Intensive Grazing

Create A Pasture Plan

To plan a grazing system for your pasture, you need a map or sketch of the existing farm enterprise so that you can plan for the future. On your sketch you will need the location of:

Existing fields, (crop and pasture)
Location of bush, streams, ditches, slopes, roads
Location of all existing fences
Location of old and new water sites
Aerial photos are very useful to provide an accurate picture of the topography as well as the acres involved in each parcel.

Pasture Quality and Quantity

Identify the quality of forage in all pasture areas and potential pasture areas. Include seeded pasture, unimproved and bush pasture, seeded annuals, and crop residues that could be pastured.

The next step is to estimate the potential productivity and the time when the forage is available. This can be done by estimating the potential forage production (by measurement or from a reference source) and converting this information to Animal Days per Acre or Animal Unit Months (A.U.M.). Both systems are based upon an animal unit of 1,000 lbs. live weight.

If you assume one animal unit will consume 26 pounds of dry matter per day (2.6 per cent of body weight), the forage needs of one cow/calf pair will be 26 pounds of dry matter/day. A pasture rated at five animal unit months could support 1 animal unit months for five grazing months.

How Many Paddocks

There is no required number of paddocks in a grazing system. The number of paddocks required in any grazing unit will depend upon the number of grazing days in a period and the amount of rest required for plant recovery. More paddocks will increase the control of the grazing animal, increase the stock density and reduce selective grazing.

Rest Period/Grazing Period + No. Animal Groups = #Paddocks
Using this formula, if 30 days are required for regrowth, five days grazing per period and one herd, this would require seven paddocks. For two herds, an additional paddock would be required assuming a "follow the leader" grazing system.

Days grazing per period is varied according to size and quality of forage in a paddock. For example, more days grazing per paddock for larger paddocks or those with tame forages and less days for bush or native pastures or smaller paddocks. Rest is the Key to grazing management. Sufficient time must be provided for the grazed plant to recover before another grazing. The grazing manager is always looking ahead to when the grazed paddocks will be ready for another grazing. Walk Your Pastures. It usually takes a plant 20-40 days to recover from a grazing.

During the fast growing period of the season, 20 days or less may be required for regrowth, however 40 or more days may be required during the slow growth periods. Many tame forages will recover faster than some native species.

Stock Density

Stock density is the number of animals per acre in a single paddock during a grazing period. For example, 50 head on 10 acres provides a stock density of 5 head/acre.Varying the size of the paddocks will affect the stock density. Some grazing managers with many paddocks prefer stock density of 20 head per acre or more to give greater control.

Paddock size is determined by:

Number of Animals
Desired Stock Density
Variable Stock Density

With the seasonal growth curve of the pasture and the increasing demand of the livestock during the season, varying the size, and the numbers of paddocks in a grazing system is a common practice. The objective is to maintain the forage in a high-quality vegetative state.

The fencing system, particularly temporary electric fencing, is used to vary the size of the paddock. One option is to have a good perimeter fence and then use temporary electric fencing to subdivide or "ration out" the required forage for the stock.

Water Location

Livestock will travel in excess of one mile for water. When they come to the water site as a total herd, they will spend more time in that area, causing a build up of manure and overgrazing of the forage around the site.

However, if the water source is located within 800 feet, they will come to water on an individual basis and not as the total herd. Smaller waterers may be used and more of the manure will be deposited on the pasture and not in the alley or around the waterer.

Use of PVC pipe to move water to the desired location is often the most economical option, even up to distances of one mile.

Raised storage tanks can provide the on-site storage and water pressure for most water systems. High volume, low pressure float systems for 1.25 inch hoses are now readily available for use in water troughs.