Benefits of Management-intensive grazing Improved legume persistence Reduced N fertilizer requirement Better manure distribution/nutrient recycling Reduced P & K fertilizer requirement Improved soil health/condition Improved pasture condition/health Improved forage quality/animal performance Increased carrying capacity Other benefits Extended grazing season Improved livestock mgmt./ herd health Improved wildlife habitat Environmentally and economically sustainable Improved legume persistence: carbohydrate cycling, natural reseeding, stolon elongation (Brink) Reduced N fertilizer application: legume fixation Better distribution of manure: 3 years to cover paddocks, 27 years single large field Reduced P and K fertilizer application: from manure Increased forage quality: every 3 days is leafy regrowth Increased carrying capacity: data agreed upon by those who disagree on “Management-intensive Grazing”

Manure Distribution In the 3-paddock system (analogous to continuously grazed pastures) very few manure piles are deposited in the main paddock area. There is a concentration of manure near shade and water. I frequently ask the audience to identify the areas of the field where manure piles are most densely concentrated (shade, east end; water, southwest corner). In the intensively grazed 24-paddock system there is a much more even distribution of manure piles in the pasture creating a higher density of manure piles in the main paddock area. There is still a concentration of nutrient near water but the trends are less pronounced.

Carrying capacity of pasture is determined by four factors Forage Production Seasonal Utilization Rate X Carrying Capacity = Length of the Grazing Season Daily Intake X

Grazing Period Length Affects Utilization