Editing Carrying capacity (section)

==Agriculture==
It is important for farmers to calculate the carrying capacity of their land so they can establish a sustainable [[stocking rate]].<ref name="MoreBeef2019">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2019 |title=4 - Determine carrying capacity and stocking rate |url=https://mbfp-pastoral.mla.com.au/managing-your-feedbase/determine-carrying-capacity-and-stocking-rate/ |access-date=14 March 2021 |website=More Beef from Pastures |publisher=Meat & Livestock Australia Limited}}</ref>  For example, calculating the carrying capacity of a [[paddock]] in Australia is done in [[Dry Sheep Equivalent]]s (DSEs). A single DSE is 50&nbsp;kg [[Merino]] [[Sheep|wether]], dry [[Sheep|ewe]] or non-pregnant ewe, which is maintained in a stable condition. Not only sheep are calculated in DSEs, the carrying capacity for other livestock is also calculated using this measure. A 200&nbsp;kg weaned calf of a British style breed gaining 0.25&nbsp;kg/day is 5.5DSE, but if the same weight of the same type of calf were gaining 0.75&nbsp;kg/day, it would be measured at 8DSE. Cattle are not all the same, their DSEs can vary depending on breed, growth rates, weights, if it is a cow ('dam'), steer or [[ox]] ('bullock' in Australia), and if it [[Weaning#In cattle|weaning]], pregnant or 'wet' (i.e. [[Lactation|lactating]]).

In other parts of the world different units are used for calculating carrying capacities. In the United Kingdom the paddock is measured in LU, livestock units, although different schemes exist for this.<ref name="UK2006">[http://www.defra.gov.uk/rds/publications/technical/tan_33.pdf Chesterton, Chris, ''Revised Calculation of Livestock Units for Higher Level Stewardship Agreements, Technical Advice Note 33'' (Second edition), Rural Development Service, 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626001539/http://www.defra.gov.uk/rds/publications/technical/tan_33.pdf |date=June 26, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Nix, J. 2009. ''Farm Management Pocketbook''. 39th Ed. Corby: The Andersons Centre.</ref> New Zealand uses either LU,<ref>[http://www.ruralfind.co.nz/livestock-units-data.html New Zealand Livestock Units on Ruralfind] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525233351/http://www.ruralfind.co.nz/livestock-units-data.html |date=2010-05-25 }}</ref> EE (ewe equivalents) or SU (stock units).<ref>[http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/rural-nz/sustainable-resource-use/best-management-practices/reassessment-of-the-stock-management-system/re-assessment-of-stock-unit-system03.htm Cornforth, I S and Sinclair, A G, ''Fertiliser Recommendations for Pastures and Crops in New Zealand'', 2nd Ed (New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture, Wellington, New Zealand, 1984), quoted in ''A History of the Stock Unit System'', New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523160657/http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/rural-nz/sustainable-resource-use/best-management-practices/reassessment-of-the-stock-management-system/re-assessment-of-stock-unit-system03.htm |date=2010-05-23 }}</ref> In the US and Canada the traditional system uses [[animal unit]]s (AU).<ref>Jasper Womach, ''Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition'' {{cite web|url=http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212033139/http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf |archive-date=2011-02-12 }}</ref> A French/Swiss unit is ''Unité de Gros Bétail'' (UGB).<ref>[http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/910_91/app1.html ''Coefficients de conversion des animaux en unités de gros bétail'' (French)]: Conversion factors for livestock units.</ref><ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/envir/report/fr/lex_fr/report.htm ''La Commission Européen: Agriculture et Environnement'' (French)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102003214/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/envir/report/fr/lex_fr/report.htm |date=2010-01-02 }} [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/envir/report/en/lex_en/report_en.htm European Commission, Agriculture and Environment (English version)].</ref>

