Grazing, Pasturing, Grass Feeding, and Rotation Management

Grazing, Pasturing, Grass Feeding, and Rotation Management require skill and management. Farmers need to monitor fencing, water delivery, herd movement, pasture quality.

According to The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) “Rotational grazing is periodically moving livestock to fresh paddocks, to allow pastures to regrow. Rotational grazing requires skillful decisions and close monitoring of their consequences. Modern electric fencing and innovative water-delivery devices are important tools. Feed costs decline and animal health improves when animals harvest their own feed in a well-managed rotational grazing system.”

Here is a list of helpful Grazing, Pasturing, Grass Feeding, and Rotation Management Resources:

ATTRA Provides loads of information and a number of publications related to grazing management including a multispecies grazing publication and a grazing planning manual and workbook.

GrassWorks publishes a list of grazing networks throughout the United states where you can connect with other grazers in your area and learn directly from experienced farmers.

The National Agricultural Library publishes a number of great grazing and pasture management resources.

University of Wisconsin Extension has a Pasture Management and Grazing Page with dozens of helpful resources including publications and links.

There are a ton of grazing management resources and calculators published by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS also publishes a comprehensive guide to rotational grazing called Pastures for Profit.

You can find lots of great grazing and pasture management resources for small farms from OSU.

The University of Vermont Pasture and Livestock Program is there to help farmers who are interested in getting started in grass farming right now.

Penn State University publishes a basic brochure called 4 Steps to rotational Grazing.

A free web publication on temporary fencing for rotational grazing is available from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

The University of Illinois has information on rotational grazing.

Case’s Agworld has links to information about rotational grazing (and much more).

Grazing Studies: What We’ve Learned, was published in April 1999 by J.L. Holechek, H. Gomez, F. Molinar, and D. Galt. It offers a synopsis many studies on grazing.

Also check out the following links specifically for dairy pasturing:

Learn about feeding grass to dairy cows on The Dairy Site.

Pasture Based Systems for Dairy Cows is a publication from Penn State University.

The University of Wisconsin publishes several resources on Pastures for Dairy Cattle.

Please share your own favorite Grazing, Pasturing, Grass Feeding, and Rotation Management Resources With Us!

 

You can find many other great farming resources at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/additional-farming-resources/