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Nelmarié Saayman
Basic guidelines to Veld Management Directorate: Plant Sciences
Elsenburg
– Central Karoo
The Central Karoo represents mainly a summer rain- knowledge of the plants that are there and to know
fall area with Karoo-type vegetation in the Nama in what condition the veld is.
Karoo biome. The average rainfall increases from 100 Veld condition is the condition of the vegetation in
– 600 mm and the area can be described as arid to relation to certain characteristics such as the species
semi-arid from west to east. All veld types are sensi- composition, cover, productivity, palatability and
tive to incorrect grazing practices and it is therefore nutritional value. Grazing capacity depends on the
extremely important that good veld management is condition of a camp or the farm’s veld.
practised in order to ensure conservation of the veld
How does livestock utilise the veld?
by proper utilisation. They first eat the plants that are palatable and leave
Pasture management can be divided into two com- the unpalatable ones until last. Palatable plants
ponents, namely: include the following: koggelmandervoetkaroo
• pastures (veld (natural pastures), cultivated pas- (Limeum aethiopicum), Karoo bietou (Tripteris sinua-
tures, etc.); and ta), granaatbos (Rhigozum obovatum), vinger grass
(Digitaria eriantha) and Bushman grasses (Stipagros-
• management (plant production, seed produc-
tis spp.). Although these plants are dependent on
tion, seedling establishment).
a certain amount of grazing to stimulate growth,
What are pastures and why are they important? excessive use thereof can negatively influence their
Pastures provide food for animals. growth and therefore careful note must be taken on
This is determined by: the degree of utilisation of all
• plant cover; plants in the veld, particularly
• species composition (different the palatable plants. In order
to build up reserves for dry
types of plants in the veld);
periods, no more than 40% of
and
a plant should be used in one
• productivity (yield of plants). season.
This is influenced by: If there are too many
• Soil – can be improved by animals or if they are in
leaving organic material on the ground, which a camp for too long,
leads to better water infiltration resulting in a they will graze down all
denser plant cover, more food and less erosion. the palatable species
• Climate (rainfall, temperature, etc.) while only the unpalatable ones remain and multiply
• MANAGEMENT – this is where humans fit in. If a and therefore the farmer can keep fewer animals
farmer does not look after and takes care of his over a period of time in the same camp. It also leads
veld, he will not have food for his animals. to trampling of the vegetation and as a result a hard
Veld and impermeable soil crust may form which can
The number of plants or the plant cover, the type hinder the germination of seeds.
of plants (species composition) found in the veld, It is therefore important for the farmer to know his
the size of the plants and how well they grow (pro- veld, to know which species are desirable, which
ductivity) determines how much food there will be types he would like a lot of and which are the un-
and apart from the environment, the farmer has palatable and poisonous species of which he wants
the greatest impact on this. It is therefore important little or none in the veld. He must also know which
to know how the livestock utilises the veld, to have are invasive species, such as Prosopis spp. (mesquite

Western Cape Department of Agriculture

www.elsenburg.com
tree), cactuses, slangbos/bankruptbush, etc. and Grazing capacity and stocking rate
certified weeds such as burweed, cocklebur and Grazing capacity is the ability of a specific piece of
silverleaf nightshade (satansbos), etc. veld to produce food, therefore the number of ani-
mals a farmer can keep in a camp or on the farm,
Does the veld improve with time or does it deterio- without the deterioration of natural resources (soil,
rate? plants, etc.). As already mentioned, this is depend-
Do the palatable species increase and grow bigger, ent on the condition of the veld. Grazing capacity is
thereby creating better cover and providing more expressed in ha/LSU (hectare per large-stock unit), or
food and causing less soil erosion, roughly how many hectares are required to provide
or are the plants eaten away with food for a year for one head of cattle weighing 450
only gnarly bits remaining, totally kg. Meissner and others (1983) divided all livestock
gone or very scarce? Vegetation and game as a factor of a large-stock unit. For ex-
cover in the Central Karoo in- ample: one wool-bearing ewe (dry) = 0.15 LSU, while
creases from 15% to 40% from west a wool-bearing ewe with a lamb is equal to 0.20 LSU.
to east as a result of the increasing
average rainfall. An indication that
The TOTAL number of animals should not exceed the
the veld has deteriorated is the in-
recommended grazing capacity!
creasing presence of kraalbos, katdoring, kriedoring
(Lycium spp), blasiebrak, etc.
In the Karoo which is mainly a sheep farming area
Another good indicator of the condition of the veld this means that on a farm with a grazing capacity of
is whether there are seedlings and young plants 30 ha/LSU about 4.5 ha are needed for one sheep
of the palatable species growing in the veld, or (seven wool-bearing (ewes) are equal to one small-
whether there are only seedlings of the unpalatable frame cow). The farmer can therefore keep ap-
species and some ephemerals (opslag). proximately 700 sheep on a 3 000 ha farm, in other
Soil words 400 breeding ewes plus the lambs, rams and
The way in which the veld is managed will have a replacement ewes. In die Central Karoo the grazing
long-term impact on the soil. If the veld are stripped capacity varies from west to east from 80 ha/LSU to
and trampled by animals as a result of incorrect 16 ha/LSU.
management, erosion can take place or the soil Rule of thumb: LSU x 4.1 = breeding ewes for all
surface can form an impermeable layer. This means small stock (Angora, Merino, Dorper, etc.).
that the seeds that are present and germinate can-
not get their roots through the soil crust in order to Stocking rate is the number of animals that a farmer
establish themselves, and the water runs off instead can keep for a specific period on a certain area of
of penetrating. Consequently rain becomes less ef- the veld (camp/farm). This includes all animals on
fective, the top soil gets washed away and this can the farm, large and small, sheep, cattle, goats, don-
lead to donga erosion. keys, ostriches, game, etc. Remember that animals
breed, therefore all the animals, large and small,
To create an effective seed bed for germination must be taken into account when determining the
and the establishment stocking rate.
of plants the farmer
can by means of good Grazing capacity and stocking rate should be
management and reconciled with one another in order to ensure the
observation make sure sustainability of a production system on the farm.
that there is organic The farm’s grazing capacity is an indication of how
material (twigs, leaves, many animals can be kept there, while stocking rate
etc.) on the ground is an indication of how many animals are kept there.
that can decompose If the farmer keeps more animals than his graz-
and gets converted by ing capacity permits, the condition of the veld will
microbes to food for the plants (organic carbon). deteriorate with the result that he can keep fewer
Together with the plant cover, this will help to regu- animals over the long term.
late the soil temperature and with holes/hollows in
the ground it will help with better water penetration Grazing capacity is how many animals you can
because water will flow away much slower; it will keep on the farm.
also help to catch the seed and to provide shelter
Stocking rate is how many animals you are really
for the young seedlings.
keeping on the farm.
How is the farmer going to make sure that the veld
provides enough food for his animals? If the farmer keeps fewer animals than he is allowed
He can do this by applying correct management. to keep according to the recommended grazing
The following are a few points that should be noted: capacity, this will be to the benefit of the veld and
1. the number of animals that the farm can support the animals because the veld will build up reserves
(grazing capacity); and (new plants, regrowth of existing plants, flowers, seed
2. the management system that is followed. formation, etc.) and improve over the long term. The
farmer will find it easier to overcome drought periods
(may not have to supply additional fodder – cost im- Additional animals on the farm = 44.15 LSU (spring-
plication), and he will be able to keep more animals bok, cattle, horses).
over the long term.
Therefore 111 – 44.5 = 66.85 LSU equivalent to small
The recommendation is usually to keep fewer ani- stock can be kept.
mals than those that can be kept according to the
What is the ideal stocking rate (small stock)?
recommended grazing capacity.
