Want more grass for your livestock?
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If you are like most livestock producers, your answer is yes. What if you could increase your grazing forage without adding one acre to your operation? What if you could increase forage production by 25 percent, 50 percent or more, and without costly inputs such as fertilizer, re-seeding, or expensive farming implements? The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and our local Pasture Team are here to help.
The solution lies in improved grazing management utilizing a system of livestock rotation and rest following grazing episodes. By improving grazing management, you can substantially increase forage production, dramatically reduce expenses, and improve the sustainability of your livestock operation all at the same time. With proper planning, you may be able to graze longer in the fall and winter, reducing expenses associated with haying. Grazing management may also reduce the labor and expense of weed control, harrowing, spreading manure or fertilizer, re-seeding, and renovating your pastures.
Most of these ideas are not new; they have been tried and tested in many different climates. Implementing a functional grazing system that benefits your quality of life by improving resource conditions does take forward planning, and sometimes a different perspective. Fortunately, there is assistance to be had — and that assistance is free.
Over the past several years, members of our community have come together to tackle some of the particular challenges of our area. Throughout the Mission Valley, agricultural producers are realizing the benefits of these efforts and the results have been profound. Many producers will tell you that improving grazing management not only improved their pastures and their financial sustainability, but it also improved their quality of life. We have found that one of the primary components of improved grazing management on tame pasture is increasing rotation of livestock through subdivided pastures with an understanding of the rest period needed after grazing episodes.
These ideas are not secret, or magic; they will work in Montana and they are working in the Mission Valley right now. The NRCS welcomes producers of any size to work with our diverse Pasture Team to figure out how improved grazing management can work for your operation. There is no risk in learning more, and no pressure to adopt any concepts. Come see for yourself if these ideas are right for you. Give me a call anytime to find out more, I’ll be happy to hear from you.
