Hello Homesteaders,
Today I would like to share some knowledge on a form of land stewardship that takes animal husbandry and combines it with the natural processes of plants. Rotation grazing has become quite a buzz phrase in certain circles, yet it has had a low adoption rate and is often disregarded all together. I think the problem lies in the novice execution of well intentioned stewards.
The Horse is the hardest grazier that the current farm owner has, the most utilitarian is the goat. Cattle eat upwards of 70% grasses, while sheep eat a 60-40% grass to brush. I see more and more chicken grazing setups being utilized and rotating pigs through garden beds seems like a useful idea. My point here is that a land manager must utilize nature in the homestead, for if one fights nature, they will surely lose. As homesteaders in 2017 we have so many tools available to us, we should know how to properly use them all.
Fencing is the first argument that most experienced animal caretakers throw out when defending there traditional grazing cycles. Fencing is indeed a large capital investment that leaves little room for change. Proper layout is essential. New Zealand has led the market in Electric fence designs, and to be honest proper execution of the fence type within a Gallagher Charger Manual is sufficient. With training and consistency all animals will respect electric fences, and will rarely make contact with them (if herd stress is managed well). I suggest many different drawing designs before acquiring hardware, this allows me to visualize the project coming together, this step can also help figure out how every paddock will get access to water, sometimes the most challenging part of the system. Proper insulators and buried wires can make a few posts and some wire into a very extensive temporary fenced paddock system.
When managing grazing it is best to think of growing grass. The more grass I can get out of an acre of range is more fat I put on that young animal nursing his damn. What makes grass grow, well we know water, nitrogen, sunlight. . . . and time, another way to think of this combination is rest. Rest is the time when a paddock is empty, this is the essential part of rotation grazing. Rest needs to occur long enough for the plants to reenergize their growth node, send out leaves, expand root mass, and finally send out shoots and seeds. In some climates this might occur only once a year. Range will NOT improve unless rest is optimized. The double edge sword of rest is herd intensity.
Herd intensity is the sum of disturbances created by the herd when they were rotated through the paddock. Most rotational overgrazers have too low of stock density and too many days in a paddock. On most cases it should be doubled to tripled, both herd numbers and numbers of paddocks, which is why temporary electric fence is so important. Two examples, the first is a herd of eight pairs grazing 3 acres for 20 days, the second is a herd of twenty pairs in one acre for one day. We will not lose our mind-power into thinking how this works, but believe me some practitioners of intensive grazing have over 300 paddocks available. So the first group of animals will wonder around all three acres and pick the most succulent plants they can, they will also create more soil compaction due to pointless meandering and they will encourage the less desirable plants to thrive, since they do not get eaten by the picky cows. Now the second group is an extreme example of disturbance and rest. The forty animals will fill the entire acre and will not have the ability to roam for there favorite, they will stand and eat, and what they don't eat they will trample. An interesting thing happens with the trample effect. It will not be noticed until the paddock has had at least thirty days of rest and water, but the native root masses will expand and noxious invasives are ultimately forced out of a vigorous soil horizon.
I was taught theses theories in the mountains of Colorado, then apprenticed in New Zealand and was encouraged to use rain events as indicators of a pasture change. It is very important that a paddock get a couple of rains before it be used again that season, some times however the use might be so hard that it will take an entire season of rest before the plant health can sustain the animals again. David Pratt sums it up best in his book "Healthy Land, Happy Families and Profitable Businesses" The five basic principles of cell grazing are 1. provide adequate recovery "rest" for plants after grazing 2. Use short graze periods consistent with the required recovery period 3. Use the highest stock density practical. 4. use the largest herd consistent with good husbandry. 5. Match the stocking rate to the carrying capacity annually and seasonally. That last part will take into account dormant seasons, where paddocks must still be utilized. His book is a great read.
The work done by Smith B. et al in "Intensive Grazing Management: Forage, Animals, Men, Profits" is really some Grade A Stuff.
I hope this encourages some of you homesteaders to study how beneficial true cell grazing can be for your property.
Mahalo