Oorsig / Review
Soil , Grass and Rumen Health
How do these relate to Extensively Grazed Cattle Herd Health ?
Willem A . Schultheiss Mobile : 082 323 7019 E-mail : willem . schultheiss @ ceva . com
Introduction
Calving percentage is still the most common parameter by which extensive beef cow-calf producers measure their herd efficiency . The difference between a 90 % and a 75 % calving percentage in a 50- and a 500-cow herd , respectively , on the same grazing area is obvious , but not always recognized . Therefore , the most important and accurate parameter by which beef cow-calf herd efficiency is measured is the Profit per Hectare allocated to the beef enterprise . Sadly , this parameter is seldom measured on a year-on-year basis to assess ongoing farm performance – even if it is easy and not laborintensive to do so . Profit per hectare takes into account all of the three highly inter-linked main systems or profit centers that influence the ultimate profitability of a beef farming enterprise , notably :
• Healthy grass yield per hectare through proactive pasture management decisions and a good understanding and attention to soil health
• Healthy beef yield per hectare through selection of the ideal frame size and year round pro-active decisions on stocking density – all which lead to reproduction efficiency
• Sustainable ( long-term , assured ) income per hectare . When fixed and variable costs are subtracted from this figure , one is left with the profit per hectare .
Soil health , which determines grass foliage health , is central to rumen microbial health and ultimately to the desired outcomes for each of the three above named parameters . This is primarily because microbial protein produced in the rumen has a near ideal amino acid composition that meets the requirement for ruminant physiological functions that lead to a financially sustainable business .
Some of the outcomes of a healthy rumen are disease resistance , growth , lactation and reproduction .
Healthy soils
In healthy soil there is about 4.5 tons of microbial life in the 30 cm top soil per Ha . These microbes keep soils porous and so aid
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