Feed Diversity for Livestock

Creating diverse feed systems for livestock can provide medicinal support, improve digestive health, regenerate land health, extend the production capabilities of the land and its resilience capacity. Often this is done in the form of diverse pasture species but there are many more options which can be utilised. Throughout the world trees and shrubs have been traditionally used as livestock feed in the form of hedgerows, paddock shelter and feed woodlots. This has been both browsed, harvested and fed to livestock, and harvested for tree hay or silage. These practices have been lost in New Zealand, to the detriment of the landscape and the livestock. Most farmers, lifestyle blockers and homesteaders, are now reliant on pastures which are primarily grass and clover, stored feed of hay or silage and frequent land tilling to provide crops for supplementary feed. These practices have also led to the removal of hedgerows and trees around and within the paddocks to extend the pasture potential and ease of cultivation.

We are left with open, exposed landscapes with soils which are lacking the diversity of life which the roots of trees and shrubs can harbour. Including larger fodder and forage plants within our feed systems has many other benefits for our land. Most of these plants are multipurpose, they bring shade and shelter for your livestock, provide firewood, timber and food for humans. Support the landscape via erosion control, wind mitigation, rain absorption, mineral accumulating and nitrogen fixing. Habitats are provided for our bird life and extra pollen sources for bees, ecosystems develop to support the wider health of your land. This all builds a landscape which is more sustainable and resilient to our ever-changing environment.

Sustainability and resilience are not just catch phrases but necessary considerations for your land. Extremes of wet or dry can have major impacts on your land, pasture growth and livestock. Utilising trees and shrubs in your fed systems helps to mitigate the impacts of these extremes, from providing feed during droughts and as pasture relief over wet times, to absorbing and redirecting water during heavy rainfall. For smaller or hilly properties which are not suited to hay making, utilising tree hay or silage can give independence from having to purchase in winter feed. With many fodder species having a similar nutritional value to lucerne this provides you with homegrown high value feed. Our handbook Fodder and Forage – Creating Diverse Animal Feed Systems in New Zealand aims to provide the information needed to select trees, shrubs and other multipurpose fodder plants suited to ruminant livestock and various landscape requirements. It also discusses diverse feed systems for horses, pigs, chickens and meat rabbits aimed at reducing reliance on brought in feeds. Creating a landscape which both sustains and enhances our environment.

Fodder and Forage – Creating Diverse Animal Feed Systems in New Zealand is the first in a series of handbooks we are self-publishing. These handbooks are aimed at providing the information needed to build self-reliance and reduce our need for external resources.

Order Fodder and Forage – Creating Diverse Animal Feed Systems in New Zealand here.

Or purchase an E-Book or paperback version via Amazon