[[File:Sömmerung von Milchkühen, Schweizer Alp im Wallis.jpg|thumb|[[transhumance|Summering]] of milk cows in the Swiss Alps in [[Valais]] Canton]]
In some European countries such as Switzerland the pasture ([[Alpine pasture|''alm'' or ''alp'']]) is traditionally measured in ''Stoß'', with one ''Stoß'' equaling four ''Füße'' (feet). A more modern European system is [[:de:Viehbesatz#Großvieheinheit|''Großvieheinheit'']] (GV or GVE), corresponding to 500&nbsp;kg in liveweight of cattle. In [[extensive agriculture]] 2 GV/ha is a common stocking rate, in [[intensive agriculture]], when [[grazing]] is supplemented with extra [[fodder]], rates can be 5 to 10 GV/ha.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} In Europe average stocking rates vary depending on the country, in 2000 the Netherlands and Belgium had a very high rate of 3.82 GV/ha and 3.19 GV/ha respectively, surrounding countries have rates of around 1 to 1.5 GV/ha, and more southern European countries have lower rates, with Spain having the lowest rate of 0.44 GV/ha.<ref>''top agrar'' 11/2001, o.n.A.</ref>

This system can also be applied to natural areas. Grazing [[megaherbivore]]s at roughly 1 GV/ha is considered sustainable in central European grasslands, although this varies widely depending on many factors. In [[ecology]] it is theoretically (i.e. [[cyclic succession]], [[patch dynamics]], ''Megaherbivorenhypothese'') taken that a grazing pressure of 0.3 GV/ha by wildlife is enough to hinder [[afforestation]] in a natural area. Because different species have different [[ecological niche]]s, with horses for example grazing short grass, cattle longer grass, and goats or deer preferring to [[Browsing (herbivory)|browse]] shrubs, [[niche differentiation]] allows a terrain to have slightly higher carrying capacity for a mixed group of species, than it would if there were only one species involved.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kang |first=Saruul |last2=Niu |first2=Jianming |last3=Zhang |first3=Qing |last4=Zhang |first4=Xuefeng |last5=Han |first5=Guodong |last6=Zhao |first6=Mengli |date=2020-12-01 |title=Niche differentiation is the underlying mechanism maintaining the relationship between community diversity and stability under grazing pressure |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420307873#sec4.2 |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=24 |pages=e01246 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01246 |issn=2351-9894|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Some [[niche market]] schemes mandate lower stocking rates than can maximally be grazed on a pasture. In order to market ones' meat products as [[Biodynamic agriculture|'biodynamic']], a lower ''Großvieheinheit'' of 1 to 1.5 (2.0) GV/ha is mandated, with some farms having an operating structure using only 0.5 to 0.8 GV/ha.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] has introduced three international units to measure carrying capacity: FAO Livestock Units for North America,<ref name=FAO1>{{cite web| url = http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd18/8/chil18117.htm| title = P Chilonda and J Otte, Indicators to monitor trends in livestock production at national, regional and international levels, ''Livestock Research for Rural Development'', '''18''' (8), 2006, Article #117}}</ref><ref name=FAO2>{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/j0945e/j0945e00.pdf| server = FTP server| url-status = dead| title = ''Compendium of Agricultural-Environmental Indicators'', Annexe 2: Definitions, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (includes different values for various regions)}}</ref> FAO Livestock Units for sub-Saharan Africa,<ref name=FAO1/><ref name=FAO2/> and Tropical Livestock Units.<ref name=FAO3>[http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/lead/toolbox/Mixed1/TLU.htm FAO paper about Tropical Livestock Units] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223202019/http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/lead/toolbox/Mixed1/TLU.htm |date=2011-02-23 }}</ref>

Another rougher and less precise method of determining the carrying capacity of a paddock is simply by looking objectively at the condition of the herd. In Australia, the national standardized system for rating livestock conditions is done by body condition scoring (BCS). An animal in a very poor condition is scored with a BCS of 0, and an animal which is extremely healthy is scored at 5: animals may be scored between these two numbers in increments of 0.25. At least 25 animals of the same type must be scored to provide a statistically representative number, and scoring must take place monthly -if the average falls, this may be due to a stocking rate above the paddock's carrying capacity or too little fodder. This method is less direct for determining stocking rates than looking at the pasture itself, because the changes in the condition of the stock may lag behind changes in the condition of the pasture.<ref name=MoreBeef2019/>