Pasture development during brush clearing with sheep and goats.

Abstract

Knowing that sheep or goats can be used to control brush we quantified pasture changes during and after brush control. Over an 8-year period we measured the effects of control (no soil amendment), medium soil amendment (4,500 kg lime and 40 kg P ha-1), and high soil amendment (9,000 kg lime and 117 kg P ha-1) on soil fertility, pasture botanical composition and production of brushy pasture grazed by sheep or goats. Botanical composition was estimated from clipped samples. Soil pH was 4.8 in the control, 6.5 in the medium and 7.0 in the high amendment plots. Medium and high amendment increased legume dry matter in the pasture from 2 in the check to 8%. More animal grazing days were obtained on paddocks treated with lime and P. Grazing with sheep or goats and lime and application of P resulted, after 4 years, in pastures with a grass, legume, and other broadleaf plant composition similar to that of brush-free, natural pasture.