Introduction : Indigenous cattle are mostly reared where the traditional farming is practiced including Northern Region of South Africa. The majority of farmers own Nguni type of cattle although other breeds are found in the region. They perform well under harsh conditions and they seem to produce better under intensive management. However, communal farmers are becoming aware and interested in indigenous breeds especially Nguni cattle type because of their adaptability. Beef cattle production and research require constant movement and handling of livestock (Erf et al., 1992 & Grandin, 1993). Dipping, castration, branding, ear-tagging and counting is commonly practiced as beef cattle management norms hence dehorning are partly practiced as some of the animals had horns which were disturbing them to pass through crushpens and as a result they increased bruising to other animals. At Matatani and Muledzhi areas animals including calves are packed in the crushpens, counted, weighed and temperament traits were also measured on the scale and this is done in order to document the information for this research and future use. Temperament is a behavioural response of animals as handled by man. It is important to be measured in beef cattle farmers under communal grazing conditions as it reduces farmer’s profit and it makes the stock man’s work unpleasant. Therefore, it is also needs to be improved for the improvement of beef cattle schemes. Management system of communal farmers was not conducive to better quality meat due to horns in some animals which ultimately cause bruising in other animals. However, exotic bulls were bought at random for the improvement of other breed types found in these two areas. The focus of this study is almost in Nguni cattle type managed under communal grazing system. Lastly, the purpose of this study is to determine behavioral response of beef cattle under communal management system at their dipping tanks.

Thesis (M.App.Sc.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied and Molecular Ecology, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 308-333.

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS) / This dissertation aims at understanding the legal implications of a grazing dispute that was reported in the western Kavango Region a few years after Namibia’s Independence in 1990. This dispute which was between Ovawambo cattle owners and herders from the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions and the local Vakwangali community members (represented by the UKTA) was reported in 1992 (other reports suggest that it might even have originated as early as the 1960s and 1980s), when it was said that the Ovawambo cattle owners and herders with their hundreds of cattle had entered into western Kavango “illegally” in search of grazing. The Ovawambo cattle owners and herders were first charged in 2005 and were eventually evicted in 2009. This dissertation looks at how legislation was used to deal with the conflict and investigates the impacts of the court order on all parties involved. The methodology employed during this study was predominantly qualitative, mainly utilising individual interviews and focus group discussions with the participants. This study found that the Government of Namibia had delayed acting on the grazing dispute for mainly political reasons. The study also found that many herders had indeed entered western Kavango Region illegally because they could not provide any letters of consent from the Ukwangali Traditional Authority (UKTA); many herders also admitted that there were no written agreements between themselves and the UKTA. The research also found that although the eviction orders were issued to all the herders, some still remained in the area; this selective application of the law rendered the eviction order somewhat ineffective. The study found that some local or affected community members were satisfied with the consequences of the eviction order and reported positive results regarding their farming activities such as better grazing and improved yields in their crop fields. Other community members, however, were disappointed by the refusal of certain herders to vacate the area, as well as by the failure of the government to ensure that all the herders had left the area.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Peter J. Tomlinson / In recent years, an alternative grazing method to continuous and rotational methods has gained popularity among producers and has been termed mob grazing. Mob grazing uses high animal densities grazing for a short period of time. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of continuous, rotational, and mob grazing on forage production and the quality of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss), along with soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Twelve paddocks, 4 continuous (40 X 10 m), 4 rotational and 4 mob (15 X 10 m), were designated at the Kansas State University Sheep and Meat Goat Center in Manhattan, KS. Forage quality samples were collected by hand clipping randomly throughout the paddock. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were determined using ANKOM technology and crude protein (CP) content was calculated by multiplying total nitrogen determined by combustion by 6.25. Soil samples were extracted with 0.5 M K2SO4 and analyzed for DOC and MBC using the chloroform-fumigation-extraction method and soil dehydrogenase activity using the colorimetric method. Forage quality declined as the spring grazing season progressed in all treatments. Sheep grazed higher quality forage in the continuous and rotational treatments in the period prior to the spring mob grazing event. No treatment differences were found for DOC, MBC, dehydrogenase, or total forage biomass accumulation. Dissolved organic carbon and soil biological parameters have not been altered by the grazing management. Forage quality was found to be poorest in the mob treatment at the time of grazing. The mob treatment accumulated the greatest amount of aboveground biomass prior to grazing, however season-long total biomass accumulation was not different from the other treatments. Based on this research, in the short-term, there are no advantages of mob grazing over rotational grazing.

Increased deposition of nitrogenous compounds from the atmosphere may lead to the competitive dominance of aggressive grass species and reductions in species richness. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of atmospheric deposition of ammonia on species-rich limestone grasslands in the Cotswolds, and the role that management may have in modifying these effects. A field survey investigated species composition and quantified environmental variables including atmospheric ammonia concentration. Species richness and diversity were greatest on the more heavily grazed sites on deeper soils, but these diverse grasslands were composed of a high proportion of nitrophilic, competitive and ruderal species. No relationships between atmospheric ammonia and species composition were detected. The effects of grazmg and nitrogen on species composition were investigated by transferring turves between sites with contrasting atmospheric ammonia concentrations. Although grazed plots at the high ammonia site were of slightly higher diversity than grazed plots at the low ammonia site, these differences were reversed in fenced plots. In ungrazed plots, the development of a grass dominated, species-poor community was less pronounced at the low ammonia site, although the higher level of nitrophilic/competitive species here suggested that soil depth and soil phosphorous may also be important. A controlled greenhouse experiment investigated the effect of nitrogen addition and cutting on the competition between Brachypodium pinnatum and Bromopsis erecta. Above ground growth of both species was limited by nitrogen, although growth of B. erecta appeared to be limited by another resource at high densities. There was significant niche overlap between the two species, though cutting of high density pots reduced this niche overlap. The two grasses were equally matched in competitive ability, and neither treatment had any clear effect on the outcome of competition. The tillering response to cutting was greater in B. pinnatum than in B. erecta, although nitrogen addition increased tiller production by B. erecta. The effects of nitrogen addition and cutting treatments on nine grassland species was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Nitrogen addition had no significant effects, but cutting reduced the above ground biomass of B. erecta and B. pinnatum and increased the above ground biomass and size of most of the other species. It is concluded that atmospheric ammonia deposition appears relatively unimportant in determining the species composition of species rich grasslands. However, experimental addition of nitrogen may increase grass growth, and grass dominance in the field can lead to reductions in species richness. In grazed grasslands, grasses may become more grazing resistant under conditions of enhanced nitrogen availability. However, phosphorous may be an important factor modifying the effects of enhanced nitrogen deposition.

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7 pp. / The objectives of this article are to provide an overview of the major grazing systems that have been used on rangelands in the western U. S. and Canada, to summarize the conditions under which they may be applicable, and to highlight examples from the southwestern U. S. when relevant.

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