[ti:Giving Grasslands a Rest] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:Agriculture Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA [00:01.74]Special English [00:03.09]Agriculture Report. [00:05.28]Grasslands need time [00:07.67]to rest when cattle [00:09.98]and other animals [00:11.18]feed on them. [00:12.53]Moving animals [00:14.43]from one area of pasture [00:16.92]to another can provide [00:18.76]the time needed [00:20.41]for new growth. [00:22.01]This is called [00:23.31]rotational grazing. [00:25.51]Experts say [00:27.32]rotational grazing [00:29.36]is good for the land [00:31.27]and the animals, [00:33.43]and it can save money. [00:35.73]This form of grazing [00:37.67]can reduce the need [00:39.51]for pesticide treatments [00:41.96]by reducing [00:43.05]the growth of weeds. [00:45.05]And it can limit the need [00:47.88]for chemical fertilizers [00:50.07]by letting animal waste [00:52.38]do the job of natural fertilizer. [00:55.81]Rotational grazing can even [00:58.65]help prevent wildfires [01:00.85]by keeping grasslands [01:02.89]in good condition. [01:04.43]Letting animals feed [01:07.28]continually and intensively [01:10.27]in the same grazing areas [01:12.58]can require costly replanting. [01:15.81]Animals eat the most [01:18.65]desirable growth first. [01:20.55]When that keeps happening, [01:23.10]the roots do not have [01:25.39]enough time to recover. [01:27.62]As a result, less desirable [01:31.11]plants may replace them. [01:33.80]Intensively used grasslands [01:36.93]are also harmed as the soil [01:39.87]is continually crushed [01:42.06]under the weight of heavy animals. [01:44.99]And the animals usually [01:47.18]avoid their own waste, [01:49.40]so that reduces the amount [01:52.05]of good grazing space even more. [01:55.38]Experts say that [01:57.78]while rotational grazing [01:59.92]can save money over time, [02:02.67]it also requires planning. [02:05.51]And that starts with a good map [02:08.49]to mark fences, [02:10.38]water supplies and grazing areas. [02:14.32]Changing methods of grazing [02:17.11]also requires time. [02:19.55]Farmers may want to [02:22.09]put up electric fences [02:23.68]to enclose grazing areas, [02:26.37]called paddocks. [02:28.36]The paddocks will need water. [02:30.51]Some farmers design paths [02:33.36]for animals from different [02:35.59]paddocks to drink [02:36.95]from a common watering place. [02:39.45]Farmers can start [02:41.49]rotational grazing by [02:43.88]removing animals from [02:45.62]a pasture when the grass [02:47.41]is eaten to less than [02:49.30]five centimeters. [02:51.19]The pasture is then kept empty [02:54.43]until the grass grows to [02:56.42]more than fifteen centimeters high. [02:59.71]Experts say [03:02.25]sheep and goats may [03:04.65]require special preparations. [03:07.43]They may need stronger [03:09.38]fences than other animals. [03:11.96]And while they eat the grass, [03:14.52]they may need guard animals [03:17.33]to protect them from animals [03:20.07]that would like to eat them. [03:21.61]And that's the VOA Special English [03:25.89]Agriculture Report, [03:27.73]written by Jerilyn Watson. [03:29.93]For transcripts, MP3s [03:33.96]and podcasts of our reports, [03:36.70]visit us on the Web [03:39.15]at 51voa.com. [03:43.38]You can also find [03:45.42]captioned videos of our reports [03:48.10]and post comments [03:50.35]and questions. [03:51.95]I'm Steve Ember.