Agronomic management of pastures to improve utilization
Project Facts
UCR: University of Costa Rica
FITTACORI: Fundación para la Investigación y Transferencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria de Costa Rica
MAG: Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería
Luis A. Villalobos V, UCR-CINA
Case overview/description
In the tropics, the yield of cultivated pastures can be higher than in temperate zones. The agronomic management has been focused on the carrying capacity of pastures through high fertilization rates. Both situations foster high residue (senescent material) in pastures, which is not grazed due to the poor nutritional value and thereby reducing the voluntary intake in pastures.
Estimate the yield, nutritional value and morphological traits of tropical pastures under different treatments (agronomic practices) aiming to reduce the amount of non-utilizable biomass in pastures.
This proposal aims to assess how the grazing efficiency can be increased.
One of the outputs expected from this project is to recommend producers how often they need to apply these practices as well as adjusting stocking rates.
State and private funding options are being reached
Bovine: Jersey, Holstein, multiple breeds in beef (Brahman, Nelore, Simmental, etc)
Beef: auctioning Dairy: industry
Producers, dairy companies and Ministry of Agriculture
Small plots within paddocks with further evaluation in larger scale to evaluated grazing efficiency
Outcome/ Beneficiaries/ Issues
Higher utilization of pastures may allow reduce the use of feedstuff (imported in our conditions)
Small producers are more sensitive to increases in commodities as they own less animals than bigger operations.
Carbon footprint lower in farms that rely more on pastures.
Through extension talks with producers and technicians
Difficult to monitor state of pastures is a general issue on farms.
Ongoing project.
funding
Tropical pastures, senescent material, utilization.