Remember, water sources for grazing livestock should be within 800 feet for effective grazing management. Copyright © 2021. “This Phase 2 growth continues until the mass of the plant is requiring a lot of energy just to maintain its structure. Ranchers are limited on public range when trying to graze certain areas at certain times, since there are constraints on when various pastures or allotments can be used. Rotational grazing has many benefits – all leading to higher profits on your land: Increased soil fertility ... underpins our range of world-leading livestock feeding solutions. As a result, the cool season forages will slow in growth and in turn will require a longer period of time needed for adequate regrowth to occur prior to the next grazing event. The Wallaces currently run 40 cows, 230 ewes and 40 nannies on several hundred acres that are cross-fenced into small paddocks for rotational grazing. When done properly, pasture rotation can prevent overgrazing, aid optimal regrowth of plants and allow the same piece of ground to be grazed several times during growing season. The ideal pasture has fertile soil and a variety of nutritious forage plants, grazed at the proper phases of growth. Increased pasture productivity Rotational grazing can help improve long-term pasture quality and fertility by favoring desirable pasture species and allowing for even manure distri- bution. This week, students Matt Blose, Marissa Friel, Courtney Hale, and Maureen Hirzel provide us with a brief outline of the benefits of rotational grazing by providing insight on how to start and some important considerations you need to ask yourself prior to jumping into this type of management scheme. The mixture of grasses lets producers take advantage of different growth patterns to allow time for regrowth to extend grazing, says Mallory. Neither text, nor links to other websites, is reviewed or endorsed by The Ohio State University. Stocking rate should always focus on forage demand rather than cow numbers. As we approach fall like temperatures, forage growth patterns will begin to change. Rotational Grazing Benefits: South Dakota Producer Perceptions. “One of the problems in thinking about rotational grazing is the tendency to think one size fits all, and that there’s a particular way to set up pastures and move cows,” says Hall. If there’s good moisture in the spring, how should that change what we do with grazing early in the season? Marginal land Not all land can grow row crops. This is because cattle have a higher level of preference for grass, goats for woody plants, and sheep for forbs. Benefits of Rotational Grazing Rotational grazing provides many benefits and opportunities for livestock owners. It’s most common in pastures that are continuously grazed, without rotation — but it can also happen in a rotation program if you leave cattle in a paddock too long, or if your recovery period is too short. Grazing management for cattle attempts to maintain high quality, high volume, somewhat uniform grass production to optimize animal performance and production. When you go from a dry cow (maintenance requirements) to peak lactation, you’ve doubled the demand on the pastures — even before you add in the calf. One obvious benefit to this management scheme that was previously mentioned above is a decrease in total feeding costs. “A common thing you’ll see in continuously grazed pastures is overgrazed areas [Phase 1 grass] right next to mature clumps [Phase 3] that cattle aren’t eating — and no Phase 2 grass. “I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and I still make my share of mistakes and learn something new each season,” says Gerrish. “This is a tool you absolutely must use to get maximum beef production on that expensive input,” he says. Electric netting allows our shepherds to quickly subdivide pastures. One common method is to create large pastures with permanent fencing and then subdivide them with temporary electric fencing. Designing and spacing watering tanks can keep grazing animals away from stream and increase grazing utilization of the pasture. Elevation, climate, types of plants, terrain, whether it’s irrigated or dryland, etc., will all be factors. Please contact site owner for help. You run into situations each year that you haven’t encountered before, as well as learn from your mistakes. Providing good clean water from a spring or well can increase gains by 20 percent. A managed rotational grazing system needs to be implemented which subdivides the pasture into smaller paddocks. It is possible to use cattle farming as a tool to improve soil quality and forage production. Keep in mind that rotational grazing is simply an organized method of managing grazing livestock. refers to the allowance of a group of grazing livestock to selectively choose what forage they eat in a large pasture for the duration of the growing season. Grass was so plentiful in 2018 that cattle grazed until Christmas, Brian says. Irrigated land is high-priced