Rotational Grazing: What Is It? Why Do It?

What is rotational grazing?

Rotational grazing is the shifting of livestock to different units of a pasture or range in regular sequence to permit the recovery and growth of the pasture plants after grazing. (Merriam-Webster)

In practice, that means we divide our fields into sections and let the herd into one section at a time.

Why do we rotationally graze?

Rotational grazing lowers our labor and feed costs. Feed costs drop because we no longer buy grain or hay for the herd. Instead, the cattle graze for much of the year on the forage we grow. We also bale hay from these same fields, and from neighboring fields, to feed through the winter. We still have more than our share of farm chores, but rotational grazing saves time because we aren’t hauling feed to the herd all the time.

This land has been in the family for many years. For much of that time, it was rented to corn and soybean farmers, and that led to a lot of runoff and soil erosion. Since we converted our fields to a diverse mix of grasses and started rotational grazing, we’ve been adding back to the soil. You won’t find runoff or erosion in our fields anymore. In fact, they soak up much more water than they used to.

The main benefit of rotational grazing is that it gives forage time to grow back. Believe it or not, cattle have taste preferences, and they eat what they like most first. Left alone, they can overgraze those plants and kill them. Rotating the herd lets those forages regrow, so you get more of the grasses you want.

We could go on about the benefits, but those are reason enough to keep doing it. Our favorite reason, though, is the relationship it builds with our cattle. These days, if you walk into the pasture, the herd will come right to you. Whether that’s because they trust us or because they think we’re opening up a new paddock is anyone’s guess. We prefer to think they like us.

If you’d like to see it for yourself, get in touch and schedule a time to visit the farm.