FUTURE TECHNIQUES FOR EFFICIENT PASTURE UTILISATION

Efficient pasture utilisation is all too frequently considered to be simply a matter of getting as high a proportion as possible of the pasture grown inside a grazing animal by fair means or foul. But this is only half the story; indeed it may be less than half the story. Animal husbandry techniques designed to ensure that the pasture consumed is converted to animal produce with the highest possible efficiency are no less important and are equally a part of the overall picture of efficient pasture utilisation. By pinpointing weaknesses in both grazing management and in animal husbandry plans it should be possible to show how we must act if we wish to improve the efficiency of pasture utilisation.