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Context: High-quality, summer-active pastures could improve meat production in south-eastern Australia by facilitating livestock finishing over summer, with legumes critical for enhancing the nutritive value of pasture mixes. Available legumes vary in their ability to withstand moisture stress and grazing. Aims: We aimed to identify legumes suitable for a summer–autumn finishing system. Methods: We tested pure swards of 12 cultivars across eight legume species in replicated small-plot experiments at Goulburn and Bombala, New South Wales, assessing productivity, persistence and warm-season nutritive characteristics over 2–3 years. Key results: Lucerne (Medicago sativa) was clearly the most productive species during summer and outperformed the clovers (Trifolium spp.) in terms of persistence and productivity throughout most of the experimental period at both sites, except during autumn 2021 after high rainfall in March. Caucasian clover (T. ambiguum) was also highly persistent at both sites. Talish clover (T. tumens) and strawberry clover (T. fragiferum) were more persistent than white clover (T. repens) and red clover (T. pratense). White clover recovered strongly under high rainfall after drought, whereas red clover established rapidly but showed less capacity for post-drought recovery. Hybrid Caucasian × white clover was the least productive legume. Alternative clover species sometimes had slightly lower values of nutritive characteristics than white clover; red clover sometimes had distinctly lower values. Conclusions: Lucerne performed best but several clovers were also productive, persistent and of high nutritive value over the summer–autumn period. Implications: Talish, Caucasian and strawberry clovers warrant further investigation for inclusion in summer-active pastures in south-eastern Australia. Profitability of livestock production over summer–autumn in the temperate environment of south-eastern Australia could be improved by including legumes in pastures that are persistent, productive and of high nutritive value. Evaluation of a range of legume species and cultivars showed that lucerne remained the most reliably productive warm-season option where soil conditions support it. Talish, Caucasian and strawberry clovers were persistent and of high nutritive value, warranting further evaluation in special-purpose warm-season pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkey, according to Pasture Law, land allocated for farmers to spend the summer with their animals, graze their animals and benefit from grass is defined as "summer pasture (yaylak in Turkish)." Summer pasture is of national importance for its biodiversity, landscape, cultural heritage and transhumance. However, especially after 1990s, the summer pasture areas have been extensively used in tourism activities in Turkey. By changing land use, the increasing tourism activities combined with legal uncertainties and the legalization policies have caused summer pasture areas transferred into built-up areas. The effect of the tourism and legalization policies on the land use changes in summer pasture areas was evaluated in this study. It was determined that Turkey's tourism and legalization policies have adverse effect on sustainable use of summer pasture areas. These policies aimed at economic development and solving property problems of rural areas caused new legal problems and expansion of built-up areas. A better land use policy and an effective control mechanism are necessary for the sustainable use of summer pasture areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Climate and livestock grazing are key agents in determining current Mongolian steppe vegetation communities. Together with plant coverage or biomass, palatability of steppe community is regarded as a useful indicator of grassland degradation, in particular, at grazing hotspots in arid and semi-arid grasslands. This study analyzed relationships between livestock grazing pressure and steppe vegetation palatability at three summer pastures with different aridity (dry, xeric, and mesic) and livestock numbers (1,100, 1,800, and 4,100 sheep units, respectively). At each site, it was surveyed coverage, biomass, and species composition of different palatability groups (i.e., palatable [P], impalatable [IP], and trampling-tolerant [TT]) along a 1-km transect from grazing hotspots (i.e., well) in every July from 2015 to 2018. Results: In results, total vegetation coverage increased with wetness, 7 times greater at mesic site than dry one in averages (33.1% vs. 4.5%); biomass was 3 times higher (47.1 g m-2 vs. 15.7 g m-2). Though P was the dominant palatability group, the importance of IP in total coverage increased with aridity from mesic (0.6%) to dry (40.2%) sites. Whereas, TT increased with livestock numbers across sites. Locally, IP was observed more frequently near the wells and its spatial range of occurrence becomes farther along the transects with aridity across sites from mesic (< 100 m) to dry (< 700 m from the well). Conclusions: Our results showed that the importance of IP and its spatial distribution are different at both local and regional scales, indicating that the palatability parameters are sensitive to discern balance between selective-grazing demand and climate-driven foraging supply in Mongolian rangelands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the change of built areas in summer pasture is analyzed by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) data together. The change between 2013 and 2018 was examined in the four summer pasture areas named Ernek, Güvende, Kadırga and Kazıkbeli in Gümüşhane. Between 2013 and 2018, the number of buildings increased by 21.48% and the road network increased by 6.94% in the study area. It is considered that the main reasons for this increase are tourism activities for summer pasture areas and Development Peace regulation. For the sustainable use of the summer pasture areas, there is a need for a land use policy and a more effective control mechanism that considers the conservation-use balance. GIS and RS data can be used to support studies to monitor and control changes in summer pasture areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed at testing the differences of adaptability of bovine dairy, dual purpose and local breeds during the summer transhumance to highland pastures (summer farms), evaluating temporal variations of body condition and of milk yield and quality. Data were from 799 dairy cows of specialised (Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss), dual purpose (Simmental) and local (mostly Rendena and Alpine Grey) breeds, and were collected before and after the transhumance in 109 permanent dairy farms, and during transhumance in 15 summer farms of the Autonomous Province of Trento, north-eastern Italy. Body Condition Score (BCS), milk production and quality (fat, protein, casein, lactose, urea, SCS) were analysed for the fixed effects of breed, parity, days in milk, month, supplementary concentrate level, and for the random effects of summer farm and individual cow. Body condition score was influenced by transhumance to summer farms, with low values in July and a recovery at the end of the period. This pattern was particularly marked in the specialised breeds. Similarly, also milk production declined, especially for Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss, so that towards the end of transhumance all breeds had similar milk productions. Returning to permanent farms did not compensate the specialised breeds for the production loss experienced at the beginning of the grazing season. In conclusion, local and dual purpose breeds adapt better than specialised breeds to the summer pastures, and this results into an important reduction of their productive gaps (with lower variations of milk quality) and in maintaining body fat reserves.

This paper aimed at evaluating the effect of summer transhumance to mountain pastures of dairy cows of different breeds on cheese-making ability of milk. Data were from 649 dairy cows of specialized (Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss) dual purpose (Simmental) and local (mostly Rendena and Alpine Grey) breeds. The Fourier-Transform Infra-Red Spectra (FTIRS) of their milk samples were collected before and after transhumance in 109 permanent dairy farms, and during transhumance in 14 summer farms (with multi-breeds herds) of the Trento Province, north-eastern Italy. A variety of 18 traits describing milk coagulation, curd firming, cheese yield and nutrients recovery in curd/loss in whey were predicted on the basis of FTIRS collected at the individual cow level. Moving the cows to summer farms improved curd firming traits but reduced cheese yields because of an increase of water and fat lost in the whey. During summer grazing, most of cheese-making traits improved, often non-linearly. The milk from summer farms supplementing cows with more concentrates showed better curd firming and cheese yield, because of lower fat lost in the whey. The breed of cows affected almost all the traits with a worst cheese-making ability for milk samples of Holsteins through all the trial, and interacted with concentrate supplementation because increasing compound feed tended to improve cheese-making traits for all breed, with the exception of local breeds for coagulation time and of Brown Swiss for curd firming time. In general, summer transhumance caused a favourable effect on cheese-making aptitude of milk, even though with some difference according to parity, initial days in milk, breed and concentrate supplementation of cows. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Grazing-induced variations in vegetation may either accelerate or reduce soil carbon storage through changes in litter quantity and quality. Here, a three-year field study (2005-2007) was conducted in Tibetan alpine meadow to address the responses of surface soil (0-15 cm) organic carbon (SOC) storage in the plant growing season (from May to September) to varying grazing intensity (represented by the residual aboveground biomass, with G0, G1, G2, and G3 standing for 100%, 66%, 55%, and 30% biomass residual, respectively), and to explore whether grazing-induced vegetation changes depress or facilitate SOC storage. Our results showed that: (i) Higher grazing intensity resulted in lower biomass of grasses and sedges, lower root biomass, and in a change in plant community composition from palatable grasses and sedges to less palatable forbs. (ii) Increased grazing reduced the SOC content and storage with only G3 showing an SOC loss during the plant growing season. (iii) Soil organic carbon storage exhibited a highly positive correlation with the residual aboveground biomass and root biomass. Our results imply that a grazing-induced reduction in plant biomass productivity and changes in species composition would depress soil carbon storage, and that an increase in grazing pressure can lead to a gradual change of alpine meadow soils from being 'carbon sinks' to become 'carbon sources'.

