Grazing Basics Central Wisconsin Grazing Meetings March 2008 Craig Saxe UW-Extension, Juneau Co. 211 Hickory Street Mauston WI 53948 (608) 847-9329 craig.saxe@ces.uwex.edu

We’ll be covering What is rotational grazing Why use rotational grazing Understanding plant growth Setting up a grazing system Fencing, watering and frost seeding Grazing tips Here are the items we will be covering in this presentation

Grazing Tips

Management is our most important input for productivity C. Bradley Management makes the difference between this…

Successful Pasture Management And this…

Grazing Streamside Pastures Current ruling reads: Unrestricted livestock access to waters of the state that prevents the maintenance of sod cover adjacent to those waters (is prohibited)

Stockpile Forages Let forage accumulate 70-75 days before a normal killing frost At 2 acres per cow expect 40-60 days of stockpiled forage The goal should be to provide the greatest amount of leaf material Growing or Lactating animals may need more Let forage accumulate or stockpile (no cattle) 70-75 days before a normal killing frost At 2 acres per cow expect 40-60 days of stockpiled forage for late fall or winter The goal should be to provide the greatest amount of leaf material To grazing animals (waiting till late season means most grasses are past producing seedheads and instead will produce more leaf surface Stockpiling is weather sensitive

Steps to effective grazing management Graze to the desired stubble height (take half, leave half-grazing rule of thumb) Allow adequate rest periods for grass regrowth Don’t regraze a pasture until your key species has reached the desired height Avoid over or under grazing If you don’t monitor carefully, livestock will graze regrowth as soon as it is available, as they prefer it to the older, less palatable feed. While the regrowth is very nutritious, there’s not enough of it to support many animals, and repeated grazing of the same plants damages the roots. If, instead, you move animals frequently to fresh feed, their forage consumption will be high, and the forage quality will also be good. Remember that you can and should always pen animals up in a sacrifice area while waiting for grass to regrow.

Steps to effective grazing management Apply fertilizer as needed (take a soil test) Re-seed pastures if necessary Control weeds and undesirable plants in pastures and adjacent areas Divide or subdivide grazing areas into smaller blocks, where feasible Managing Pastures Includes: Upgrading pastures, adding legumes or other grasses (50% mix?), clipping??, Stockpiling Apply fertilizer as needed (take soil test) Bluegrass especially needs good fertilization Fertilization may reduce legumes Re-seed pastures if necessary some species will die out over time (alfalfa, red clover) depending on management. Sometimes management style brings on preferred species (quack, bluegrass, lush grass, etc)

Grazing Management Tips Commit Yourself Totally To Making It Work Make The Transition Gradually Solicit A Lot Of Advice, But Make Your Own Decisions Stay Flexible And Keep Investments Low Make The Transition Gradually Do Some Low-Cost Tinkering, start with; Dry Cows & Heifers Existing Pasture Improvements Old Hay Fields Solicit A Lot Of Advice, But Make Your Own Decisions Get Good Information Pasture Walks Field Days Grazing Conferences Print Information Join A Grazing Network Stay Flexible And Keep Investments Low Don’t build permanent fences or watering systems until you’ve figured it out.

Grazing Management Tips Set reasonable goals Plan, monitor and modify plans to meet your objectives Be observant – walk your property and look Keep records – written and photographic Know it is up to you to do the work necessary to implement a successful grazing program. Good Luck and thanks for attending. Get out on the ground & look at what is happening Your walks in the pasture and observations of how pastures and stock look are critical to making the necessary adjustments

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