Description: This is
a VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
See text below
Text:
Grasslands need time to rest when cattle and other
animals feed on them. Moving animals from one area
of pasture to another can provide the time needed
for new growth. This is called rotational grazing.
Experts say rotational grazing is good for the land
and the animals, and it can save money. This form of
grazing can reduce the need for pesticide treatments
by reducing the growth of weeds. And it can limit
the need for chemical fertilizers by letting animal
waste do the job of natural fertilizer. Rotational
grazing can even help prevent wildfires by keeping
grasslands in good condition.
Letting animals feed continually and intensively in
the same grazing areas can require costly
replanting. Animals eat the most desirable growth
first. When that keeps happening, the roots do not
have enough time to recover. As a result, less
desirable plants may replace them.
Intensively used grasslands are also harmed as the
soil is continually crushed under the weight of
heavy animals. And the animals usually avoid their
own waste, so that reduces the amount of good
grazing space even more.
Experts say that while rotational grazing can save
money over time, it also requires planning. And that
starts with a good map to mark fences, water
supplies and grazing areas. Changing methods of
grazing also requires time. Farmers may want to put
up electric fences to enclose grazing areas, called
paddocks. The paddocks will need water. Some farmers
design paths for animals from different paddocks to
drink from a common watering place. Farmers can
start rotational grazing by removing animals from a
pasture when the grass is eaten to less than five
centimeters. The pasture is then kept empty until
the grass grows to more than fifteen centimeters
high.
Experts say sheep and goats may require special
preparations.
They may need stronger fences than other animals.
And while they eat the grass, they may need guard
animals to protect them from animals that would like
to eat them.
And thats the VOA Special English Agriculture
Report. For transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our
reports, visit us on the Web at
voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find captioned
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
