- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
I think it does, because there is much greater demand "on the system" then the legumes need to fix more.
Also, because suddenly the grazing is being managed by the predator and not the herd itself, that gappy "mosaic" look with pissy patches and gaps is avoided - stock naturally preferentially graze their urine patches first, and if their entire pasture is one of those, then the recirculation must improve?
It's interesting you question it, because the boffins who study the numbers at our place give an amazingly high figure for N in the system and it's all fixed nitrogen
As in, 250-300 units per hectare.
These same boffins look at the common 'clover can fix up to 80 units per hectare if well managed' advice and scratch their heads, what is obvious is that good healthy soil can sort it's own N out and share it amongst the plants.
Obv. mycorrhizae are a huge factor.
Also, in general terms as you run higher densities you can increase SR, the system becomes more productive. Conversely it gets very lazy if you don't.
Also, because suddenly the grazing is being managed by the predator and not the herd itself, that gappy "mosaic" look with pissy patches and gaps is avoided - stock naturally preferentially graze their urine patches first, and if their entire pasture is one of those, then the recirculation must improve?
It's interesting you question it, because the boffins who study the numbers at our place give an amazingly high figure for N in the system and it's all fixed nitrogen
As in, 250-300 units per hectare.
These same boffins look at the common 'clover can fix up to 80 units per hectare if well managed' advice and scratch their heads, what is obvious is that good healthy soil can sort it's own N out and share it amongst the plants.
Obv. mycorrhizae are a huge factor.
Also, in general terms as you run higher densities you can increase SR, the system becomes more productive. Conversely it gets very lazy if you don't.
Last edited: