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Nutrient management on intensively managed pastures

Description

Pastures are unique to agricultural production systems in that only a very small portion of the nutrients required for crop production are removed from the system. Up to 90 per cent of the... More ≫

Description

Pastures are unique to agricultural production systems in that only a very small portion of the nutrients required for crop production are removed from the system. Up to 90 per cent of the nutrients ingested by grazing animals are returned to the land in manure (excreta), which is comprised of urine and dung. The rest is utilized in animal maintenance and growth or milk production. Nutrient cycling is faster on grazed than ungrazed grassland because most of the nutrients in manure have been converted from organic (plant material) to inorganic, plant-available forms during the digestive process.

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