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| - | # Meadows, grassland and pasture | + | This topic is part of [[gt: |
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| - | ## What are meadows, grassland and pasture? | + | ===== What are meadows, grassland and pasture? |
| Grass is an angiosperm, or flowering plant, whose flowers are tiny and whose seeds are dispersed by wind, water and animals. Grass can also spread via side shoots and roots, and so can survive and spread even if grazed and cut before it produces seed, which makes it the ideal plant for grazing animals. There are over 10,000 grass species. | Grass is an angiosperm, or flowering plant, whose flowers are tiny and whose seeds are dispersed by wind, water and animals. Grass can also spread via side shoots and roots, and so can survive and spread even if grazed and cut before it produces seed, which makes it the ideal plant for grazing animals. There are over 10,000 grass species. | ||
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| - | ### Types of grassland | + | ==== Types of grassland |
| Natural grasslands include the prairies of North America, the Pampas of South America, the savannas of Africa and the steppes of Eurasia. The area of grasslands increased globally after the Neolithic Period as humans removed forest cover to provide land for grazing livestock and growing crops. | Natural grasslands include the prairies of North America, the Pampas of South America, the savannas of Africa and the steppes of Eurasia. The area of grasslands increased globally after the Neolithic Period as humans removed forest cover to provide land for grazing livestock and growing crops. | ||
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| - | ## What are the benefits of meadows, grassland and pasture? | + | ===== What are the benefits of meadows, grassland and pasture? |
| The benefit of improved pasture is in maximising grass, clover and hay yields for livestock, and for unimproved pasture it's mainly biodiversity, | The benefit of improved pasture is in maximising grass, clover and hay yields for livestock, and for unimproved pasture it's mainly biodiversity, | ||
| - | ### Unimproved | + | ==== Unimproved |
| The natural climax community in much of the UK, in the absence of interference by humans, would be high forest. Nature generally tries to produce forest, unless conditions are too extreme for trees to thrive. But humans have tended to remove natural forest cover for urban development, | The natural climax community in much of the UK, in the absence of interference by humans, would be high forest. Nature generally tries to produce forest, unless conditions are too extreme for trees to thrive. But humans have tended to remove natural forest cover for urban development, | ||
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| - | ### Improved | + | ==== Improved |
| It's good to have clover in your improved pasture, as it's a nitrogen-fixer and so improves soil without the need for fertiliser, plus it's good for bees. Meat from pasture-fed animals is better for human health as it's lower in fat and richer in vitamins and minerals than meat from grain-fed animals. Also, animals fed on pasture don't require grain to be transported (and often imported), and their dung goes back to the land without the need for machinery or fuel. The animals themselves also tend to be healthier due to their less-intensive management, | It's good to have clover in your improved pasture, as it's a nitrogen-fixer and so improves soil without the need for fertiliser, plus it's good for bees. Meat from pasture-fed animals is better for human health as it's lower in fat and richer in vitamins and minerals than meat from grain-fed animals. Also, animals fed on pasture don't require grain to be transported (and often imported), and their dung goes back to the land without the need for machinery or fuel. The animals themselves also tend to be healthier due to their less-intensive management, | ||
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| - | ## What can I do? | + | ===== What can I do? ===== |
| - | ### Unimproved | + | ==== Unimproved |
| It's important in terms of biodiversity not to plough up, overgraze or fertilise unimproved grassland. If you have it, it's best to receive the grants to preserve it. In fact in England, it's illegal to plough more than two hectares of unimproved grassland without an Environmental Impact Assessment from Natural England. So the first thing to do for a new smallholder is to get a survey by an ecological consultant to identify the unimproved areas of best habitat. It's very difficult if not impossible to get it back once it's gone. Work out the mosaic of what you've got and what you want to do with it. | It's important in terms of biodiversity not to plough up, overgraze or fertilise unimproved grassland. If you have it, it's best to receive the grants to preserve it. In fact in England, it's illegal to plough more than two hectares of unimproved grassland without an Environmental Impact Assessment from Natural England. So the first thing to do for a new smallholder is to get a survey by an ecological consultant to identify the unimproved areas of best habitat. It's very difficult if not impossible to get it back once it's gone. Work out the mosaic of what you've got and what you want to do with it. | ||
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| Sheep are not so good on unimproved pasture, as they graze much more tightly, which can reduce diversity. The exception to this is on chalk grassland, where sheep are traditionally used, and the sward has adapted to be short but very diverse. | Sheep are not so good on unimproved pasture, as they graze much more tightly, which can reduce diversity. The exception to this is on chalk grassland, where sheep are traditionally used, and the sward has adapted to be short but very diverse. | ||
| - | ### Improved | + | ==== Improved |
| Land that is not unimproved and species-rich can be improved and grazed more intensively for food production. On grass, add lots of manure, and on arable, add manure then plough in autumn or early spring. Work the ground down to a fine seed bed, then drill or sow a mixture of productive grass seed. This will be mostly ryegrass but Timothy and cocksfoot are also productive. For organic farmers there are specialist, self-fertilising ley mixes that are high in red or white clover and/or other legumes (like vetch or trefoil) – nitrogen-fixers that improve soil fertility. | Land that is not unimproved and species-rich can be improved and grazed more intensively for food production. On grass, add lots of manure, and on arable, add manure then plough in autumn or early spring. Work the ground down to a fine seed bed, then drill or sow a mixture of productive grass seed. This will be mostly ryegrass but Timothy and cocksfoot are also productive. For organic farmers there are specialist, self-fertilising ley mixes that are high in red or white clover and/or other legumes (like vetch or trefoil) – nitrogen-fixers that improve soil fertility. | ||
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| - | ## Further resources | + | ===== Forum ===== |
| + | |||
| + | This topic belongs to the section [[gt: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Further resources | ||
| - [Accidental Smallholder](https:// | - [Accidental Smallholder](https:// | ||
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| - | ## Related topics | + | ===== Related topics |
| - [[hedg: | - [[hedg: | ||
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| - | ## Specialist curators of this topic | + | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |