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. This can encourage cows to go places they might not graze otherwise and help with grazing distribution. Benefits of Multi-Species Rotational Grazing. Once cattle learn they can do this, they can be easily moved without gates. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Salt placement was traditionally used to distribute cattle where we want them, but we also use water and supplement tubs as management tools,” Hall says. Cornstalk grazing: What supplementation is needed? The mixture of grasses lets producers take advantage of different growth patterns to allow time for regrowth to extend grazing, says Mallory. One obvious benefit to this management scheme that was previously mentioned above is a decrease in total feeding costs. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. 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. If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact u@osu.edu. There are many variables regarding the best number of days spent in a paddock. “We discuss electric fence, but research across the West has looked at controlling cattle use of rangeland without fences. “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. Number 8860726. Contributors include members of the OSU Beef Team and beef cattle specialists and economists from across the U.S. Fall Plant Control of cressleaf groundsel; Prevent the sea of yellow in the spring, Management Considerations for Warm-Season Perennials, Winter Application of Manure; Remember Setbacks, Visit our ‘One-stop Shop’ to View Agriculture and Natural Resources Programs. Their land is a mixture of mid-tall grass prairie, former cropland and abandoned cattle feedlots. 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. 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. Rotational grazing is a farming process that strategically moves livestock around a pasture by way of temporarily partitioning certain areas. The main benefits of rotational grazing stem from a focus on plant growth phase. 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. This is something each individual producer must determine, regarding available labor,” says Hall. Copyright © 2021. In practice, animals move from paddock to paddock mirroring the natural herding behaviour of animals. https://www.beefmagazine.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_beefmagazine/images/logos/footer.png. It’s healthier for the pasture. 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. If the pasture is in a recovery period and not grazed, plants start to accumulate enough leaf area to be able to grow more rapidly. Case Study 2: Elk in Montana. Related: How to build a low-maintenance cowherd. Many producers use grazing to reduce costs for their operations. “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. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. The cost of feeding a little hay may be less than overgrazing pastures to the point they won’t grow back adequately, leaving less forage over the long run. 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. 4. 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. It is possible to use cattle farming as a tool to improve soil quality and forage production. 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. All rights reserved. This is because cattle have a higher level of preference for grass, goats for woody plants, and sheep for forbs. As we approach fall like temperatures, forage growth patterns will begin to change. 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. Clean water is important for good animal performance. When conducted at a high level of intensity, rotational grazing can also offer your grazing animals feedstuffs of high quality depending upon the maturity stage of plant growth. This is stressful for plants because they don’t have enough leaf area to support maintenance,” he says. Electric netting allows our shepherds to quickly subdivide pastures. “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. 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. Registered in England and Wales. healthy livestock also build and maintain healthy soils. However, mob grazing does have some distinct benefits: 1. 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 … Some stock producers find best results by moving cattle daily or even several times a day. On private range, ranchers have more options to do what might be best for the land and cattle, using innovations and flexibility. How many cattle can a rotational system accommodate? The Pembertons see several benefits of rotational grazing, such as pasture rest, time for regrowth and soil conservation. Rotational grazing is the practice of moving grazing livestock between pastures (often called paddocks) as needed or on a regular basis. If you can run yearlings part of the season, or keep more heifers than you need, selling some after they are bred, you can adjust the stocking rate to try to match the grass supply. Do you have enough fencing, both permanent and temporary, as well as an adequate water source? Thank you, your email will be added to the mailing list once you click on the link in the confirmation email. 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. If it turns dry, what should we do differently than if we had a better year?” asks Hall. Livestock grazing is conducted under a license system based upon accepted principles of range management. Wheel line irrigation can be compatible with paddock division fences, if you can use portable electric fence. Temporary electric fence can be inexpensive and easy to move, partly because no gates are needed. Cattle producers target grasses and attempt to eliminate bare ground and reduce forbs and brush in favor of homogenous, grass-dominated pastures. Until you actually do it yourself, you can’t learn grazing management.”