SHEEP GRAZING IN OCCASIONAL PASTURES

The present paper contains an analysis of sheep gazing on the Collective Farms Neverice and Volkovce, which are managing in a sugar-beet growing region, and keep records of the number of hours the animals spend in pasture. These types of pasture were investigated in the years 1990 - 1991: pastures, permanent grassland, clover-grass swards, plots after oat, pea and com harvest. At Neverice the overall time of sheep grazing included particularly stays in pastures (47.2 %), grasslands (24.1 %) and oat stubble-fields (13.0 %), which were utilized from July to October. The pasture sward also comprised white clover (Trifolium repens) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) in a proportion of 3.8 %. The plant height ranged from 10 to 20 cm, the sheep grazed 28.9 % of the available sward. The plant height in the grassland was about 8 cm and the rate of feed intake was higher. The grazed amount of available sward in stubble-fields made 20.5 %. Tab. IV shows the daily need of pasture areas for a flock (300 sheep) supposing the need of 8 kg sward per head/day. For instance the sheep flock grazing in stubble-fields after oat for grain requires the area of 7.32 ha per day. At Volkovce the overall time of sheep grazing included stays on permanent grasslands - 71.3 %, and similarly like at Neverice, the grasslands secure continuous grazing in the course of grazing season. Occasional pastures include plots after com for silage (5.6 %) and clover-grass sward before plowing down. They are utilized in September and October. After com harvest, harvest for grain before almost full ripeness (field forage chopper producing feed for direct administration to cattle), not only stalks and leaves, but also ears remained in the field. The sheep grazed down 14.6 % of the available pasture 6.02 t per 1 ha (Tab. III). The percentage of the grazed clover-grass sward made 36. It is necessary to provide 2.73 ha of plots after com harvest for 300 sheep a day. The results of this paper show that permanent grasslands, particularly pastures, are the principal source for sheep grazing in the sugar-beet growing region. Plots after oat and com harvest are important as supplemental sources representing occasional pastures. The results were acquired in practical farming conditions and they really document the situation in utilization of occasional pastures. Updated knowledge of the proportion, stay percentage or needful pasture area provides basic information necessary to make up a grazing calendar for planning the provision of sheep nutrition in analogical conditions.