Seven Key Aspects Of Overwintering In Summer Rainfall Regions

Overwintering tends to be a general topic of discussion when, in fact, it is spring that poses the greatest challenge to producers. In the summer rainfall regions, September is known as the lean month and October (sometimes even November) as the killer month. Bridging these months successfully is therefore crucial to the livestock producer’s enterprise.

- Dr Louis du Pisani

Managing your veld

There are essentially two practices that guarantee good quality grazing for overwintering, namely burnt veld (in the high rainfall sour grass veld areas of South Africa) and saved veld (particularly in the semi-arid and arid regions of the country).

In the case of burnt veld, it is best to rest the area earmarked for burning for an entire growth season before burning it. Secondly, have the good quality feed grazed after the first severe frost before burning the camp.

Not all producers see the need to rest a particular camp before burning it. Resting grass veld builds up reserves in the roots and it is these reserves that are needed to kick-start growth after the fire.

In the past the recommendation was to rest burnt veld until it reached a height of 20cm before having it grazed again. This approach, however, presents two problems. Firstly, the palatable grasses still have a competitive disadvantage over the unpalatable grasses, as they have numerous growth reserves and usually outgrow the palatable grasses. Secondly, by the time the veld has grown 20cm it has become unpalatable again, meaning the animals will only concentrate on the palatable grasses.

These days it is recommended that the veld is rested prior to burning it and that it is grazed as soon as possible after having been burned. This way, the cattle can utilise the highly palatable and nutritious regrowth of both the palatable and unpalatable grasses.