Winter grazing management

Recently, the Government released the action for healthy waterways package which establishes new requirements for winter grazing management practices. Although the new standards won’t come into effect before May 2021, it is important that farmers familiarise themselves with these rules now, as they have direct implications for upcoming decisions regarding crop and paddock selection in spring this year. Amelia explains what you need to know now and how to adopt the right changes early on.

On 5 August, the Government released a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater and new stock exclusion regulations.

The Essential Freshwater package introduces new guidelines that cover a variety of areas on the farm, including stock exclusion, land-use change, nitrogen usage and winter management. Over the next few weeks, the AgriBusiness Group will take a closer look at how the new regulations will affect land-use intensification, the use of nitrogen fertiliser and stock management practices. Today we delve into winter grazing management regulations and how to implement them in your farm system.

Winter grazing management has come under the spotlight over the past two years after some widely publicised concerns over animal welfare and water pollution. Councils and MPI have started to watch farming practices more closely and have set up a Winter Grazing Action earlier this year. In addition, the new Essential Freshwater regulations outline new parameters for good winter grazing management that apply to all stock (dairy, sheep, beef, deer and pigs) intensively grazed on winter forage crops.  

For winter grazing to be a permitted activity, the following standards must be met (otherwise a resource consent is required): 

• The area being grazed is less than 50ha or 10% of the property, whichever is the greatest. For example on a property of 1000ha, the threshold will be 100ha, whereas a property of 300ha has a limit of 50ha;

• The cropped paddock has a mean slope of 10 degrees or less; 

• Pugging is not deeper than 20 cm. Pugging covers no more than 50% of the paddock, which is the penetration of soil more than 5cm;

• Paddocks are re-sown by 1st October (1st November in the Otago and Southland regions). All winter cropping needs to be re-sown as soon as practicable; 

• The activity has a Certified Freshwater Farm Plan; and

• The crop is set back 5 or more metres from waterways. 

The rules apply to areas of winter forage crop grazed over part or all of the three-month winter period. Permanent pasture is not counted as a winter crop. 

Although the new standards won’t come into effect before May 2021, it is important that farmers familiarise themselves with these rules now, as they have direct implications for upcoming decisions regarding crop and paddock selection in spring this year. If you are under an irrigation scheme, contact your environmental team to see if winter grazing is covered under the existing consent. 

Environment Canterbury released their guidelines previous to the Essential Freshwater regulations. This has led many farmers to develop winter grazing management plans, describing their wintering strategies, identifying risks and post grazing restoration. An example of a winter grazing plan can be found here.

Winter Strategies 

Over the past year, our auditors and consultants have been looking at different farms’ wintering strategies. Unfortunately, there is no golden trick. The right approach depends on a range of factors such as soil type, crop rotation, climate, slope etc. Farmers need to trial and adopt practices that are suitable for their farm system. 

Crop establishment

Compare a cultivated fodder crop to a direct drilled crop in the middle of winter, and you will likely see a difference in soil damage/pugging. Conventional cultivation tends to reduce soil colloids, while direct drilling has little impact on soil structure, reducing pugging depth, potential sediment loss and soil colloid damage. 

When direct drilling is not an option for crops such as fodder beet, strip-tillage has been seen as another option for sowing winter forage crops. This reduces the area of cultivated soil in a paddock, as the inter-rows can allow for protection for germinating crops through retaining crop residues or pasture thatch. It has also been found that released N is lower in strip-tilled crops in comparison to conventionally cultivated crops (FAR, Maize, October 2009). 

Another crop establishment technique is to leave every second drill width in pasture or to put into annual ryegrass. This is to give variety in the diet, reduce the requirement for transitioning and reduce sediment movement through the paddock.

Grazing Management

Currently, it is typical for stock to stay consistently on crop over winter, unless in adverse weather events. However, with the new pugging rules, this can be problematic. Back fencing, practising on/off grazing, and adverse weather management are all management techniques that can be used to mitigate soil damage. 

Post grazing management

The new Freshwater package includes guidelines to plant a new crop or pasture as soon as possible after grazing. This can prevent nutrient run-off because the new plants soak the nutrients up from the soil. However, prompt re-sowing may not always be practical due to soil temperatures, soil moisture being too high to get machinery on or the timing of the next crop. Trialling different crops at different times may be needed, i.e. fodder beet with a final grazing early June sown into oats for oat silage cut in October. 

If you have any questions on the winter grazing rules, do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our environmental consultants, Amelia or Dave. Also check out the regulations on the MfE website.

Written by: Amelia Wood