Producers that have pastureland or rangeland that also have grazing livestock (Cattle, sheep, goats…) should develop good grazing management practices. Stellar grazing management allows for a pasture to be grazed in a sustainable way that will prevent damage to the pasture and provide ample nutrition to the grazing livestock. “Grazing management is the manipulation of grazing in pursuit of a specific objective or set of objectives, and the tools that we can use to manipulate grazing include grazing intensity, stocking method, and timing of grazing.” Grazing intensity is the number of animals grazing and the amount of time they graze. Stocking method is the grazing system used or how the livestock will be moved throughout the pasture or rangeland (Continuous grazing, rotational grazing, mob grazing, strip grazing...). Timing of grazing refers to the plant growth phase or the time of year or season the land will be grazed. Of these tools, grazing intensity is the most important factor to consider.
Take a few moments to look at the two images below and take note of the differences you see:
From a brief glance, I can tell that one rancher uses a continuous grazing system and the other uses a mob grazing system, a more intensive style of rotational grazing system. Continuous grazing systems allow the livestock to graze on the full acreage, while rotational grazing systems section off parts of the property. Continuous grazing systems can lead to overgrazing and allow livestock to graze plant species they prefer, while leaving others that are less palatable. Rotational grazing systems can prevent overgrazing, resulting in a more productive pasture that can support your livestock for a longer amount of time. Mob grazing is more intensive than rotational grazing. Livestock are moved into smaller paddocks frequently, and the pasture is grazed more quickly but also more thoroughly. There is less chance for livestock sorting and only eating certain plant species than in a continuous grazing system. Electric fencing or a single PolyBraid wire is often used to section off the grazing land into the appropriate size paddocks. Curious about grazing management and grazing systems? Watch the video below:
https://youtu.be/iNMJDGN2VvA?feature=shared
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