On trial plots without a perched watertable with a 5 m row spacing and 2 m between trees within rows, tagasaste has gown 1000 kg edible dry matter per 100 mm annual rainfall per hectare per year. To calculate how many sheep to run in a plantation of tagasaste, assume an adult sheep will eat 1 kg per day. Supplements for autumn production in sheep on tagasaste Research has consistently demonstrated that browsing dry sheep on tagasaste as described above will allow the sheep to maintain condition and improve staple strength compared with sheep grazing annual pastures. However unless there is a productive inter-row pasture, such as blue lupins, pregnant ewes will require some supplement. Lupins are the supplement of choice as it encourages the sheep to eat the tagasaste and helps to overcome the apparently low protein availability from the tagasaste.
Lupins are also suitable to feed out once per week reducing the labour requirement.
Lambs have been successfully finished on tagasaste in autumn in conjunction with a grain supplement. The amount of supplement to feed depends on the rate of growth required. Current research and lupin prices indicate that lupins are the most suitable supplement. Rotational browsing with sheep Some farmers are attempting to crash browse tagasaste with sheep several times during the year to avoid the need to cut it mechanically. This requires careful management as none of the shoots can be allowed to grow beyond 1.2 m from the ground.