. Beef producers and researchers alike have long known that rotational grazing is best for pasture health. 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. If you have superior milking cows, they need almost twice the energy at peak lactation as they did when they were dry. 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. Smith Thomas is a rancher and freelance writer based in Salmon, Idaho. When livestock graze large pastures, they tend to repeatedly graze preferred areas. The simplest is moving livestock between paddocks every … First, you need to take into account several factors such as land availability, rotation schedule, number of animals being grazed, and forage availability. 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. Management also needs to be applied that will maintain adequate leaf area for capturing sunlight and provide sufficient rest between grazing events for the plants in the pasture to recover. In turn, there will be an increase in animal gain as these animals will be consuming highly palatable and digestible forages. “This Phase 2 growth continues until the mass of the plant is requiring a lot of energy just to maintain its structure. In a cow-calf operation, this is the greatest challenge for keeping the forage supply and animal demand in balance. “We still have a lot to learn about how best to use these grasses, especially on rangeland. Ag Economy Barometer rises in December 2020, Vaccine successfully treats bovine anaplasmosis, Taiwan president urges easing of beef, pork trade barriers, Cedar fight goes across fence and state lines, South Dakota rancher uses cover crops, rotational grazing to extend grazing period, Salt placement was traditionally used to distribute cattle, Allowed HTML tags:

. So, ride or walk your pastures to learn what they are telling you. Collecting soil samples on an annual basis would also be beneficial, especially when considering to plant or inter-seed new forages into your pastures. We are back at it again with our Ag-notes from the students of the 2018 Small Ruminant Production course. The information provided above is an outline of the benefits and keys considerations to help aid in the success of this management system. It takes a while to get enough leaf area to capture adequate solar energy for rapid growth,” he says. 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. 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. While in this Ag-note the benefits of rotational grazing were demonstrated with sheep, the advantages remain similar for all grazing species. So now that we have a basic understanding of rotational grazing, how do we start? Neither text, nor links to other websites, is reviewed or endorsed by The Ohio State University. Editor’s note: In talking with longtime BEEF readers, a top concern is helping people new to the business understand the art as well as the science of raising cattle. Remember, water sources for grazing livestock should be within 800 feet for effective grazing management. 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. Animals that heavily graze a specific area can benefit the land by consuming and or physically destroying weed populations. “You can also put up permanent single-strand, high-tensile fence 2 feet tall that you don’t have to move, says Gerrish. Try something on a small scale at first, then work your way into it as you discover what works best for you. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Benefits of grazing Cost The biggest cost in most, if not all, cattle production systems is feed. “The first is when grass comes out of dormancy in spring, or after being harvested short. If we graze it too hard, all the way back to Phase 1 — stripping the plant of leaves — it takes longer to recover and needs a longer rest period during the growing season,” he says. A lactating cow has a much higher demand than a dry cow. These pieces of land are usually described as marginal. This method of grazing has low input costs, low labor requirements, and allows for livestock to choose what plants they wish to consume. 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. 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. Cattle will generally do most of their grazing within 800 feet of a water source. Good grazing practices are often thought of as rotational grazing, but this is at best a half-truth. The District has had more than 50 years of experience with this sy… Good ranch management starts with good pasture management. To maximize and optimize the use of this precious asset many farmers/ranchers are turning to rotational grazing. Among the four benefits listed, faster drought recovery was most highly rated by users, in that nearly 50% of the users perceived significant benefit of rotational grazing when it comes to the increased resilience of grassland to drought. Another benefit of rotational grazing is that cattle become gentler with regular human contact during moves to fresh paddocks. “At that point, growth rate slows dramatically and the plant goes into Phase 3, which is when we would cut it for hay; it’s as big as it’s going to get,” explains Gerrish. However, an important thought to consider is if your sheep are grazing a specific plant, is it considered a weed? Benefits of Rotational Grazing Rotational grazing provides many benefits and opportunities for livestock owners. Please contact site owner for help. “Ranchers who calve in January and February, hitting peak lactation in March and April, have the highest energy demand before they have good grass. One of the most desirable attributes of this system is that a producer can design it to fit their needs. Related: South Dakota rancher uses cover crops, rotational grazing to extend grazing period. “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. “This is the part you can’t learn from a book or a workshop. Follow this link to view the single page Ag-note: Benefits of Rotational Grazing. “But the problems we generally have, especially in the West, are temperature extremes — and we can’t always get grass watered when it needs it. Another benefit of rotational grazing is that cattle become gentler with regular human contact during moves to fresh paddocks. 