The low-down on deferred grazing | Ep. 64

Many farmers are looking for ways to get better value from their pasture, get through NIWA’s predicted El Niño summer, and control on-farm costs. Could deferred grazing provide a solution for some farmers? 

In this episode, you’ll get the low-down on this cheap and flexible form of pasture conservation. Our guests are DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Wendy Griffiths and Waikato farmer Ian Butler, who’s used deferred grazing on his farm. Ian is also a DairyNZ Extension Partner in the Waikato. Wendy and Ian will explain what deferred grazing is and when to use it, its pros and cons, and importantly, what the research tells us about this feed management strategy.

Visit our website to learn more about deferred grazing.

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz

Follow DairyNZ on socials for the latest updates:

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn

Chapters

• 0:53 What is deferred grazing?
• 2:30 Ian’s experience with deferred grazing
• 2:57 The benefits
• 5:28 The challenges
• 6:51 How Ian refined deferred grazing for his farm system
• 7:33 The best time to implement
• 9:43 Managing costs, getting through a drought
• 11:37 The research behind it
• 14:11 One thing Ian loves about the dairy sector
• 14:53 One thing dairying’s given Glenn and family
• 15:22 One thing he’d like non-farmers to know about dairying