Proper Grazing Use

NRCSNRCS Prescribed Grazing Natural Resources Conservation Service Proper Grazing Use Worksheet 528(5) October 2017

Client: Location: Completed by: Date:

Planned Minimum Key Plant(s) for Grazing Species of Season Location of Stubble Height or Judging Proper Maximum Utilization Actual Stubble Heights or Percent Unit Acres Grazing of Use Key Grazing Area Grazing Use of Key Species at End Animal Utilization of Grazing Period 20 20 20 20 20

Method used to determine utilization degree must be described and documented on Meets the field data sheets generated during utilization certification. Those field sheets must Certification: be attached to this form. Designed by: Date: *Does not meet Checked by: Date: Certification: Approved by: Date: Producer’s Statement Signature & The design and O&M of this practice has been discussed with me and I concur with both. Date Signature: Date: Note: Key grazing areas shall also be identified on the conservation plan map. *Reason for not meeting certification: Instructions for NM-NRCS-528(5) Prescribed Grazing Certification Worksheet

MONITORING PLAN: A Monitoring Plan shall be developed with appropriate records to assess whether the grazing strategy is meeting objectives. Identify the key areas and key plants that the manager should evaluate in making grazing management decisions.

The Monitoring Plan shall include use of the NM-NRCS-528-5 Proper Grazing Certification Worksheet (A) This worksheet will be used to assess whether the grazing strategy is meeting the client’ grazing management plan and the NRCS 528 Proper Grazing Use objectives. It will also be used for practice certification. Grazing management units that are determined not to have met prescribed grazing standards will not be reported as successfully applied. Prescribed grazing certification checks should be conducted using measured stubble heights or percent utilization at or near the end of the grazing period. This determination will be made no later than the beginning of the new major plant growth period. Table 1 and 2 from the 528 Prescribed Grazing Standard indicates grazing heights and regrowth intervals by species. These tables and/or Holechek and Galts, Grazing Intensity Guidelines, and/or The University of Arizona’s Estimating Range Use with Grazed –Class Photo Guides are to be used for developing a plan for proper grazing use and should be followed to complete this worksheet.

Top Section: Fill-in information as requested.

(B) Grazing Unit Name or No.: Enter the grazing unit name or number.

(C) Size (acres): Enter the size of the grazing unit in acres.

(D) Kind of Grazing Animal: Enter the kind, and if applicable, class of livestock to be grazed such as: dry cows, cow/calf, ewes and lambs, yearling cattle, 2-year steers, yearling sheep, goats, horses, etc.

(E) Season of Use: Enter the season that the grazing unit will be grazed such as: spring, summer, fall, or winter. Or by months for example: Sept– Oct., Nov. – Mar., May – Jul.

(F) Location of Key Grazing Area: Enter a description of the key grazing area in each grazing unit. Include a GPS Waypoint or the actual UTM coordinates. These locations must be plotted on the Grazing Management Plan map or the Conservation Plan Map.

Key Grazing Area: A relatively small portion of a pasture or management unit selected because of its location, use, or grazing value as a monitoring point for grazing use. It is an area that as monitored indicates the grazing pressure being applied to the entire grazing management unit and helps range managers make grazing management decisions, such as when to rotate or how long to defer. Identifying and locating the key grazing area is done after considering grazing use patterns and preference areas within the unit. Key grazing areas should be located about ¾ mile away from water facilities (if possible) and in sites that will receive use by grazing animals. They should not be located near supplemental feeding areas, fencelines, roads or other infrastructure that would modify the behavior of livestock grazing. The key grazing area provides a significant amount of the available forage in the grazing management unit. A key grazing area should be identified in each pasture.

(G) Key Plant(s) for Judging Prescribed Grazing: Enter the key plant species for the key grazing area in each grazing unit by common name.

