LIVESTOCK
From page 27
tion or soil. The recommended carrying capacity
figure for cattle in Gauteng is
8 ha/LSU (large stock unit).
This can be improved to 1
ha/LSU when grain and
planted pasture are provided
as supplementary feedstock.
(A livestock unit is an animal
with a weight of 450 kg. All
animals can be converted to
livestock units or LSU:
Roughly a cow = 1,10 LSU, a
bull = 1,36 LSU, a horse =
1.25 LSU, a ewe = 0,17 LSU
and a ram = 0,22 LSU.)
Annual rainfall in Gauteng
averages 560 to 710 mm and
this will obviously affect the
quality and quantity of
grazing. Few smallholders can
afford to irrigate their fields.
Several factors play a role in
determining veld condition.
These include species
composition, the vigour of the
palatable species, basal cover
and soil surface condition.
There are books available to
help identify the
grasses in your
field, ranging from
the pocket book
First Field Guide
to Grasses of
Southern Africa
(Struik) to the
more comprehenCattle benefit greatly from lick-blocks, particularly
sive Guide to
in winter.
Grasses of
includes resting of veld. In
southern Africa (Revised
order to maintain the vigour
edition) by Frits van
of the veld, it is necessary to
Oudtshoorn (Briza
rest the vegetation at certain
Publications).
critical growth stages,
The books give an indication irrespective of the type of
of palatability for each
grazing system. Veld must rest
species. Such knowledge is
in the growing season. The
important in designing a
frequency and duration of
grazing system and making
these rests will depend on
informed feeding managethe nature and condition of
ment decisions.
the veld, whether the veld is
Cattle are primarily grazers
grazed by cattle or sheep or
and will only browse on
both. A practice that
shrubs or small trees when
undoubtedly improves veld
the grass is over-grazed.
production, veld composition
It is good practice to divide
and animal production is the
pasture into camps, so that
implementation of a full rest
one can rotate your cattle, as
Continued on page 32
veld management also
30
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