Grazing System Phasing: Sorting Through and Finding The Right Pasture Management Systems For Your Farm and Herd

by Larry Wegner, MFGA Board Alumni/Wall of Fame Inductee

As I go about my day, from time to time, my thoughts will pop up and make me think, “why do we do that, what if I do this instead, where do we go from here”?

Sometimes these thoughts run a short course and fade out or are forgotten. In other cases, I follow through on my thoughts and spend hours researching trying to wrap my mind around the idea and thought in such detail to bring to a to a conclusion.

The other day I was wondering: “How does an experienced grazer explain to a new grazer or someone trying to improve their pasture management what path to take?”

Over the past number of years, I have made it my goal to learn from many different experts and their actual real-life experiences. I have also read numerous researchers reports and study summaries by academia. I have learned that producers must be profitable first, this is done by increasing production and or reducing expenses. Most producers use a combination of both.

On the other side is research that is trying to prove or disprove a theory. Many of the pasture management theories that get chosen for study projects influence producers. Over the years I met many producers who self-claim they are science-based producers and follow the science. Fair enough, to each their own.

The early adaptors/adopters are producers who are always learning and asking questions. There are no dumb questions. They are not afraid of change but are willing to embrace change if it will make them more profitable today and into the future. We must always be thinking now and long-term, there is no sense in sacrificing long term profitability for short term gain.

There are many different grazing management practices to learn from and follow. In my world, none of them are perfect and they all are a work in progress. It is up to the new producer or the producer trying to improve management levels to find out what will work for them and adapt it to their operation. We have adapted many of these different managements on our pastures and now use components from all of them on our pastures. These pasture management practices can change from paddock to paddock and year to year and farm by farm. Here are my takes on systems and practices that I am familiar with:

*For every day you delay spring turn out you gain three days in fall, this does work if this is the only management you are doing. I have found by following this you will have a large surplus of forage in early summer and will be feeding over mature forage by fall.

*Take half and leave half of the forage stand. We do this management on our early growth till the summer solstice. By leaving plenty of leaf material the plant will recover and can allow a latter grazing on the regrowth when the plant has recovered. This is a useful harvest method but is not a pasture management.

*Twice over management. This style of grazing works well with less fencing and is simple to set up management for. We started out doing this style when we first started, it put litter on the ground and improved the forage stand. This management style was designed for native forages stands and wildlife habit.

*Continuous grazed. Also known as release in spring and capture in fall. This is the most common method of grazing in Canada. All that is needed is a good perimeter fence and good water points. Individual animal performance is good, the total pasture production is poor. Say a kind word for the sorter at the market working with the calves born on pasture.

*Total graze is a grazing practice that is gaining in practice. In Total Graze the producer manages to graze the forage stand down to a lower level (removing 70-80% of the stand) but allows a longer plant recover time. By the longer recover time is so the plants have time recover and grow above ground and below ground. The herd is only on a part of the paddock for hours and then moved. The producers using the Total Graze method are impressed with the regrowth and the production of the pasture. This grazing method requires a full season grazing plan at the start of the year and must be monitored to maintain the animal and pasture health.

*Planned Grazing also known as Holistic Plan grazing. In this grazing method the producer spends time in the non-grazing season to develop a plan from past years production and rainfall to calculate the forage production for upcoming year. As with all plans when the season starts in spring, the plan is adjusted for the current conditions and is continuously monitored and changed through the grazing season. The producer can be moving the herd multi times in a day or once a week it all is what the producer’s goals are for the herd and producer’s lifestyle. I strongly believe that main goal should not be how long you graze the paddock for but how long the forage recovery time and recovery of the forage plant itself. Just a note it takes eight equal yielding paddocks to stop over grazing of the plants. It takes 16 plus paddocks to maximize animal and herd performance.

*Skim grazing or flush grazing is practice usually used in the spring and early summer months to just take off 10-20% of the forage in the paddock and then move to afresh paddock. Producers do this to stage the forage stand for later in the season, so the stand is not so mature for grazing in the later season.

*Extended season grazing in fall. This is done to have grazing available in the non-growing season. In this practice the producer must have a plan several months ahead of fall to have a forage stand that is not mature and enough of a stand that the herd can graze through some potential snow to meet the herd health requirements. If managed correctly there should be no difference between average hay and stockpiled forage, just on harvest cost. Our operation where we graze in June will usually produce the forage we want and need. In some areas the July grazed paddock will work fine. In my experience Smooth Broom Grass is not a forage the cattle like once it gets a freeze on it. We will let the animals graze at the stand as much as they want. Later in the season you may have to add a supplement with protein to help with digestion of the course forage remaining. Should there be a quality difference between a hay and a forage stand at the vegetive stage terminated by freeze up?

*Early spring grazing, this practice takes time and a good management level to have the stockpile forage (15-30 cm of height) carry over until spring and the soil health to bring it all together. The soil health part is having good soil aggregation. The aggregation are the small clumps of soil (built by the soil biology) that allow the air and water to move through the soil profile. The grasses that come early are Smooth Brome Grass and Bluegrass. While other species do respond they are not as early as these two. Cattle do not mind eating the Brome Grass after a winter on it, I think the cattle will eat it just to get to the new growth. The mix of old and new forages will help blend their diet. For us it works well to flush the cows up before calving. Over time each year you can start a little earlier. We start in early April, we also have back up plans in case of cold weather or a spring storm. Do not allow back grazing, or return back to where they have already grazed, it will hurt the forage stand. We aim to harvest 20-30 per cent of the new growth.

*Mob or High-density Grazing is the practice of combining herds and then you only have one or two management groups. This is for an experienced grazer as the area given for grazing must be enough to satisfy all the animals in the herd, you do not want any of the herd to be hungry when the forage is consumed. Always have your cattle full when you move them to a new paddock. This can be seen on the cattle left hand side at the short ribs. While this practice may take more management the results in terms of soil health and increase forage production can be eye opening.

*Do not let the cow take a second bite from that forage plant. this should be reworded: “do not let the beasts eat from the forage plant that has started to recover and grow”. In the early season it is about three days and later in the season it can be as long as a week or 10 days. It is strongly related to moisture ability.

AMP Grazing. Adoptive Multi Paddock (AMP) grazing is a combination of many of the practices listed above. The pasture manager must be on top of the pasture conditions, yield, forage quality and be looking to maximize the forage harvest with the livestock. These producers will never graze a paddock the same way two years in a row or at the same time. These little changes keep the soil, forages and the stock improving and increasing production. AMP grazers have a plan on paper but treat the plan as a guide not the law. They are planning 2-3-10 years into the future but are dealing with today’s wants and needs. I believe we as a family fit into this category, as we are always learning new methods of management and soil health, while hard line on production cost.

As I said at the outset, each producer must know these different grazing managements and use the most appropriate context lens to determine which one work for them. When I say context lens, I mean in your operation: what restraints do you face? Is the pasture too far from home making multi day move or even once a day moves impossible? Does it take you a whole day just to check the herds on each of the pastures? Do you run yearlings and do not need fall grazing? Do you have time restrains? Do you lack the confidence to try these practices? Maybe you need a mentor to help you?

I hope this blog will help you answer some of your questions on the different pasture managements. Have a great day checking your forage and herds in the pasture.

Larry