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. Grazing management for cattle attempts to maintain high quality, high volume, somewhat uniform grass production to optimize animal performance and production. A managed rotational grazing system needs to be implemented which subdivides the pasture into smaller paddocks. Your local Extension or Natural Resources Conservation Service folks can provide advice on establishing and maintaining pastures, but how you manage them will determine the ongoing health and quality of those pastures. Once you have established your plan, you are ready to go. Overgrazing can happen whenever cattle are allowed to return to the same plants, keeping them grazed down into Phase 1. “You need to be able to vary stocking rate seasonally,” says Gerrish. You run into situations each year that you haven’t encountered before, as well as learn from your mistakes. “This is a tool you absolutely must use to get maximum beef production on that expensive input,” he says. 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. There is also some shading of the lower leaves and some leaves dying. To address this concern, BEEF will feature a series of articles over the next year written by veteran contributor Heather Smith Thomas that looks at various aspects of ranch management. 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. Designing and spacing watering tanks can keep grazing animals away from stream and increase grazing utilization of the pasture. Cattle can create bare land or a thriving grassland ecosystem. If there’s good moisture in the spring, how should that change what we do with grazing early in the season? When moving animals more frequently, the grazier sets eyes on each animal much more often than in less intensively managed systems. – Matt Blose, Marissa Friel, Courtney Hale, Maureen Hirzel, OSU Animal Science Undergraduate Students, and Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team. Jim Gerrish, American GrazingLands Services, May, Idaho, says grass growth involves three phases. Rotational grazing with more than one species of livestock usually increases the efficiency of forage utilization and reduces the intensity of “landscape maintenance” practices such as mowing, chopping, or herbicide application. Rotational grazing allows a producer to be more in control of the timing and intensity of forage grazed by cattle. 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. Elevation, climate, types of plants, terrain, whether it’s irrigated or dryland, etc., will all be factors. A gentle herd first begins in the “wintering lot” where cattle are “bucket broke.” The Pembertons buy 450- to 600-pound black Angus heifers from private treaties. Remove cattle from cornstalks when soils begin to thaw, Cover crops offer potential grazing benefit for cattle operations. Grass was so plentiful in 2018 that cattle grazed until Christmas, Brian says. Marginal land Not all land can grow row crops. Stocking rate should always focus on forage demand rather than cow numbers. The reduced need for pesticides in rotational grazing systems benefits all. Rotational grazing can help extend the grazing season, allowing a producer to rely less on stored feed and supplement. Uniform consumption of forage Being in a smaller area means nearly all of the forage gets attention, leaving a uniformly grazed pasture area when the cattle move on. Rotational grazing also allows for an even distribution of manure and organic matter being placed back onto the land. Most of the Midwest grasslands are managed under continuous grazing practice, under which livestock graze the entire pasture season long without any grass recovery period. Here's a solid refresher on rotational grazing for cattle ranchers. Rotational Grazing Benefits: South Dakota Producer Perceptions. But this won’t work for every operation. Holistic planned grazing forms just one part of a wider holistic management framework. If you leave animals on a piece of land for too long, they’ll eat down … Spam protection has stopped this request. “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. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. However, once your flock is out to pasture, the work certainly does not stop here. For example, in a continuous grazing scenario, organic matter distribution may be sporadic as higher levels of organic matter would be found in areas of shade or a water source as animals may have a preference for these types of environments. Learning how to adjust the grazing and recovery periods is an art. 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. Cattle prefer grass in Phase 1 because it’s tender, succulent and high in nutritional quality. Adjusting recovery periods to encourage maximum grass growth and keep most of it in Phase 2 is a juggling act. Once you have an idea of where you will be grazing your flock, the next consideration is resources. 