Grazing Basics

Grazing Basics

Craig SaxeUW-Extension, Juneau Co.211 Hickory StreetMauston WI 53948(608) [email protected]

Central

Wisconsin

Grazing

Meetings March

2008

We’ll be covering

• What is rotational grazing

• Why use rotational grazing

• Understanding plant growth

• Setting up a grazing system

• Fencing, watering and frost

seeding

• Grazing tips

Grazing Quotes

• Management is the single most important factor determining financial success on all farms

• Grazing won’t turn a poor manager into a good one

• Grazing isn’t about cows & grass it’s about a different type of thinking

• Grazing isn’t a goal it’s a Tool

What Grazing Management and Golf have in common

• It’s something you do outdoors• Doing it well is more difficult then it

looks• Many people “talk” a much better

game than they play• Studying about how to do it can be

helpful, but real success requires practice and experience

Don Ball, 1999

• Weather can have a huge influence on the results obtained

• There are many products you can buy to better your game, but a real expert only needs a few basics

• No matter how good you are, there is always room for improvement

What Grazing Management and Golf have in common

Don Ball, 1999

What is Rotational Grazing?

• Farming is all about capturing the sun’s energy and converting it to usable products.

L. Paine, 2005

• If we start by maximizing the amount of energy we capture, all other steps in the process have greater potential to yield profits.

L. Paine, 2005

Number of Days of Bare Soil

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Continuous Corn Continuous Wheat Continuous Alfalfa Pasture

L. Paine, 2005

Many Pastures are Continuously Grazed

S

W

This usually means:• Lower yields due to

selective grazing• Greater weed

problems• Potential for erosion

problems in certain areas

• No management or poor management of forage resource

Rotational Grazing

Lane

Rest allows pasture to:

• Recover from grazing,• Rebuild energy reserves &

plant vigor• Increase forage production

1. Pastures are subdivided into

smaller areas (paddocks)

2. A portion of the pasture is

grazed while the remainder

“rests”

Management Intensive Rotational Grazing

W

W W

Lane

W

Management Intensive Rotational Grazing (MIRG) involves even greater numbers of paddocks and/or subdivision within paddocks to increase amount of rest and decrease days grazing each rotation

Corral

Lane

Strip Grazing

Strip

Grazing

Which grazing system is right for me?

CONSIDERATIONS:

• What’s best for the grass

• What’s best for the livestock

• What moves you toward your goals!!!

Why use Rotational Grazing?

Managed Intensive Grazing Advantages

• We control where animals graze

• Increases yield

• Increase carrying capacity

• Extend grazing season in the fall

• Increases forage quality

• Increases animal performance

• Lowers cost of production

• Maximizes efficiency of your time and resources

• Offers greater management flexibility

•Fence

•Water systems

•Labor

•Higher level of management required

It could be argued that managed intensive grazing comes at an

added cost

Why manage grazing?

• Reduces erosion

• Improves water quality

• Enhance wildlife habitat

• Improves range or pasture condition

Texas Creek, Colorado, BLM website on Health Riparian Areas

CIAS 2006

Gross Returns Per Acre

192

112

196

313

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

$350

Intens.Pasture

Contin.Pasture

Hay CornSilage

Penn State 1992

Direct Costs Per Acre

197

53

129

$0

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

$120

$140

Intens.Pasture

Contin.Pasture

Hay CornSilage

Penn State 1992

Profit Per Acre

129

75

20

58

$0

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

$120

$140

Intens.Pasture

Contin.Pasture

Hay CornSilage

Penn State 1992

Dairy Economic Comparison(15,000 vs. 18,000 lbs/cow/yr)

Confinement

Grazing

Full Machinery Reduced Machinery

Return To Labor

36,52852,118

39,40954,997

43,64054,227

Return To Labor ($/hr)

6.408.95

7.079.66

8.0810.73

* Researchers caution that this study is based on simulated dairy models

CIAS Study

Livestock Enterprise Comparison

Enterprise Stocking Rate

Lbs product per acre

Gross per acre

Cow-calf-low intensity

5 acres 100 calf $60

Cow-calf-intensive 2 acres 250 calf $150

Stocker calf-low intensity

1 acre 270 gain $95

Stocker calf-intensive 0.5 acre 540 gain $189

Sheep-low intensity 0.5 acre 225 lamb $113

Sheep-high intensity 0.2 acre 560 lamb $280

Ohio State

Understanding Plant Growth

Deitz, NRCS

Forage

Growth

Curve

Quality Yield

Best time to graze

Seasonal growth patterns in forages

Species April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.Kentuckybluegrass

OrchardgrassReedConarygrass

Alfalfa

Red clover

White clover

Monthly forage productionin 2-acre grass and grass-legume pastures

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.

