How many pigs can be raised on a hectare?

Answer 1

First off, let's do some calculations here, since stocking rate is primarily calculated on acres, not hectares. So:

1 hectare = 2.47 acres

AND, Stocking Rate depends on several items:

- climate

- type of vegetation

- topography

- soil

- size of cattle

- condition of pastures

- length of grazing period

With that, one cannot generalize how many cows or animal units (1 x 1000 lb cow = 1 AU) can be grazed on one hectare or ~2.5 acres all around the world or all over the country. Some areas you can in fact graze 4 AUs on one hectare but the question remains: For how long? One day? One week? One month? For sure four cows can graze down 2.5 acres of pasture in less than a year, that is obvious. But, that one hectare cannot be grazed constantly (also called overgrazing) because you will eventually kill the pasture. So, other areas you can only graze 0.5 AUs on one hectare; and yet others 0.25 AUs. And other areas only allow 1 AU to graze on one hectare.

Note: Stocking rate is AUM, or Animal Unit Month. So, if you are in an area where forage is very abundant and your pastures are in excellent condition, you can risk having 4 cows (@ 1000 lbs) grazing 1 hectare for 1 month, at a rate of ~2 AUM/acre. But if you are in a drier area with pastures only in marginal condition, you can only stock them at 0.5 AUM/acre or 0.25 AUM/acre.

This is one of those questions that I dispise because it asks a question that is far too general. Stocking rate depends on the factors I listed above, and is not the same no matter where you live in the world. Answering "4!" is something only a fool would do, because he/she is not taking into account all the variations that exist in the world that affect stocking rate. For the person asking the question: THIS IS THE WRONG PLACE TO ASK IT!!Stocking rate differs greatly within a state or province! Alberta has 5 or a hundred different areas that differ in stocking rate, for example! The same goes for Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, Montana, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, New York State, Maine, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oregon, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!!

That's why I keep saying this: If you really want to know, go ask your local county extension agent, Ag office, etc. if you must know how many cows you can graze on a hectare in your area. But please, please, PLEASE don't ask on a place like WikiAnswers!! Ask only if you are looking for variations or what-not.

Answer 2

That all depends on your location, local stocking rates, the quality of your pasture, the size of your animals, and the carrying capacity of your land. With that, it is literally impossible to answer this question without directing you to a related question that answers this question in a similar fashion but in greater detail. Please see that related question below under the Related questions section.

Answer 3

excactly 4

Answer 4

5

Answer 5

3