220 breeding ewes x 0.15 LSU = 33.0 LSU
The recommended Grazing days 40 replacement ewes x 0.15 LSU = 6.0 LSU
grazing capacity is a Referring to our example, 260 lambs x 0.10 LSU = 26.0 LSU
long-term value and let’s look at the number of 7 rams x 0.19 = 1.,33 LSU
an indication of graz- grazing days in the veld: Total number of small stock on the farm: 66.33 LSU
ing capacity under
In order to keep more small stock on this farm, the
optimal conditions. Grazing days =
numbers of the “additional” animals must be re-
For large parts of the farm size÷grazing capacity
x 365 days duced.
Central Karoo this is
36 ha/LSU. There will = 4 000 ha÷36 ha/LSU If the farmer wants to keep more animals than al-
be above and below x 365 days lowed according to the grazing capacity of the
average rainfall years = 40 555 grazing days/LSU. farm, he must give them additional fodder – in a
over a 10-year period feeding-lot. Animals should not be fed in the veld
when more or fewer How many days’ food is because this leads to tram-
available for 110.5 LSU?
animals can be kept, pling and deterioration of the
(small stock + extra animals)
but on average this condition of the veld. Animals
= total grazing days÷LSU
should not be more still graze even if they get ad-
= 40 555÷110.5
than one head of cat- = 367 grazing days ditional fodder in the veld. If
tle (LSU) per 36 ha over the farmer wants to keep more
the 10-year period. In How much food is available animals, the period for which
drier years the number for 259 LSU? The number of the veld can be used will also
of animals should be animals presently on the become shorter (see the box
reduced to adapt to farm in the example: with the example of grazing
the amount of fod- = total grazing days÷LSU days). The additional fodder leads to higher costs.
der that is available. = 40 555÷259 If the farmer is not going to feed, this will lead to
During good years = 157 days (5.2 months) deterioration of the veld and other grazing fields, as
the numbers can be well as lower animal production (therefore a poorer
increased gradually The same method can be lamb percentage, a lower mating percentage and
but not more than the used to determine how the growth of animals will decrease). All of these
recommended num- many grazing days are factors have financial implications.
bers. available in a specific camp.
Management
Example: The farmer should preferably keep his stocking rate
Farm size (available veld): 4 000 ha equal to or even lower than the grazing capacity
(Total farm size – (fields+odd pieces of land+roads, but if incorrect management is applied the veld
etc.)) can still deteriorate. This is
Recommended grazing capacity: 36 ha/LSU/year found where animals graze
Animals that the farm (veld) can support: in the same camp every
Farm size÷grazing capacity 4 000÷36 year at the same time of the
= 111 LSU per year year, for example a lambing
camp or a mating camp,
Present stocking rate on farm (veld) (total number of
etc. If a camp is used every
animals kept on farm):
year when the palatable
800 breeding ewes (wool-breeding sheep) x 0.15 LSU
plants are flowering and form
= 120 LSU
seeds, the plants are un-
900 lambs x 0.10 LSU = 90 LSU
able to multiply. The palat-
25 rams x 0.19 LSU = 4.75 LSU
able plants that die are not
4 head of cattle = 4 LSU
replaced and after a few
300 springbok ewes x 0.09 LSU = 27 LSU
years all palatable plants,
100 springbok rams x 0.10 LSU = 10 LSU
which are the main source
3 light horse mares x 1.05 LSU = 3.15 LSU
of fodder, are grazed away and fewer animals can
Total 258. 9 LSU
therefore be kept. The production of the animals will
The veld is carrying 148 more LSU’s than recom- also decrease because their fodder is substandard.
mended and will therefore deteriorate rapidly.
It is therefore important that a rotation rest/grazing
If game, cattle, horses, donkeys, etc. kept in addi-
system should be followed where the farm is divided
tion to the main farming enterprise, namely small
into camps and each camp gets a rest period dur-
stock, the numbers must first be deducted from the
ing the year. To prevent continuous grazing, the
total that the veld can carry before determining
farm should be divided into camps and the animals
how many small stock units can be kept.
should be rotated between the camps throughout trated animals first, followed by older animals and
the year. These camps should also have a central then the culls, including ewes that have not lambed
watering place so that the grazing can be spread in the previous season. Strict breed standards have
out evenly throughout the camp. to be applied when choosing culls.
