Drawbar
08-02-2008, 03:27 PM
Well when I started my CNMP (Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan) for my start-up sheep operation I doubted I would find anything exciting, but in some ways I found out something very profound. The CNMP is basically a plan to deal with the manure these sheep will produce.
In doing the calculations however it seems I was a bit off in regards to the stocking rate of sheep. As my father, Grandfather and his Grandfather have calculated in years past, we always calculated the stocking rate (or how many sheep, cows, or horses you can have on an acre of land) based on how much grass it grew. In simple terms, how much does one animal eat and how many acres does it take to raise the number of animals you want.
Well it seems in my calculations, my stocking rate here is not dictated by what they eat, its dictated by the manure these sheep produce since its lower than what my land can up-take.
HUH you are probably saying?
Well its like this. I always knew that our high quality pastures here can support 10 sheep per acre for most of the growing season. But what I had not taken into account was, the slope of the ground here (a mild 6%), coupled with some soil compaction, the type of grass we grow, and the amount the soil absorbs can only take up so much manure. That number is 5.8 sheep per acre and not 10.
Now this could really pertain to homesteaders. If you have say 15 sheep on a single acre and are supplementing feed by using bales of hay then you just may be polluting their own place with excess manure.
Its interesting to note that stock piling it is not much better since rain, slope, soil type and whatnot can absorb too much of that concentrated manure and pollute your homestead too.
I am not trying to scare anyone here, but what I am trying to say is, before you figure out what you want for animals, and how many to get, you might want to figure out how much your soil can absorb for manure to figure that number out.
I am not expert, but if anyone is interested in how I came out with the formula I did, I will be glad to share. (My CNMP ended up being 23 pages in length so it pretty detailed.)
In doing the calculations however it seems I was a bit off in regards to the stocking rate of sheep. As my father, Grandfather and his Grandfather have calculated in years past, we always calculated the stocking rate (or how many sheep, cows, or horses you can have on an acre of land) based on how much grass it grew. In simple terms, how much does one animal eat and how many acres does it take to raise the number of animals you want.
Well it seems in my calculations, my stocking rate here is not dictated by what they eat, its dictated by the manure these sheep produce since its lower than what my land can up-take.
HUH you are probably saying?
Well its like this. I always knew that our high quality pastures here can support 10 sheep per acre for most of the growing season. But what I had not taken into account was, the slope of the ground here (a mild 6%), coupled with some soil compaction, the type of grass we grow, and the amount the soil absorbs can only take up so much manure. That number is 5.8 sheep per acre and not 10.
Now this could really pertain to homesteaders. If you have say 15 sheep on a single acre and are supplementing feed by using bales of hay then you just may be polluting their own place with excess manure.
Its interesting to note that stock piling it is not much better since rain, slope, soil type and whatnot can absorb too much of that concentrated manure and pollute your homestead too.
I am not trying to scare anyone here, but what I am trying to say is, before you figure out what you want for animals, and how many to get, you might want to figure out how much your soil can absorb for manure to figure that number out.
I am not expert, but if anyone is interested in how I came out with the formula I did, I will be glad to share. (My CNMP ended up being 23 pages in length so it pretty detailed.)