Secondary production

Secondary production indicates the amount of animal product that is produced per unit area per unit time. It can be expressed as kg of wool, milk or meat per hectare per year. Secondary production is determined by the amount of utilisable material produced per unit area, per unit time.

Primary production depends on the condition of the grassland (ie. species, basal cover and botanical composition). Secondary production depends on the condition of the vegetation and management practices.

Factors affecting secondary production

Secondary production depends on primary production and on the management applied. The management practices can be subdivided into type of management, which involves the principles of management; and the system of management, which is the specific form in which the principles of management are applied.

Type of management: Grazing management in practice varies tremendously as regards the principles of management applied. The types of management are as follows: