NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 1 of 6
Assessment Schedule – 2010
Agricultural Science: Describe management practices used in pasture / crop production (90155)
Evidence Statement
Achievement
Achievement
with Merit
Describes the importance of
white clover as a pasture plant.
Explains why white clover is an
important pasture plant
ONE reason required.
TWO reasons required.
Examples:
Example:
Nitrogen fixation increases the
nitrate levels in soil.
Nitrogen fixation increases the
nitrate levels in soil, so more is
readily available for plants to
take up, increasing pasture
growth.
Question
Achievement
with Excellence
ONE
(a)
OR
White clover is highly digestible
/ high in protein.
A1
White clover is highly digestible /
high in protein, therefore animals
eat more, increasing animal
production.
M1
(b)
Describes rotational grazing.
Example:
Stock in large groups are
rotated around the farm /
paddocks at regular intervals.
A2
Explains how rotational grazing
maintains pasture quality.
Example:
Stock graze the whole paddock
evenly, so they cannot eat out
only the tastier, more palatable
plants (no selective grazing). If
grazed often enough, pasture
will stay active, growing leafy
and palatable plants with less
shading of clovers.
M2
(c)
Describes the use by farmers
of a set stocking system, or
simply describes a set stocking
system.
Explains why a farmer uses a
set stocking system in terms of:
Example:
 manageability.
Under a set stocking system,
between lambing and tailing
the ewes and lambs are not
moved. This reduces problems
with mismothering, especially
with ewes that have multiple
lambs.
A2
 lamb survival
 pasture quality
Example:
Under a set stocking system,
stock / ewes and lambs eat
pasture as it grows, without
being moved. It is hard to
balance the number of stock in
each paddock with pasture
growth, so under-grazing or
over-grazing can occur. Stock
can also choose what they
graze, and so will tend to eat out
more palatable plants, leaving
the less palatable plants to
become rank growth.
Justifies, with reasons, the use
by farmers of a set stocking
system rather than rotational
grazing, in terms of:
 lamb survival
 pasture quality
 manageability.
Example:
Under a set stocking system
stock / ewes and lambs eat
pasture as it grows, without
being moved. It is hard to
balance the number of stock in
each paddock with pasture
growth, so under-grazing or
over-grazing can occur. Stock
can also choose what they
graze, and so will tend to eat out
more palatable plants, leaving
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 2 of 6
Although pasture management
is more difficult under set
stocking compared to rotational
grazing, it is only for a short
period of time and easy to
manage, and achieving a high
lamb survival rate is more
important at this time.
M2
the less palatable plants to
become rank growth.
Although pasture management is
more difficult under set stocking
compared to rotational grazing, it
is only for a short period of time.
It is easy to manage and
achieves a high lamb survival
rate, which is more important at
this time.
E
Question
Achievement
with Merit
Achievement
TWO
(a)
Describes how grazing this
type of pasture provides a lowcost system.
Explains how grazing this type
of pasture provides a low-cost
system.
Example:
Example:
New Zealand's agriculture is
based almost entirely on the
outdoor grazing of sheep and
cattle on nutritious, low-cost
pasture that grows all year
round.
New Zealand's agriculture is
based almost entirely on the
outdoor grazing of sheep and
cattle on nutritious, low-cost
pasture that grows all year
round. Pasture is low-cost feed
compared to other feeds, eg
supplements. There are no costs
of carting or storing feed, or of
housing animals.
A1
Clovers are included in pasture,
as they are palatable to stock
and contain more protein and
less fibre, so have a high feed
value. They fix nitrogen, making
nitrates available for plant use,
increasing pasture growth and
reducing the amount of artificial
nitrogen, therefore reducing the
cost of feeding stock.
M1
(b)
Describes how a broadleaf
weed problem affects pasture
or animal production, for one or
both of:
Explains how a broadleaf weed
problem affects pasture or
animal production, for BOTH:
 plant growth rates
 palatability.
 palatability.
Example: broadleaf weeds
 shade in pasture, which
reduces growth rate of
pasture
 compete for light, space and
nutrients
 plant growth rates
Example: broadleaf weeds
 can cause shading in pasture
– especially clovers, which
reduce growth rate of pasture
 compete for light, space and
nutrients, reducing growth rate
of pasture
Achievement
with Excellence
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 3 of 6
 are not palatable to stock,
which affects how much they
eat.
A2
 are not palatable to stock,
which reduces the amount of
pasture available for them,
which can affect their level of
production.
M2
(c)
Describes the selected
management practice.
Example:
Selected management practice
– heavily graze the paddock
with ewes after weaning their
lambs.
After weaning, ewes can be put
into large groups. Ewes in
large groups can be rotated
through weedy paddocks. In
large groups, ewes are forced
to clean the pasture up before
being moved to the next
paddock.
A2
Explains why the selected
management practice is
preferred, in terms of both:
 managing the broadleaf weed
problem
 financial returns.
Example:
Selected management practice –
heavily graze the paddock with
ewes after weaning their lambs.
After weaning, ewes can be put
into large groups and fed a
maintenance diet. Large groups
reduce the amount of selective
grazing, as ewes are forced to
clean the pasture up before
being moved to the next
paddock.
Reducing the number of flat
weeds reduces competition with
grasses and clovers, which will
result in better pasture growth
and quality.
