At Lincoln University, a small (3.7 ha) beef unit
operates annually with the objective of closely
fitting seasonal pasture growth rate to cattle
feed demand on Canterbury dryland pasture
with no requirement for making or feeding
conserved feed. Inputs to this dryland pasture
beef production system are kept low. Cattle are
not purchased in autumn until the results of a
feed budget show that pasture mass plus
expected winter pasture growth will meet target
animal winter intake. In some years not all
cattle are bought at the same time, but the unit
is fully stocked (around 6 cattle/ha) by the end
of July. Cattle are sold for slaughter
progressively from December through February
as pasture production ceases to meet animal
demands. Grazing methods typically vary from
autumn-winter rotations of up to 100 days with
weekly block grazing, to 6-paddock rotations
of 28-34 days in spring and 2-paddock, 30-day
spelling intervals later in the grazing season.
The unit consistently produces each year a
carcass weight gain of 500 kg/ha with gross
margins of around $400-600/ha representing a
utilisation of 100 GJ ME/ha. This performance
is consistent with that of other intensive beef
production systems.[Show full abstract]
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