ISTVS

IGAD Sheikh Technical Veterinary School

 
Department of Dry land Agriculture and Natural Resources Management
 
B. Sc: Dry land Ecosystem and Agro-Ecosystem Management
 
AAS201: Principle of Animal production
 
Assignment: PASTURE AND FODDER PRODUCTION

 
Lecturer: Haileselassie G Meriam
 

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Part one: Review the status of pasture breeding
in East Africa.
The pasture is land on which cattle can be kept for
feeding while forage is fodder for animals, especially
cattle and horses, Pasture breeding is the science of
changing the traits of pasture in order to produce
desired characteristics. It has been used to improve
the quality of nutrition in products for the animals.

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Cont..
The overall objective of plant breeding is to improve
the plant species. For forages, breeding objectives
include higher yield, higher quality, greater vigor and
persistence, resistance to pests, and greater tolerance
of climatic and soil conditions. These traits are
specific and can be measured.
Forage producers are interested in reducing costs.
Increased yields, improved persistence, and higher
quality will increase profitability. 

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Cont..
Tolerance of climatic and soil factors and pest
resistance are more helpful in certain locations and
circumstances. Water use efficiency and drought
resistance is important in many parts of the world.
Irrigation systems are expensive and competing
demands for water are now common between urban
and agricultural needs.

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Cont..
Forage managers must carefully look at their
operations and determine which plant characteristics
will have the most impact on reducing costs while
yielding maximum benefits.
Forage crops and pastures provide the bedrock to
sustainable agriculture. Defined as the edible parts of
plants, other than separated grain, that provide feed
for grazing animals or that can be harvested for
feeding

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Cont..
forages play an important role in East Africa beef
cattle industry while also enhancing crop diversity,
wildlife habitat, and soil ecosystem services.

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Advantages of pasturebreeding
Good pastures are profitable.
They can provide an economical source of livestock
feed,
Reduce labor requirements,
Build soil tilt and fertility,
Reduce erosion,
Reduce invasions of noxious and poisonous weeds.

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Cont..
When obtaining new land that will be used for forage
production, especially pasture, a forage-livestock
producer is encouraged to use the first year carefully.
Fertilizing wisely and managing the pasture strategically
enables the producer to learn much about what the land
is capable of producing.
Investing in establishing a pasture from scratch may
sound thorough but the pasture can easily revert to the
previous plant composition in a few years, becoming a
waste of money, time, and labor, if the land is poorly
managed.
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Cont..
Well established and managed perennial pastures can
produce effectively for five to ten years or more.
When a pasture or forage crop is wanted and not
currently available or productive, a forage-livestock
producer must know how to properly establish a
forage stand.

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Cont..
Starting from scratch would mean taking a piece of
land that was previously planted in a monoculture
crop or some wooded land that has been cleared and
preparing it, seeding, and producing forage.
Establishing a forage plot for pasture or mechanical
harvesting can be a risky business.

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cont..
Removing whatever is currently growing takes careful
thought and preparation. Establishing a quality forage
stand requires many steps. One factor that must be
considered is possible erosion during the time the
ground is prepared for planting but not producing.
Many producers plan well in advance to reduce the
possibility of erosion during that critical time period.

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Cont..
With the concept of advance planning in place,
removing the existing plants usually means using a
powerful herbicide. Liming, fertilization, further weed
control and proper seeding need to be carefully
planned.
Successful pasture establishment has three essential
building blocks:
Good soil conditions,
Properly adapted species,
Good weather.
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REVIEW PLANT RESOURCES CONTRUBUTING TO
FORRAGE PRODUCTION
Forage crops are grown specifically for grazing by
livestock or harvested to help make up seasonal
shortfalls between feed demand and supply. They form a
vital part of livestock production.
Forage genetic resources play a very important role in
food security and poverty alleviation, particularly in
developing countries. Grassland and forage genetic
resources underwrite and support particularly
Millennium Development Goals 1 and 7. Forages
(herbaceous feed for herbivores) include grasses,
legumes and other herbaceous species.
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Cont..
Most forages grow in grasslands, are produced by
fodder crops or are provided by food crop residues.
Grasslands are among the largest biomes in the world.
Their area is estimated at 52.5 million square
kilometres or 40.5 percent of the terrestrial area,

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Cont..
They are extremely important environmentally as a
major form of vegetation, and play a vital role for
animal production, soil erosion control and carbon
sequestration; they are a major reserve of biodiversity,
a cheap and safe form of in situ conservation of
genetic resources, and important wildlife habitat.

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References
https://forages.oregonstate.edu/nfgc/information/pr
oduction

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