compared to rangeland, and the cost of irrigation in labor and energy input to run a pump or pivot is a major item. “The goal of rotational grazing is hold the grass in Phase 2 for as much of the season as possible by letting pastures recover periodically,” he explains. Many producers use grazing to reduce costs for their operations. Instead of letting animals continuously graze down an entire pasture, the animals are herded into a section of the pasture for a short period of time. “This is the part you can’t learn from a book or a workshop. Benefits of Rotational Grazing Rotational grazing can be simply explained as moving livestock between pastures (often called paddocks) every set number of days or as needed. There is also some shading of the lower leaves and some leaves dying. Thank you, your email will be added to the mailing list once you click on the link in the confirmation email. “If the irrigation system breaks down and takes a few days to fix, or it doesn’t rain, or whatever, we may have to be willing to feed hay at a time of year we hate to feed hay, just to give those pastures enough time to recover,” he explains. Cattle producers can reap financial benefits, as well as lowering their carbon footprint, by using the adaptive multi-paddock rotational grazing method. by Troy Smith, field editor @Enticed by the potential benefits, including increased quantity and quality of forage produced, im-proved utilization of available forage and increased carrying capacity, Dan Stelling applied rotational-grazing … “Stockmen who try to do rotational grazing and find they are still running out of grass are usually grazing it too short. This is stressful for plants because they don’t have enough leaf area to support maintenance,” he says. “This means we must be flexible and do some things that maybe weren’t planned,” Hall says. Planned grazing by cattle on elk winter ranges can be an effective way to enhance forage palatability.21 In 1984 a rotational grazing system was established to address forage conflicts between elk (Cervus elaphus) and livestock on Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area in Montana.22 The system rotated rested pastures in a manner that maintained … Cattle prefer grass in Phase 1 because it’s tender, succulent and high in nutritional quality. Benefits of grazing Cost The biggest cost in most, if not all, cattle production systems is feed. A lactating cow has a much higher demand than a dry cow. Adjusting recovery periods to encourage maximum grass growth and keep most of it in Phase 2 is a juggling act. Cattle producers target grasses and attempt to eliminate bare ground and reduce forbs and brush in favor of homogenous, grass-dominated pastures. Cattle can be moved just by putting a couple of tall sticks or pieces of PVC pipe in the fence line for a few moments, to raise the electric wire enough for cattle to go under it and into the next paddock. In its simplest form, rotational grazing is described as moving grazing livestock from one paddock to another, allowing time for the previously grazed pasture to regrow prior to the next grazing event. “We take the cattle off when grass is eaten down toward the lower height of Phase 2. Grazing multiple species allows you to increase your stocking density without overloading your pastures. The growth rate is very fast for a while, then slows to nothing, so it’s hard to keep everything in Phase 2 in a continuously grazed pasture. The Benefits of Rotational Grazing Hart Dairy / 2 days ago / Animal welfare , Grass , Regenerative Farming , Sustainability , Cows , Rotational Grazing At Hart Dairy, we know that in order to produce the best feed from our pastures, we must manage those pastures in a more sustainable way. There are numerous benefits to multi-species grazing, especially for those who start out with rural or mountain properties (rather than pastures) that have marginal grazing land in need of improvement. Here's a solid refresher on rotational grazing for cattle ranchers. Cornstalk grazing: What supplementation is needed? Related: How to build a low-maintenance cowherd. Holistic planned grazing forms just one part of a wider holistic management framework. The Wildland Vegetation program incorporates due consideration for the forage needs of deer and other wildlife, erosion control, and a desire for protection of sensitive environments. Properly managed pasture-based systems use land efficiently and provide high production per acre. Temporary electric fence can be inexpensive and easy to move, partly because no gates are needed. If you leave animals on a piece of land for too long, they’ll eat down … There are many benefits to this strategy as rotational grazing allows producers to utilize their pastures more efficiently by decreasing feed costs, decreasing weed pressure present in a pasture setting, improving the health and performance of grazing flocks, and contributing to the sustainability of the grazing land. Using Google Earth would be a simple way to easily