Key Plant Species- A key plant species is chosen to serve as a guide to the grazing use of the entire plant community. The objective is if the key species on the key grazing area is properly grazed, the entire plant community will not be overly utilized. Therefore, the class of livestock on the operation should have a relatively high preference for the key plants selected. Normally, the key forage species provides more than 15% of the available forage on the area and is palatable. Plants preferred by livestock class can be found in the Ecological Site Descriptions. The planner and the client should cooperatively decide what species to monitor and evaluate for prescribed grazing certification. There may be occasion when you will select two species, like a warm season and a cool season species, in this case enter the names of both species. (H) Planned Minimum Stubble Height or Maximum Utilization of Key Species at End of Grazing Period: In the column heading, circle the category to be used to determine when livestock should be removed: either minimum stubble height (inches); or maximum percent utilization (%) on the key species. Then, for each management unit and key plant listed, enter the appropriate value at which grazing pressure must be removed. For example, if the key plant is Blue grama then grazing pressure should be removed when stubble height is 2-2.5 inches. Refer to the 528-Prescribed Grazing Standard Table 1 and 2, Holechek and Galts, Grazing Intensity Guidelines, and/or The University of Arizona’s Estimating Range Use with Grazed –Class Photo Guides for additional information by species.

(I) Actual Amount Remaining: In the column heading, specify what units were used during the field data collection: either actual amount remaining (left ungrazed) in inches for stubble height, or percent utilization. Utilization can be determined with either the Stubble Height Wheel Method or Use with Photo Guides Method. Enter the year the data was collected.

(J) Planner Who Conducted Application Check: The planner who conducted the certification check will enter their names. If the individual does not have appropriate Job Approval Authority (JAA), then another planner with the correct JAA will also sign the certification.

(K) Date Check Conducted: Enter the date when the check was conducted.

Methods:

Stubble Height: To calculate current use of a key species on an area, evaluate plant heights of the species after grazing and record data using the 528-5A Stubble Height Method Data Sheet. Grazed and ungrazed plants of the key forage species should be measured in the key grazing area. A transect should be walked and a method selected (such as every so many steps, that species that falls at the end of one toe or within a 3 foot radius of one foot and is assessed as grazed or un-grazed) and the height of that plant recorded. 100 plants should be assessed (or at least enough to adequately quantify the average). Add up the heights of plants that have been grazed and divide by the number of plants measured for an average. Next add up the heights of un-grazed plants and divide by the number of plants measured for an average un-grazed height. Take the average un-grazed height and spin the Utilization Gauge wheel until the number is pointed out by the arrow, then follow down the wheel until you find the average grazed height and follow across to the utilization. Make sure the card is set for the correct plant identified as the key species. Record final Percent Utilization on 528-5 form under the correct year. Take a photo of the key grazing area with a label and date.

Estimating Range Use with Photo Guides:

To calculate current use of a key species on an area, evaluate plants of the species and record data using the 528-5B Photo Guide Data Sheet. Post-grazing utilization amounts of the key forage species should be evaluated in the key grazing area. A transect should be walked and a method selected (such as every so many steps, that species that falls at the end of one toe or within a 3 foot radius of one foot is evaluated and recorded.) Record each encounter with the species and determine which grazed-class the plant falls into and record by dot-dash tally. If 100 plants are assessed, the dot-dash totals equal the percentage of grazed plants by classes. If 50 plants are assessed, the dot-dash tallies can be doubled to determine percentage of grazed plants by classes. Add up the Dot-Dash column and put that amount in the Grazed Plant % Column. Then multiply the Grazed Class Column by the Grazed Plant % Column and reduce the answer to hundredths to get the Current Use %. Add up Current Use % Column and multiply by 100 to convert back to percent utilization. Record final utilization rating on 528-5 form under the correct year. Take a photo of the key grazing area with a label and date.

Whichever method is selected should be described on the field sheets, with tally counts, notes, a date and a photo. Field sheets should be attached to the 528-5 Proper Grazing Use form.