Pastures: ATTRA Sustainable Management A Publication of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service • 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org By Alice Beetz and Well-managed forage systems contribute signifi cantly to the sustainability of a farm/ranch operation. This Lee Rinehart publication addresses numerous aspects of sustainable pasture integration, grazing rotation strategies, NCAT Agriculture and management options. It covers: grazing systems, pasture fertility, changes in the plant community Specialists through grazing, weed control, and pasture maintenance. It also discusses planning and goal-setting, © 2006 NCAT and offers an appendix item on trees in pasture settings. Contents Introduction ....................1 Considerations for Irrigated Pasture Systems in the Western U.S. ........ 9 Summary ........................13 References ...................... 15 Resources .......................16 Appendix: Trees in Pasture Systems ...........18 NCAT photo. Introduction cycles of annual weeds and other crop pests are interrupted during anagement is the key to healthy, pro- ductive pastures. Controlled, rota- the pasture years of the rotation. Mtional, or management-intensive • Soil health improves as the content grazing has increased forage production for of organic matter increases under many producers. Skillfully using livestock to good grazing management. harvest forages leads to improved soil fertil- ity, a diverse, dense, and useful pasture ecol- • Soil structure improves over time ogy, and an extended grazing season. Fertile as compaction and hardpan is soil and productive pastures, in turn, support reduced. healthy animals. • Ruminants (cattle, sheep, deer, Well-managed forage systems contribute goats) thrive in a better balanced to an operation’s sustainability in several agro-ecosystem and produce milk, ATTRA–National Sustainable important ways: meat, and fi ber from grasses that Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Cen- cannot be digested by humans. • Lands most susceptible to erosion ter for Appropriate Technology Livestock eat excess plant materi- (NCAT) and is funded under a (or otherwise unsuitable for annual grant from the United States als while animal wastes contribute Department of Agriculture’s crops) can be maintained as perma- Rural Business-Cooperative Ser- nent sod. nutrients for plant growth. vice. Visit the NCAT Web site (www.ncat.org/agri. • Land used for row crops benefi ts • Marketing meat, milk, fi ber, and html) for more informa- tion on our sustainable from a year or more in pasture as other animal products can diversify agriculture projects. /$"5 part of a crop rotation plan. The life producer income. In the not-too-distant fertility requirements than do most dair- past, farmers more fully ies. Consistent production of high-quality integrated crop and forage under current management makes a livestock enterprises dairy or stocker enterprise an option to con- as a matter of course. sider. Otherwise, a different class of cattle, Grain produced in sheep, or other ruminant (either alone or fi eld rotation was either in a multispecies system) may be more sold or fed to livestock, suitable to your specifi c site and manage- ©2005 clipart.com depending on market ment capability. conditions. Cropland In setting production goals for any livestock The sun is the source of energy for the entire planet was rotationally seeded and much of this energy is captured and stored by enterprise, consider the economic return to forages, usually for plants. Plant fi bers that are otherwise unusable by per acre rather than production per animal. humans are eaten and converted into a new form several years. Land not This is a change from traditional thinking. of stored energy by domestic ruminants, such as suitable for crop pro- Compare pounds produced per acre or per cattle, sheep, and goats. Producers can then mar- duction was grazed. ket this animal meat, milk, and fi ber. In a very real dollar invested rather than weaning weights Animals also foraged sense, annual crop and livestock systems constitute or shipping weights. This type of analysis a harvest of the sun and a new source of wealth. And after-harvest crop resi- shows actual profi tability more clearly. (See the most effi cient system to convert the sun’s energy dues and the remains to money is likely to be the most profi table. A dense enclosed article by Doug Gunnink for tools of failed crops. These and diverse forage community off ers an excellent to analyze profi tability.) opportunity for livestock managers who can harvest time-honored strategies and market it. are not totally absent from today’s agricultural landscape; how- Renovating Pastures vs. ever, a better integration of crop and live- Establishing New Ones stock enterprises is a necessary step toward Planting a new pasture offers the oppor- the goal of sustainable pasture lands. tunity to choose forage species and variet- ies suited to the livestock type adapted to