Regenerative management effects on pasture production: Initial data from a dryland farmlet experiment

Abstract

Data comparing pasture production in sheep farmlets subject to regenerative or conventional management and high or low soil fertility were collected in the first 1.5 years of a dryland experiment at Lincoln University. The data were retrieved from eight replicates of a 20-replicate design. In those replicates, the regenerative management combined diverse pastures and rotational grazing at high stock densities and frequent shifts. The conventional management combined lucerne pastures rotationally grazed at lower densities and frequencies. The high and low fertility treatments received 64 and 4 kg/ha P fertiliser respectively before sowing in December 2021. For July 2022–June 2023, regenerative management resulted in greater average pasture mass (2.6 versus 1.7 t DM/ha) of different botanical composition (5% prairie grass, 19% tall fescue and meadow fescue, 21% lucerne, 7% chicory, 7% plantain, a total of 10% cocksfoot, timothy, phalaris, white, red and sub clovers, 4% weed and 27% dead versus 70% lucerne, 11% weed and 19% dead) but lower annual pasture yield (8.7 versus 11.5 t DM/ha). Reducing P neither decreased pasture and legume yields nor increased weed. The two managements did not differ in their ability to produce pasture with less P. These initial results provide quantified evidence for farmers making decisions about regenerative agriculture.