1. Grazing Basics Central Wisconsin Grazing Meetings March 2008
Craig Saxe
UW-Extension, Juneau Co.
211 Hickory Street
Mauston WI 53948
(608)

2. 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

3. Grazing Tips

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

5. Successful Pasture Management
And this…

6. 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)

7. Stockpile Forages
Let forage accumulate days before a normal killing frost
At 2 acres per cow expect 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) days before a normal killing frost
At 2 acres per cow expect 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

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. 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.

11. 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