grazed again immediately by a second herd B. Left to rest and regrow before the herd returns to it C. Ploughed and resown D. Left ungrazed permanently Answer: B
- Which of these is an effect of overgrazing on a pasture? A. Increased carrying capacity B. Invasion by unpalatable weeds C. Deeper, stronger root systems D. Higher legume content Answer: B
- A farmer includes Centrosema in a pasture mixture mainly because it: A. Grows faster than any grass B. Fixes nitrogen and adds protein to the sward C. Is unpalatable to weeds D. Requires no rainfall Answer: B
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Past Questions
Wondering what past questions for this topic looks like? Here are a number of questions about Pasture Establishment And Management from previous years
Question 1 Report
(a) Complete the table below on forage crops
| Botanical name | Common name | Types of forage |
| Pennisetum purpureum | (i) | Grass |
| Calopogonium mucunoides | (ii) | (iii) |
| (iv) | stylo | (v) |
| Panicum maxinium | (vi) | (vii) |
| Mucuna utilis | (viii) | Legume |
(b)i. Define the term pasture
ii. State four ways in which grass-legume mixture is important in livestock production
(c) State six characteristics of rangelands
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