A model-farm approach to research on crop-livestock integration — II. Experimental results

Abstract

Abstract A six-year project was conducted to show how better crop-livestock integration and improved management increase the outputs of crops and sheep products. Three farm types were compared, consisting of different crop and sheep enterprise mixes, together with natural pastures. The conceptual framework and experimental methods used were reported in a previous paper. This paper reports the crop and sheep enterprise results. Higher yields of grain and straw from wheat and barley crops resulted from improved crop management and better varieties although the contribution of these two factors could not be ascertained. Harvest losses from all crops were substantial and represented a significant economic loss. Input of feeds harvested from the farms or purchased doubled from the poorly managed to the well-managed flock and most of them were offered during late pregnancy and early lactation. Substantial responses in ewe fertility, and offtake of cull ewes, lambs and milk were associated with improvements in feeding level.