plot your paddocks of interest. The content of this site is published by the site owner(s) and is not a statement of advice, opinion, or information pertaining to The Ohio State University. Cattle will generally do most of their grazing within 800 feet of a water source. Their land is a mixture of mid-tall grass prairie, former cropland and abandoned cattle feedlots. Rotational grazing systems are generally the most efficient way to get the best use of pastures and maximum beef production per acre, as well as being healthier for the land and plants. John Hall, superintendent of the University of Idaho’s Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center near Salmon, says rotational grazing is always a very positive tool for stock producers, especially on irrigated ground. This is something each individual producer must determine, regarding available labor,” says Hall. This method of grazing has low input costs, low labor requirements, and allows for livestock to choose what plants they wish to consume. Once you have established your plan, you are ready to go. Rotational grazing is a farming process that strategically moves livestock around a pasture by way of temporarily partitioning certain areas. Cattle can create bare land or a thriving grassland ecosystem. Clean water is important for good animal performance. https://www.beefmagazine.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_beefmagazine/images/logos/footer.png. It takes a while to get enough leaf area to capture adequate solar energy for rapid growth,” he says. How many cattle can a rotational system accommodate? Rotational grazing can result in a decrease in feed costs as grazing livestock will be harvesting their own feed, which in turn will decrease the cost of labor and time in harvesting and feeding stored forages. Related: South Dakota rancher uses cover crops, rotational grazing to extend grazing period. When livestock graze large pastures, they tend to repeatedly graze preferred areas. Case Study 2: Elk in Montana. Once you have an idea of where you will be grazing your flock, the next consideration is resources. Those will change from year to year, as Mother Nature dictates. On private range, ranchers have more options to do what might be best for the land and cattle, using innovations and flexibility. There isn’t much flexibility on turnout and move dates; timing is set on a calendar. If it turns dry, what should we do differently than if we had a better year?” asks Hall. Understanding the growth phases of forage, the amount of residual feed to leave and when the animals need to be moved is crucial, especially with cool-season grasses, or they won’t grow back very well. Good ranch management starts with good pasture management. Pastures and paddock setups can also make a difference in what’s most feasible. Try something on a small scale at first, then work your way into it as you discover what works best for you. “Basic techniques for rotation grazing management can be learned in workshops like the Lost River Grazing School in Lemhi County [Idaho], but then you must adapt those basics to your situation and your particular ranch,” says Hall. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. We are back at it again with our Ag-notes from the students of the 2018 Small Ruminant Production course. All rights reserved. Benefits of Multi-Species Rotational Grazing. In addition to the costs of feeding, rotational grazing will greatly benefit your land. First, you need to take into account several factors such as land availability, rotation schedule, number of animals being grazed, and forage availability. Do you have enough fencing, both permanent and temporary, as well as an adequate water source? Regarding rotation grazing management in general, Hall’s advice is to learn the basics and then try to customize them to your ranch — always keeping the need for flexibility in mind. Learning how to adjust the grazing and recovery periods is an art. The pipes are tall enough to pass over the fence, as long as you don’t have the fence where the wheels have to go across,” he says. “A person can often get by moving cow-calf pairs just once a week, however. While these articles will focus on the basics, it may be that old-timers can pick up a tip or two as well. The reduced need for pesticides in rotational grazing systems benefits all. Improved herd health: Although often an unintended, improved herd health is a common side effect of rotational grazing. “Wheel lines can cross over [electric fences] because they are not a physical barrier — especially if you run the fence perpendicular to the wheel line path. Animals that heavily graze a specific area can benefit the land by consuming and or physically destroying weed populations. Pembertons see several benefits of rotational grazing system needs to be more in of! Animal gain as these animals will be added to the time of year you have established your plan, are... 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