Planning and Goal-Setting the soil and climate. Effi ciency is further In analyzing your pasture systems, think of enhanced by matching the season of maxi- yourself as a grass farmer, and the livestock mum forage production to the period when as a means to market the forage. It doesn’t livestock can best use it or most need it. matter whether the grass is produced on Further, planting a diverse mixture of for- permanent pasture, on marginal land, ages with differing maturities provides a or on crop land in the pasture years of a high-quality, longer grazing season. rotation. An excellent goal is to produce enough good-quality County or state Extension personnel are ATTRA has developed several sustainability forage to sustain live- often good sources of information about for- checksheets for educators and producers to stock over as much of age varieties adapted to an area or even to a use in evaluating any operation that includes the year as possible. specifi c site. The Natural Resources Conserva- a grazing system. Each is designed to make tion Service (NRCS) is another good source of the producer think about how diff erent parts Then choose the live- information on forage production practices of the pasture-based enterprise relate to each stock that can best appropriate for particular grazing systems. other. The checksheets were developed by use it. This agency has been given specifi c respon- sibility for helping farmers improve the graz- teams of producers and educators and have Of course, different been tested in several locations. Checksheets ing lands of the United States. Most states currently available include: livestock species and have at least one NRCS Grazing Lands Spe- classes of livestock cialist to carry out this mandate. You can fi nd · Beef Farm Sustainability Checksheet have different feed more information about this initiative at www. · Dairy Farm Sustainability Checksheet requirements and glci.org/. · Small Ruminant Sustainability Checksheet forage preferences. Call ATTRA to request a printed copy of Most cow-calf opera- On the other hand, improving manage- any of these checksheets, or download tions, for instance, ment of an existing pasture is usually pref- them from our Web site at www.attra.org/ have lower forage erable to starting a new one. The cost to livestock.html. nutrition and soil seed, till, and control weeds for a new pas- Page 2 ATTRA Pastures: Sustainable Management The animals do not return to a paddock GOAL OF GOOD GRAZING until the plants have recovered and regrown MANAGEMENT: to the desired height for grazing (usually six The maximum number of animals has plenty to eight inches). As a result, the plants have of good quality forage to graze throughout time to recover, the roots maintain energy as much of the year as possible. The needs reserves, and the livestock always have high of the soil, the plants, and the livestock are quality forage. balanced to achieve this goal. Knowledge of forage plants and animal- KEY TOOLS OF GRAZING pasture interaction is necessary to the suc- MANAGEMENT: cess of this type of grazing plan—and fre- • Stock density quent attention to both is essential. This is • Frequency of moves why these programs are often referred to as • Paddock rest “management-intensive” grazing systems. Controlled, intensive, and rotational grazing are other terms loosely used for this type of ture is expensive and must be considered. grazing management. The subject of grazing Additionally, a producer must consider the management is covered more completely in cost to keep livestock off the acreage dur- the ATTRA publication Rotational Grazing. nowledge ing the establishment period. The risk of of forage, erosion during this transitional period must Rotations can vary from once every cou- pplants, also be taken into account. In short, it may ple of weeks to every 12 hours. Decisions K be more economical, and less disruptive to about when to move livestock are based on and animal-pasture the soil ecology, to improve an existing pas- the seasonal amount of forage available, the interaction is neces- ture’s forage by introducing desirable spe- rate of forage growth, and the number and sary to the success type of animals grazing the paddock. The cies using no-till seeding methods. of a controlled number and size of paddocks is also consid- Many pasture problems—such as sparse plant ered. Typically, grazing animals are moved grazing plan. cover, weed invasion, and slow growth—are quickly through paddocks during periods of caused by poor grazing management. If this rapid plant growth. In the fall, quick rota- is the case, establishing a new pasture will tions keep grasses from going to seed and not solve the problem. Newman Turner, in preserve forage quality. This strategy can Fertility Pastures and Cover Crops, observes delay for several weeks harvesting of forage that good grazing management can trans- as hay, allowing for hay to be put up dur- form poor grazing land into healthy, produc- ing a dryer time of the season.