Lbs

. For

age

Good Management Poor Management

Good Management Poor Management

Grass Pasture

Grass-Legume Pasture

animal need

Setting up a Grazing System

Fundamentals of successful

grazing management

• Meet the nutritional needs of the livestock from standing pasture

• Optimize pasture yield, quality, and persistence

• Maintain or enhance the natural resource base

• Integrate appropriate technology and knowledge into a practical system

Setting up a Rotation

• Size of animal

• Number of animals

• Daily intake

• Forage availability

• Desired rotation length

The example to follow was created by Laura Paine

How much forage is out

there?

Rule of thumb:

Figure about 400

pounds dry matter per

acre per inch of cool

season pasture.

L. Paine

How much do my animals need?

Rule of thumb: Figure 2.5 to 4% of body weight dry matter per animal per day.

L. Paine

How big should my paddocks be?

• Paddock size equals:

Number of head x Daily Intake (3% ) x No. of

Days Available Forage/Ac./Rotation

L. Paine

What does a sheep eat in a day?

• One ewe/lamb pair weighs about 200 lb

• Daily forage need/pair = 3% of body weight = 200 x 0.03 = 6 lb of dry matter/day

L. Paine

What does your flock eat in a day?

• One ewe/lamb pair eats 6 lb/day

• 20 pairs eat 120 lb/day



L. Paine

When should I graze and how much forage is out there?

• Graze when pasture is 8 to 10

inches high (depending on species).

• Take half-leave half rule: graze

down to 4 or 5 inches.

• At 400 lb/inch, you have 1600 to

2000 lb/acre to work with.

L. Paine

How long should I leave the flock on one paddock?

• One to three days. • Above 3 days, you’re regrazing

grass that you grazed the first day.

• The shorter the rotation, the better quality and forage utilization you’ll have.

L. Paine

Putting it all together

• Flock of 100 ewes with lambs.

• 3-day rotation.

• Need 600 lb forage/day.

• 600 lb x 3 days = 1800 lb/paddock.

L. Paine

Putting it all together

• Ready to graze pasture = 1600

lb forage/acre available to use.

• Acreage needed to last 3 days

= 1800/1600 = 1.13 acres.

• Just over one acre/paddock.

L. Paine

Determine Number of Paddocks

• 30 days 3 day rotation + 1 =

11 paddocks

• 11 paddocks x 1.13

acres/paddock = 12.43 acres

L. Paine

Another Example: Stocker Cattle• 100 stockers or heifers, 1 day rotation, 2000 lb/a

available forage• Beginning weight = 400 lb; ending weight = 800 lb; • average weight = 600 lb.• Paddock size equals:

(100 x (600 x 0.03) x 1) 2000 =

(100 x (18) x 1) 2000 =

1800 x 1 2000 =

1800 2000 =

*0.9 acres*

L. Paine

Determine Number of Paddocks

• 30 days 1 day rotation + 1

= 31 paddocks

• 31 paddocks x 1

acre/paddock = 31 acres

L. Paine

Stockers or Heifers

• 100 animals

• 1 day rotation

• 30 day cycle

• 1

acre/paddock

• 31 paddocks

L. Paine

The Rest Period

• Should vary according to plant growth

• In general, must increase as growth rate slows

• Relates closely to seasonal forage growth

• Need to rotate between paddocks every 3-6 days (or less)

Relationship of rest period to pasture mass during periods of rapid vs. slow growth

Period of fast plant growth (days)

Period of slow plant growth (days)

0 5 10 15 20 25

0 10 20 30 40 50

Lbs.

DM / acre

Optimum

Rest

Period

Meeting the needs of the pasture plant

Rest

Maximizing Intake

• Three controlling factors

•Grazing time

•Biting rate

•Bite size

Jim Gerrish, Dodge County Grazing Conference, 2002

Of the three controlling factors, bite size is all we can control!


Change in daily intake from day 1 to day 7 of week grazing period

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

5

Inta

ke

(% l

ivew

eig

ht)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Which will cause more overgrazing?

The stocking rate of both paddocks is identical: 100 Animal Days per Acre.

The effect on the paddocks will be much different.