Este experimento foi realizado na Região Central do Rio Grande do Sul, com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho de bezerros de corte em sistema de pastejo contínuo em pastagem de capim-elefante (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum.) associado a diferentes níveis de suplementação: 0,3; 0,7; 1,1 e 1,5% do peso vivo dia-1 (PV). Foram utilizados 32 animais das raças Charolês (C), Nelore (N), 5/8 CN e 5/8 NC com idades médias de 120 dias, com pesos vivos médios iniciais de 98,5kg. O período de suplementação compreendeu 84 dias de avaliação, dividido em quatro períodos de 21 dias. A massa de forragem total da pastagem de capim-elefante apresentou 20,44% de matéria seca (MS), 10,67% de proteína bruta (PB) e 7.006,0kg de MS ha-1 durante o período experimental. Já a proporção de folhas verdes secas foi de 22,62%, representando um total de folhas verdes secas de 1.650,8kg de MS ha-1. Não houve interação (P>0,05) entre nível de suplemento e período de avaliação para ganho de peso médio diário (GMD). Não houve diferença significativa entre os níveis de suplementação, mostrando GMD de 0,279, 0,380, 0,338 e 0,466kg dia-1 para 0,3, 0,7, 1,1 e 1,5% do PV, respectivamente. Na análise dos períodos de suplementação, o GMD foi maior (PThe experiment was conducted in Região Central do Rio Grande do Sul, in order to evaluate the performance of the steers in elefantegrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.), under continuous grazing associed with different sources supplementation: 0.3; 0.7; 1.1 and 1.5% of live weight day-1 (LW). Thirty two Charolais (C), Nellore (N), 5/8 CN e 5/8 NC steers calves with na average age of one hundred twenty day, with average live weight of 98.5kg. The supplementation period was 84 days, divided in four periods of the 21 days. The forage mass of the pasture of elefantegrass presented average values of dry matter 20.44% (DM), crude protein 10.67% (CP) e 7.006.0kg de DM ha-1 during experimental period. The proportion of green leaf matter was of 22.62% representation an green leaf dry total of 1.650.8kg de DM ha-1. No significant interaction was observed between sources supplementation and evaluation period for average weight gain (ADG). Observed what the ADG was of 0.365 kg, no obtained significant difference between the sources, with ADG of 0.279, 0.380, 0.338 e 0.466kg day-1 for 0.3, 0.7, 1.1 e 1.5% do LW, respectively. In the analysis of the periods of supplementation, the GMD was bigger (P

This paper aimed at testing the differences of adaptability of bovine dairy, dual purpose and local breeds during the summer transhumance to highland pastures (summer farms), evaluating temporal variations of body condition and of milk yield and quality. Data were from 799 dairy cows of specialised (Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss), dual purpose (Simmental) and local (mostly Rendena and Alpine Grey) breeds, and were collected before and after the transhumance in 109 permanent dairy farms, and during transhumance in 15 summer farms of the Autonomous Province of Trento, north-eastern Italy. Body Condition Score (BCS), milk production and quality (fat, protein, casein, lactose, urea, SCS) were analysed for the fixed effects of breed, parity, days in milk, month, supplementary concentrate level, and for the random effects of summer farm and individual cow. Body condition score was influenced by transhumance to summer farms, with low values in July and a recovery at the end of the period. This pattern was particularly marked in the specialised breeds. Similarly, also milk production declined, especially for Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss, so that towards the end of transhumance all breeds had similar milk productions. Returning to permanent farms did not compensate the specialised breeds for the production loss experienced at the beginning of the grazing season. In conclusion, local and dual purpose breeds adapt better than specialised breeds to the summer pastures, and this results into an important reduction of their productive gaps (with lower variations of milk quality) and in maintaining body fat reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reindeer herdsmen and authorities in Scandinavia fear detrimental effects from wind-power plants (WPs) on movements and area use of reindeer Rangifer tarandus tarandus. We tested the extent to which a WP represented a behavioural barrier for reindeer movement by comparing two neighbouring areas; one peninsula with and one without a WP. Both peninsulas had a parallel road and a power line bisecting them in a north-south direction. Presence of a larger or similar number of reindeer on the outer western compared to the inner eastern sections in both areas indicated no barrier effect from the WP. Furthermore, no clear barrier effects were found for reindeer movements during summer in the WP or neighbouring area, as reindeer have continued to cross back and forth between the inner and outer sections of the two areas. Contrary to our expectation, our finding contrasted with previous studies finding negative barrier effects from linear structures such as power lines and roads, suggesting considerable variation in the extent to which infrastructure acts as barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the evaluation of the bioperformance of two summer pasture and four winter feeding cow-calf production strategies in the Western Canadian Parkland. It says that the data on animal performance and diet composition were collected on six-calf production systems maintained at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre over five years. Results show that the gains for cow and calf body weight (BW) were higher for alfalfa grass (AG) than grass (G) pasture.

The use of summer pastures in the European Alps provides much evidence against Hardin's prediction of the tragedy of the commons. For centuries, farmers have kept summer pastures in communal tenure and avoided its overuse with self-designed regulations. During the past decades, however, summer pastures have become less intensely used, which has reduced its agronomic value and the by-production of public goods. However, very little is known about how the various governance incentives affect farmers' use of summer pasture to result in below-sustainable activity. In this study, we develop an empirically informed game theoretical model of farmers' land use decisions, which we validate with survey data from a case study in Switzerland. Our results reveal that farmers weigh the benefit of resource use against the costs of maintaining it and that all major sectoral developments, such as increasing livestock endowment, increasing opportunity costs, and decreasing land use intensity on private plots, result in the reduced use of summer pastures. Based on these insights, we suggest adapting the incentive structure at the local and federal governance levels to increase incentives for stocking at the margin. Our study shows how game theory combines with field validation to identify the contextual behavioral drivers in common pool resource dilemmas for informed and improved policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]