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An
important factor in producing high protein food sources is understanding
that forages (grasses and hay) and browse (trees, vines, and bushes)
need readily accessible nutrients and minerals in order to maximize
their nutritional output. Plants are able to produce high quality forage
when they have access to sufficient forms of various nutrients.
The
need for a farmer to provide supplemental grain feed and minerals is
minimized when forage and browse contain high nutritional values. I am
not implying supplemental feed and mineral blocks will not be necessary,
but just not in large quantities. While grain feed and mineral
blocks are more costly than forages, browse, and hay, they do offer
certain nutrients that may not be readily available in forages and
browse. Economically, grain feed and mineral blocks constitute a
considerable portion of most categories of farm expenses. The only
portion that could be greater is labor, but, we know all farmers work
for free. Ha, ha.
Plants
are able to access nutrients in two primary ways: (1) naturally via what
their roots are able to absorb from the soil, and (2) through what
farmers may add to the soil in forms of supplemental
nutrients/fertilizer.
The
first step to insure nutrient availability is done through soil testing
to see which nutrients may be lacking. A visit to your local
Extension Office will allow you to acquire a soil test kit and some
information on where to send it for nutrient evaluation at a nominal
cost. Too many farmers (me included) buy what the local Co-op is kind
enough to recommend and assume that will be sufficient. With the cost of
fertilizer these days, a farmer is better off to know what the soils on
his farm need specifically and have it applied accordingly, possibly
saving several hundred dollars by avoiding application of non-essential
inputs. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the primary
ingredients in most fertilizers, but some soils may not need all three
ingredients. Only soil testing will reveal what is necessary and
what is not.
Lime
application is another way to enhance nutrient availability in soils,
allowing plants to absorb what they need to maximize their nutrient
availability. Lime does several things: it affects soil pH,
nutrient availability, and alters the environment for
microorganisms. Most of the soils in Alabama are acidic; they have
low pH. Applying lime reduces the acidity, therefore making the soils
more conducive for growing high protein vegetation. Another way of
looking at lime application is it "sweetens" soils, allowing
desirable plants a better chance to populate and grow, and undesirable
weeds are less likely to be prolific. You see, weeds thrive in acidic
unhealthy soils, but do not grow well in healthy soils. Acidic
soils tend to bind-up up minerals and other nutrients that may be
readily available in soils. Liming pastures frees-up available
minerals and nutrients so they are more readily absorbed by grasses and
browse, therefore providing high nutritional forages.
By
adding lime to pastures, soil pH is modified; a change in soil pH should
alter the living conditions in which parasites and micro-organisms are
accustomed. Although not scientifically proven, the modification in
environment should cause a temporary setback in the ability of worms and
coccidia to populate at a normal rate. Also, as lime is applied to
a pasture some of the powder adheres to the surface of grasses and
browse. Goats grazing on this plant material consume small amounts of
recently applied lime. If you were to look at a flake of lime, you would
notice it has serrated edges which in theory should act as a mild
cutting agent possibly shredding some of the worms found inside the
stomach of a goat while minimizing the impact on the lining of the
stomach. This is similar to the same assumption regarding the working
properties of diatomaceous earth and how it controls parasites. Again,
the effects of lime possibly controlling parasites are based on theory.
If both of these theories were correct, many producers could consider
lime a natural way to control parasites.
High
quality forages are the result of a well-informed forage manager and
efficient management practices. Producing food sources for goats is not
as simple as it sounds; it requires an understanding of soil science,
plant science and forage production. Having an understanding of these
interrelationships helps a goat farmer to more effectively manage the
quality of forages and browse in a more cost-efficient manner.
Robert
Spencer is Agribition Center Facilities Manager at Alabama A&M
University. |
