The Bagpipe - American Highland Cattle Association

16
NUTRITION
GETTING STARTED GRAZING
Ohio State University Extension
The ruminant animals we work with on today’s farms have practiced grazing since before mankind discovered
fire. Animals herded together for protection from predators and rotationally grazed to find new sources of
forage. Rotational grazing on farms perhaps had its beginning with staking the animals out in a different
location each day. Recorded history of the benefits of rotational grazing goes back at least to the 1700’s.
Today we use the term Management-Intensive Grazing (MIG) to describe the art of grazing based on scientific
principles. MIG is one of the most promising concepts in agriculture today! It promises to lower costs while increasing
productivity and has proven to be
one of the most environmentally
friendly agricultural enterprises
currently practiced.
Well managed grazing operations
can produce returns per acre
equal to or greater than row crop
income, without government
subsidies. Your net return per acre
will depend on your debt load,
value of your land, intensity of
management and value and
pounds of product sold per acre.
While a beef cow may produce 100
pounds of calf per acre, and it
takes 5 acres to keep one cow, this
produces gross income of $60 per
acre if calves are worth 60 cents
per pound. If you are able to keep
a cow on 1.5 acres, using a more
intensive system, a 500 pound
weaned calf will produce 333
pounds of calf per acre and $200
gross income. Additional fence
and water development costs will
have to be covered but it is
apparent that becoming more
intensive has the potential to
increase net return due to lower
fixed costs in land.
Cow and calf benefitting from MIG.
Environmental Benefits of Management-lntensive Grazing
The environmental benefits of Management-Intensive Grazing (MIG) include reduced soil erosion, improved air
and water quality, better plant diversity, vigor and production, and improved fish and wildlife habitat. Improving
grazing management results in more complete vegetative cover and improved soil structure, that allows a higher
percentage of the rainfall to infiltrate the soil where it can be used for plant growth rather than running off where it
can result in soil erosion and sedimentation problems. Many ecological processes accelerate including decomposition
of manure. Nutrients can then be recycled several times during the growing season. This improves overall soil quality.
Water quality improves as the pasture vegetation becomes more dense and the soil condition improves. A
University of Wisconsin study showed that pastures are the best “crop” for reducing runoff, erosion and phosphorous
pollution over any other land use. A similar study done by USDA-Agricultural Research Service, North Appalachian
Experimental Watershed at Coshocton, Ohio revealed that both surface and ground water quality in a pastured
watershed was just as good or better than water leaving an adjacent pristine wooded watershed. Pasture soils are a
terrific biological filter to recover nutrients passing through the soil. Grass roots are active nearly year-round and