NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2009 — page 1 of 4
Assessment Schedule – 2009
Agricultural Science: Describe management practices used in pasture/crop
production (90155)
Evidence Statement
Q
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
ONE
(a)
Describes role of clovers in
reducing need for artificial
nitrogen fertilsers.
Explains how clovers reduce
need for artificial nitrogen
fertilisers.
Example:
Clovers have the ability to fix
nitrogen (N) from the air into
the soil.
Example:
Leafy pasture (grass
component) has a high
requirement for nitrogen, and
pastures high in clover content
have the ability to fix large
quantities of nitrogen into the
soil for plant use, thereby
reducing the requirement to
apply artificial fertilizers.
A1
M1
(b)
(i), (ii)
Selects white clover plus a
perennial grass, eg Perennial
Rye Grass or Tall Fescue.
Must not contain Browntop, as
this has low feed value and
production.
A2
Explains how one of the
species in the pasture mix is
suitable for grazing milking
cows.
Example:
Clover has a high nutritive
value, but does not grow as
much plant material and has
limited growth in cooler periods.
Grasses provide the bulk of the
pasture production, and high
pasture growth rates are
essential for milking cows 10
months of the year. Grasses
and White Clover are perennial
plants. They will last for years
under good management, and
dairy farmers want high
producing pasture year after
year.
M2
Q
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
ONE
(c)
(ii), (iii)
Describes the selected
grazing system.
Example:
EITHER
Set stocking: putting stock in a
paddock and allowing them
Explains how the selected
grazing system manages
winter pasture production.
Example:
Strip grazing: a form of
rotational grazing which
ensures animals make more
Justifies the use of the
selected grazing system by
explaining why it is better than
the other option in relation to
animal nutrition and feed
availability. Must link to the
suitability of the method for
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2009 — page 2 of 4
access to all the feed over a
long period of time.
OR
Strip grazing: electric fences
used to control / regulate stock
access to feed.
efficient use of what is growing,
because access to pasture is
limited on a daily basis.
M2
A2
pregnant ewes.
Example:
Using a strip grazing system
allows farmers to allocate the
grass needed by sheep each
day. This reduces waste
caused by trampling and allows
the farmer to budget the feed.
Set stocking results in animals
gorging in the early stages of
pasture growth, resulting in
little feed being left for the
critical time close to lambing.
This does not happen with strip
grazing, which is better at
managing the nutrition
available to animals. Set
stocking can result in pasture
being trampled and wasted.
E
Q
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
TWO
(a)
Describes one limitation of
pasture as a feed for livestock
production.
Explains the limitations of
pasture as a feed for livestock
production.
Example:
Example:
 irregular growth throughout
the year
Irregular growth: there is a
stage of plant production from
leaf to seed head stage, and as
plants go to seed head stage
more, it becomes less
digestible, with lower protein
content.
 quality changes during the
year when pasture goes to
the seed stage
 clover can produce bloat
 some diseases, eg facial
eczema, grass staggers, etc.
A1
Environmental conditions
throughout the year: soil temp
and sunshine vary, therefore
photosynthesis changes
accordingly.
Bloat: high clover intake in
spring produces excess gas in
the rumen, which may not be
able to be belched out,
resulting in death.
Facial eczema: in summer,
fungal spores exist on rye
grass seed heads, and the
intake of such material can
produce facial eczema.
M1
Achievement with Excellence
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2009 — page 3 of 4
Q
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
Describes how either silage or
hay is produced.
Explains how one step in the
method produces a quality feed
for lactating cows.
Justifies the use of silage by
explaining why it is better than
the other option in relation to
milk production and
conservation of surplus
pasture.
TWO
(b)
(i)
Example:
EITHER
(ii)
Silage: conserved pasture is
cut, wilted, chopped and stored
in pits covered in plastic.
OR
Hay: conserved pasture is cut,
dried, baled and stored in a dry
area.
A2
Example:
EITHER
Silage
Pasture cut at optimum growth
stage for nutritional value.
Cutting: grass cut cleanly about
8 cm above ground. High
quality pasture used, which
contains lots of green leaf, high
in sugars to feed the bacteria
that ferment and preserve the
pasture.
Wilting: machine bruises
leaves, allowing them to dry
out, which improves
fermentation.
Chopping: blades of grass cut
into smaller pieces. This
increases availability of lactic
acid, which improves
fermentation and palatability.
OR
Hay
Cutting: pasture is cut at a
more mature stage than for
silage, with great seed head,
more stem, and less leaf.
Drying: pasture must be dried
prior to baling, to prevent
respiration loss of plant sugars.
Storing: hay must be stored in
a dry area to stop rotting or
mould development.
M2
Silage must be chosen.
Example:
Silage provides a higher quality
feed than hay in terms of
energy, protein and
digestibility. The fine cutting of
the pasture aids cows’ intake.
The moisture content of silage
makes it more palatable to
cows than hay.
Dairying is often carried out in
areas of high rainfall, eg
Taranaki, and therefore making
quality hay is a riskier method
of conservation.
E
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural Science (90155) 2009 — page 4 of 4
Q
THREE
(a)
(ii), (iii)
Achievement
Describes the selected
management practice.
Example:
EITHER
Heavily stocking a paddock in
late autumn/early winter results
in destruction of larvae from
trampling.
OR
Chemical control involves
spraying the pasture with a
chemical that destroys the
larvae of the grass grub.
A2
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
Explains how the selected
management practice reduces
the grass grub population.
Justifies the selected
management practice by
explaining why it is better than
the other option in relation to
cost, and ease and / or
effectiveness.
Example:
EITHER
Trampling of the paddock
through heavy stocking
crushes larvae and prevents
the grass grub developing to
adult stage, thus breaking the
life cycle.
The development of larva from
an egg requires the intake of
food derived from the roots of
grasses and clovers. The roots
are cut, and so are not able to
absorb water and nutrients,
and therefore die.
OR
Chemical control kills grass
grubs at the larval stage, which
is the stage where the grubs
cause most damage to grass
roots.
Example:
EITHER
Heavy stocking depends on
availability of animals who do
not require high levels of feed.
Soil moisture levels need to be
relatively high to enable
squashing of ground. This is a
low-cost system that is easy to
implement. However, cattle
may lose weight.
OR
Chemical control offers the
opportunity for a more
complete eradication
(effectiveness) of larvae, but
there is a high cost involved
and it may be cheaper to replough the paddock and start
again.
M2
E
Judgement Statement
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
1 A1
3 A2
1 M1
3 M2
1 M1
3 M2
1E