Leaf to stem ratio under high stocking rates
When we graze tall all the time there is shade and if done all the time this shade to the growing points leads to some of them dying, when this happens we start to get wider inter plant spacings which is undesirable.
We can get very large plants with wider plant spacings but we want high production of leaves per square yard not high production per plant.
This is the same as beef production per acre not beef production per animal or the same as high corn production per acre not high corn production per plant.
If we take off 10-20 % and trample the rest (if forages are low fiber due to environment and the don't spring back up) it means that we need to come back 5 to 9 times faster which also means that the most desirable species will be re grazed before they recover completely. If, on the other hand, we don't increase stocking rate so we can afford to selectively graze only 10-20 % of the grass on offer we are missing on possible profits that a higher stocking rate would offer.
We need to remember that what mainly builds humus in the soil are the decomposed bodies of microorganisms, these microorganisms are mostly fed by the sugar ( liquid carbon ) exudates created by photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is done mostly in the leaves and that is why we want more leaves. Having a lot of stems as litter is good but more leaves doing photosynthesis pumping sugar into the microsphere of the roots is even better.
I have done this to regenerate 3 ranches up to now, 2 in Mexico and one in Florida with high success.
We started with sandy soils, severely degraded by twice a month applications of glyphosate as it was a tree nursery.
CEC was 3-8, organic matter less than 1 %, low in most all nutrients, drought prone, hard pan, toxic weed invasion.
Pics of April 2012 (when we started) and of October 2015 of the same paddock (stockpiled) are attached.
Now carrying close to 600 total animals on 500 acres without feeding hay, of these 500 acres 156 acres can be irrigated.
Have been doing cover crops in the worst paddocks, using compost extract along with molasses and liquid fish. We don't use any chemicals at all, on the land or the cattle. Minimal protein supplementation, when needed, and free choice cafeteria style minerals are used ( we do monitor blood samples for trace elements as we have a huge Sulfur and Iron excess in the water).
About the two approaches being used together; what we recommend is stockpiling part of the farm for non growing season (then taking it down non selectively in the non growing period ) alternated with growing season grazing, but the grazing is always non selective ( growing season and non growing season).
The reason is that doing it we enhance a desirable species composition, reduce inter plant spacings, increase water infiltration, create a drought reserve, advance succession, establish seedlings, deepen roots, increase organic matter the fastest. All of this while increasing carrying capacity from the start as we are grazing at around 80 % of utilization.
This leads to a much longer recovery period with it's benefits.
But to do this at optimum profits adapted genetics animals need to be used which means inherent good body condition due to higher relative intake.