Grazing is better than spraying,
even using a selective herbicide,
as it is difficult and expensive to
spray weeds on hill country.
M2
Justifies, by giving reasons, the
selected management practice
as being better than the other, in
terms of:
 managing the broadleaf weed
problem
 financial returns.
Example:
Selected management practice –
heavily graze the paddock with
ewes after weaning their lambs.
After weaning, ewes can be put
into large groups and fed a
maintenance diet. Ewes in large
groups can be rotated through
weedy paddocks. Large groups
reduce the amount of selective
grazing, as ewes are forced to
clean the pasture up before
being moved to the next
paddock.
At this time of year (late spring
and early summer), flat weeds
are still small and ewes will eat
them. Reducing the number of
flat weeds reduces competition
with grasses and clovers, which
will result in better pasture
growth and quality. It will reduce
shading of clovers, increasing
the feed available later on for
stock. This increases farm
production and the farmer’s
financial returns.
Grazing is better than spraying,
even using a selective herbicide,
as it is difficult and expensive to
spray weeds on hill country.
Some chemicals are expensive
and may not be effective,
increasing farm costs. Chemical
sprays can kill pasture plants,
increasing the weed problem,
leave residues in soils, and / or
contaminate waterways.
E
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 4 of 6
Question
Achievement
with Merit
Achievement
THREE
(a)
Describes at least three steps
involved in making hay.
Explains at least three steps
involved in making hay.
Examples:
Examples:
Quality of the pasture
Quality of the pasture
Cut grass with a mower at 50%
flowering in fine weather.
Weedy pasture and grasses
with lots of seedheads (more
than 50% flowering) will lower
palatability and digestibility, and
therefore will have a lower
nutritive value.
Pasture composition
Pasture should be high in clover
/ legumes, with no weeds.
Speed of drying
Turn pasture with a rake and dry
fast. Condition hay by splitting
the stems to speed up drying.
Moisture content at baling
The moisture content at baling
should be less than 25%.
Rowing up
Row up gently.
Bale hay
Bale hay when dry.
Storage of hay
Hay should be stored out of the
weather, in dry conditions.
A2
Pasture composition
Pasture high in clover / legumes
will have higher nutritive value,
because they are higher in
protein, lower in fibre and more
digestible.
Stage of growth
Grasses that are more than
50% flowering (have lots of
stems, seedheads and not
much leaf) are high in lignin,
which is indigestible, and
therefore have a lower nutritive
value.
Speed of drying
The faster hay is dried to less
than 25% moisture content, the
quicker losses due to respiration
are reduced. The more sugar /
nutrients left, the higher the
nutritive value. Respiration
stops when moisture content is
less than 25%. The quicker
drying occurs, the lower the loss
of sugars due to respiration, and
the higher the nutritional value.
Moisture content at baling
The moisture content at baling
should be less than 25% to
prevent the hay from going
mouldy. Mouldy hay is not
palatable and has a low
nutritional value. It can also
cause respiratory diseases if fed
to stock.
Storage of hay
Hay should be stored out of the
weather, in dry conditions to
prevent the hay from going
mouldy and becoming
unpalatable.
M2
Achievement
with Excellence
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 5 of 6
Question
(b)
Achievement
with Merit
Achievement
Describes why making hay is
better than buying store lambs.
Example:
Making hay from paddocks
prevents the pasture from going
to seed and becoming
indigestible.
A2
Explains why making hay is
better than buying store lambs,
in terms of at least TWO of:
 pasture quality
 animal health
 impact on financial returns.
Example:
Making hay from paddocks
prevents the pasture from going
to seed and becoming
indigestible.
In summer, weather conditions
are warm and dry, and suitable
for making hay.
Hay can be used to feed to
stock when there is a pasture
deficit, or sold if not needed.
Making hay reduces the amount
of pasture going to seed, and
reduces health problems with
high ryegrass percentage.
M2
Achievement
with Excellence
Justifies, by giving reasons,
making hay as a better option
than buying store lambs, in
terms of ALL of:
 pasture quality
 animal health
 impact on financial returns.
Example:
Surplus feed in early summer is
mature and suitable for making
into hay. Making hay from
paddocks prevents the pasture
from going to seed and
becoming indigestible, therefore
pasture quality is maintained,
which can be used to finish
stock or flush ewes on.
In summer, weather conditions
are warm and dry, and suitable
for making hay.
Hay can be used to feed to
stock when there is a pasture
deficit, or sold if not needed,
which would increase the
farmer’s returns.
Making hay reduces the amount
of pasture going to seed, and
reduces health problems such
as ryegrass staggers and stock
losses. If pasture quality is low
and there is a lot of dead
material in the base, it could
cause problems with facial
eczema in the autumn, which
can severely affect farm returns
through loss of stock / decreased
fertility / decreased lambing
percentage.
Buying in lambs involves greater
financial risk, and is dependent
on the price of store lambs and
whether there will be enough
feed in late summer and autumn
to finish and make a profit. Profit
from store lambs is dependent
on:
 price paid for lambs
 cost such as drenching
 transport
 shearing / dagging.
E
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2010 — page 6 of 6
Judgement Statement
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
1 A1
3 A2
1 M1
3 M2
1 M1
2E