Example: Regardless of whether or not you have a veld man-
A farm with many camps can divide the camps agement system, keep the number of animals low
into four groups, where the camps of each group so that the impact on the veld is not too great and
represent the different types of veld on the farm, for droughts (seasons/disasters) can be more easily
example mountainous veld, randteveld, plains and handled. Get to know your veld and note the pres-
water lanes (rivers). The surface and grazing capac- ence/absence of seedlings of the palatable spe-
ity of each group should more or less be equal in size cies. Make sure that preferably not more than 50%
and therefore be able to carry the same number of of a plant is used and that there is organic material
animals. on the ground (twigs, leaves, etc.). Lastly you should
also look at the condition of your animals and their
One group annually gets the opportunity to rest for
breeding. If the condition of your animals starts to
the whole year. The same group is never used for
deteriorate, you will often find that the veld’s re-
grazing in the same season over a four-year period.
serves have become impoverished. The most impor-
The group of camps therefore gets sufficient oppor-
tant thing to remember is that you are a veld farmer
tunity to flower, form seeds, seedlings get a chance
and not an animal farmer.
to establish themselves and reserves can build up
through regrowth. Contact your local extension officer (pasture expert)
and LandCare officer for assistance with a veld
A four-camp grazing system:
management plan for a specific farm.
Dec/Jan/ March/ Jun/Jul/ Sep/Oct/
Rest
Feb Apr/May Aug Nov

Year 1 Camp A Camp B Camp C Camp A Camp D References:

Year 2 Camp B Camp C Camp D Camp B Camp A Snyman H. 2012. Gids tot die volhoubare produksie
Year 3 Camp C Camp D Camp A Camp C Camp B van weiding. Landbouweekblad en Landbou.com,
Year 4 Camp D Camp A Camp B Camp D Camp C Kaapstad.

Only three groups are used annually, while the fourth Esler KJ, Milton SJ & Dean WRJ. 2006. Karooveld:
group of camps is rested for the whole year and only Ekologie en bestuur. Briza publikasies, Arcadia.
used again for grazing in the third grazing season. Meissner HH, Hofmeyr HS, van Rensburg WJJ &
The group is therefore rested for 18 months in total Pienaar JP. 1983. Klassifikasie van vee vir sinvolle
after which it gets intermittent rest for 6 - 9 months
beraming van vervangingswaardes in terme van ‘n
over a four-year period. The 18-month rest period fol-
biologies-gedefinieerde Grootvee-eenheid. Techni-
lows after the group has been used for grazing twice
in the previous calendar year with only six months of cal communication no 175, Department of Agricul-
rest between the grazing periods. ture, South Africa.

A farm with few camps can follow a four-camp Mucina L & Rutherford MC (eds). 2006. The vegeta-
system on the same basis as the four-group camp tion of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelit-
system. zia 19. South African National Biodiversity Institute,
Pretoria.
Game:
Game is not easily rotated in a grazing system with Compiled by:
camps. Game continuously grazes in the veld and Nelmarié Saayman,
should therefore be kept at 60% or even less of the Directorate Plant Sciences,
recommended stocking rate. This will ensure that the Western Cape Department of Agriculture;
veld will have a better chance of recovering after and others.
the rains. With continuous grazing the animals tend
to concentrate on the more palatable parts, in other
words the flowers and this is the next generation of
plants. Remember, you firstly
Drought management: farm with your veld and
Before an area is hit by a disaster drought the num- then with your animals. If
ber of animals has to be
reduced. The animals
you do not look after your
must be moved to the veld, you will not have
feeding-lot to be round- fodder for your animals
ed off and to save the and therefore generate
reserves of the veld. The no income!
number of animals must
be reduced to a core
herd by selling the cas-