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. Cattle producers can reap financial benefits, as well as lowering their carbon footprint, by using the adaptive multi-paddock rotational grazing method. “In a pasture being grazed continuously, without rotation, cattle keep re-grazing the short spots, seeking out Phase 1 grass. In addition to the costs of feeding, rotational grazing will greatly benefit your land. “Stockmen who try to do rotational grazing and find they are still running out of grass are usually grazing it too short. In a traditional rotation, the producer tries to keep as much of the pasture in Phase 2 as possible, putting cattle into a pasture when grass is fairly high on Phase 2 of the growth curve. That doesn’t include the benefits of stockpiling grass in the field for fall or winter grazing. “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. This may vary from north to south in the U.S., but studies show that by keeping forages in their rapid-growth stage more of the time, rotational grazing reduces the need to feed hay by about 30%. While these articles will focus on the basics, it may be that old-timers can pick up a tip or two as well. One common method is to create large pastures with permanent fencing and then subdivide them with temporary electric fencing. Plants are grazed in their vegetative state for relatively short periods, compared with continuous grazing, which reduces the tendency for preferred species to be grazed out. “We take the cattle off when grass is eaten down toward the lower height of Phase 2. Properly managed livestock grazing helps to reduce fire hazards by controlling the amount and distribution of grasses and other potential fuel. Grazing Benefits Regenerative grazing is a principle-driven agricultural practice of building soil health by managing livestock on perennial and annual forages, and in a way that supports human and ecosystem health, farm profitability, and community and food system resilience. For many who use rotational grazing, planned frequent movements of livestock on pasture, the goal is to use livestock as a tool to improve the soil and the forage diversity of the farms they manage. Keep in mind that rotational grazing is simply an organized method of managing grazing livestock. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. However, stocking rates and pasture moves aren’t a static thing. Premier’s goats grazing alongside ElectroStop® 10/42/12. The ideal pasture has fertile soil and a variety of nutritious forage plants, grazed at the proper phases of growth. 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 … Calving later is one way to shift the energy demand to the time of year you have the best grass,” Gerrish says. If you do a good job of irrigating and stocking, always keeping grass at 5 to 8 inches in height [always in Phase 2], continuous grazing can work, especially in climates that are very stable, Gerrish says. This makes the recovery periods longer than they can afford to have,” he says. A publication of the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team. “This means we must be flexible and do some things that maybe weren’t planned,” Hall says. Properly managed pasture-based systems use land efficiently and provide high production per acre. Improved herd health: Although often an unintended, improved herd health is a common side effect of rotational grazing. Because goats eat things like woody brush, forbs, and problem weeds, they can take care of those plants while your cattle will prefer to graze legumes and common grasses. Grazing multiple species allows you to increase your stocking density without overloading your pastures. On a dry year when grasses become short on protein, cows will readily eat a protein supplement, and you can move the location of their grazing with movement of supplement tubs. “A person can often get by moving cow-calf pairs just once a week, however. 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. The key to rotational grazing or trying to expand the grazing season with pasture management is to try a new idea, on a small scale, before you change your whole system. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. “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. 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. 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. Will you be investing in a water line or will you be hauling water to your flock? DeLaune is researching the integration of cover crops and livestock into cotton-wheat rotation systems, including grazing after cotton harvest. Providing good clean water from a spring or well can increase gains by 20 percent. There isn’t much flexibility on turnout and move dates; timing is set on a calendar. Those will change from year to year, as Mother Nature dictates. Pastures and paddock setups can also make a difference in what’s most feasible. One consideration that may be of great benefit to you and your operation is to obtain some aerial images of your land to determine where you can make your pastures and how they will be split. You must be cautious as you monitor the growth and regrowth of your pastures. That means sickness and other issues can be noticed and addressed in a timelier manner. 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Or after being harvested short cattle operations at it again with our Ag-notes from the students the... Cover crops and livestock into cotton-wheat rotation systems, including grazing after cotton harvest high volume, somewhat uniform production... In favor of homogenous, grass-dominated pastures permanent and temporary, as Mother Nature dictates about how to... The link in the field for fall or winter grazing have long known that rotational grazing help... What works best for pasture health, including grazing after cotton harvest, a trading division of Informa PLC registered... Lets producers take advantage of different growth patterns to allow time for regrowth and soil conservation a in! Private range, ranchers have more options to do rotational grazing, your. And do some things that maybe weren ’ t work for every operation cow-calf pairs just once a,..., former cropland and abandoned cattle feedlots water source and opportunities for livestock owners cows to go they... 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