Author:
R T Dixon

Date of Publication:
unknown

Publication:
originally published as a supplement to The Yaca, issue 36

Excerpt:
This prolonged drought is starting to bring home to members - and their alpaca - just what a prolonged drought entails. We think of this in terms of a shortage of water, and this may well be the most obvious shortfall. The more insidious shortage occurs following a failure of the seasonal rains responsible for a pasture that carries you through into the next favourable growing phase - usually Spring.

We are now experiencing a protein drought of two colours; depending on whether you have had a few showers of the wet stuff or not, you are experiencing a green drought or a brown one. In the green drought the pasture looks green, because of a small sparse shoot that is 90% water, so does not provide sufficient protein to fatten lambs or maintain late pregnant animals in adequate condition. The brown variety does not even have the green shoot, because gale-force winds rip the moisture from the soil before the stunted/ overgrazed grass can respond.

Read the rest of the article: http://www.aaanswalpaca.com.au/newto.php?heading=5265736f7572636573&subheading=436f70696e6720776974682044726f75676874