Stocking Rate (animals/acre)

• Can use formulas for actual numbers

• Thumb rule; 1000 pound animal per 2-4 acres

• Intensive Rotational Grazing = 1000 pound beef animal to 1-1.5 acres

• Traditional “Under-managed” pastures = 1000 pound animal to 5-10 acres

Radial pasture configuration - before

NRCS, Bozeman, MT

Radial pasture configuration – after

NRCS, Bozeman, MT

Another pasture configuration - beforeExplanation

Bare

Buildings

Fences

Lawn

Property

Streams

Trees

Water

Weeds

Another pasture configuration - afterExplanation

Bare

Buildings

Fences

Lawn

Property

Streams

Trees

Water

Weeds

Fencing, Watering and Frost Seeding

Consider the New Fencing Technology

Be flexible with Fencing

Useful Life of Fencing Materials

Material Life (yrs.) Maintenance

Wood 15-20+ High

Post and Rail 15-20 Low – Medium

V-Mesh wire 20-30 Low

Barbless wire 15 Medium

High tensile wire

20-30 Low

Plastic fence 12 Low

PVC 20-30 Low

Fencing

• One of the largest expenses in Grazing

• Many different options but some rules apply– Have secure perimeter fence

– Use temporary or portable fence in cells

– Use the lay of the land to your advantage

– Be flexible in cell sizing

Cost of Fencing

• Cost of quarter mile of fence

– 48” woven wire, one barb-----------$1.07/foot

– 5 barbed wire fence------------------$0.83/foot

– High tensile 8 strand 12.5 gauge---$0.76/foot

– High tensile 5 strand electric(12.5)$0.57/foot

– Polywire fence(interior use only)--$0.03/foot

Iowa State University

Shape effect on Fencing Requirements

744 feet 836 feet 1007 feet

951 feet

Length=2 X Width888 feet

Length=4 X width1,040 feet

FROST SEEDINGAdding new seed to a pasture by broadcasting on frozen ground in early spring, letting frost & snow incorporate the seed.

Frost Seeding in Snow

This practice is promoted because it’s easy to determine seed placement. Be cautioned that this practice could also increase the risk of seed movement as the snow melts.

Snow Tracks Help

Seed Melts into Snow

FROST SEEDING

• Improves Pasture Quality & Yield

• Lower Cost Than Annual Nitrogen Application ($9 vs. $42)

• Works Best On Loams & Clay Soils or Fields With Natural Moisture

• Clovers Recommended, Birdsfoot Trefoil & Certain Grasses Can Work

FROST SEEDING

• Use Improved Varieties i.e. Clovers

Like Arlington, Cimmeron, or Marathon

and High Yielding Trefoils Like Norcen

• Graze Tight In The Fall

• Broadcast Inoculated Seed Approx. 45

Days Before Grass Growth Begins

FROST SEEDING

• Broadcast 6 - 10 # of Red Clover; 8 - 12#

of Trefoil; or 2 - 4 # of White Clover /acre

• Don’t Mix Clover & Trefoil

• For Insurance Apply 40# / Acre of Actual

Phosphorus (90# / Acre of 0-46-0 )

• Lime or Potassium May Be Needed - Soil

Test To Determine - Don’t Apply Nitrogen!

Grazing Tips

Management is our most important inputfor productivity

Management makes the difference between this…

C. Bradley

Successful Pasture Management

And this…

Grazing Streamside

Pastures

• Let forage accumulate 70-75 days

before a normal killing frost• At 2 acres per cow expect 40-60

days of stockpiled forage• The goal should be to provide the

greatest amount of leaf material• Growing or Lactating animals may

need more

Stockpile Forages

Steps to effective grazing management

• Graze to the desired stubble height (take half, leave half-grazing rule of thumb)

• Allow adequate rest periods for grass regrowth

• Don’t regraze a pasture until your key species has reached the desired height

• Avoid over or under grazing

• Apply fertilizer as needed (take a soil

test)

• Re-seed pastures if necessary

• Control weeds and undesirable plants

in pastures and adjacent areas

• Divide or subdivide grazing areas into

smaller blocks, where feasible

Steps to effective grazing management

• Commit Yourself Totally To Making It Work

• Make The Transition Gradually

• Solicit A Lot Of Advice, But Make Your Own Decisions

• Stay Flexible And Keep Investments Low

Grazing Management Tips

Grazing Management Tips

• Set reasonable goals

• Plan, monitor and modify plans to meet your objectives

• Be observant – walk your property and look

• Keep records – written and photographic

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/teamforage/index.html

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cwas/

Waushara

Green LakeMarquett

eAdams

Juneau

Wood

Portage

Central Agricultur

al Specialization

Wisconsin

Grazing Basics

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