Trees in pasture.

[PhilipB]

Musing on 'agroforestry'....

From my observation ;

Sheep like sitting under trees.

Sheep will generally not eat the grass that grows in the shade of trees.

Sheep sitting under trees means they preferentially manure the ground that isn't producing the preferred grass.

Query: how are trees of productive value to my pasture? (after the one or two that provide shelter)

 

[roscoe erf]

always seem like a nice idea in reality a right p.i.a

 

[delilah]

Query: how are trees of productive value to my pasture? (after the one or two that provide shelter)

They will be of financial value if ELMS pays you enough to plant them, just make sure they only go in crappy little corners where ever bigger machinery wont fit. Much of our grazing land is owned by DFL's, they constantly plant trees in the middle of fields which will just get bashed about in years to come.

 

[Moors Lad]

All your musings are correct - they also have the "benefit" that sheep lie under them where it`s not very clean and I fear this may help them get mastitis - think hard before you get too carried away!
However sheep DO look for shade from the sun and some shade is probably important.

 

[Guiggs]

The flies seem to love hanging around under trees waiting for sweaty sheep or dirty arsed ones in order to strike them!!

 

[neilo]

Come to Wales, the area under a tree canopy is deemed not to be productive, so it is ineligible for area payments currently.
I doubt there are many trees being planted in pastureland here as a result.

 

[toquark]

In my opinion sheep and trees aren't good bed fellows, our place has bits and pieces of woodland on it which teem with flies this time of year. A few shade trees can improve conditions in an otherwise open field and also can help the look of the place but are a major p.i.t.a if you're looking to make hay/silage and can significantly reduce yield immediately below the canopy.

They're also pretty much permanent, so think carefully before getting the planting spade out.

 

[ShooTa]

shade - less stressed livestock, grass that grows earlier/more frost hardy
nutrient exchange (ie minerals that the tree roots can bring up to the surface and allow grassland to obtain)
depends on livestock time access to the trees - short duration is good - helps prevent overloading of manure -which leads to over nitrogenation of the soil and causes nettles...
also will keep animals cleaner - less possible flystrike/mastitis (as observed above)

 

[wdah/him]

I have a few men who mow that sort of grass and they feed it as silage in winter with no issues. Nothing lost.

 

[michael N123]

Ok in hedges / boundary’s anywhere else is just annoying