Posted in Homestead Barnyard

When considering buying land and raising livestock, the question is always “how much pasture do we need?” And there are many different answers depending on the quality of the pasture, what varieties of animals, and the types of plants that grow well in your climate.

Management of your pastures, no matter how big or small, is the most important part of the answer to this “How much pasture?” question. A smaller, well managed pasture will produce more food for your grazers than a larger, poorly managed one.

Here are the general principles we are trying to follow on our small farm:

1. Rotate, rotate, rotate.

Animals graze the plants they like best first: tender grasses, clovers, dandelions, and plantains, to name a few. If given continual access to these plants, the animals will continue to graze their favorites as the plants try to re-grow. When continually grazed, these favored plants do not have a chance to re-gain the energy they need for regrowth and eventually die, leaving the less favored plants to take over the pasture. This is the likely reason you see a lot of weedy pastures around with grasses eaten to the ground.

To prevent this problem, pastures should be divided up into much smaller areas, typically called “paddocks”. The animals are allowed to graze each paddock for short periods of time, typically a day to a week, to graze down the area. Then the animals are rotated to a new paddock. The plants then have a chance to rest, regenerate, and regrow.

The period of time to graze a paddock depends on many factors. These factors include the number of animals grazing (the stocking rate), the time of year, and the lushness and rate of growth of the pasture or “sward”. It takes experience to judge the amount of time necessary.

2. Graze multiple species.

Cows, sheep, goats, and other species are designed to eat different plants. For example, cows tend to prefer grasses while sheep like more weedy plants. By grazing different species either together or one following the other, more of your pasture plants are grazed and one plant does not become dominant.

3. Grow a variety of grasses, legumes, and forbes.

Different plants take up different types and levels of nutrients from your soil. By growing different plants in your pasture, your animals have a wider variety of nutrients available to meet their dietary needs. These dietary needs are met by grasses, legumes (like clovers and alfalfa), and, yes, even weeds!

Weeds are also known as “forbes”. These can include chicorys, dandelions, plantains, daisies, and many other common plants that are considered useless. They are in fact, very nutritious and important to the health and vitality of your animals.

Your county’s agricultural extension agent can help you identify grasses and legumes that grow well in your area. You may have to do your own search on the weeds as modern, conventional wisdom says “all weeds are bad”. A good edible wild plant guide can help you here.

4. Balance the nutrients in your pastures.

The old adage “You are what you eat.” applies to plants as well. And without the proper nutrients, your pastures will not provide what your animals need to thrive. The best way to do this is to leave animal waste right on your pasture. But there still may be nutrients lacking. Once again, your county’s agriculture extension agent should be able to help you with a detailed soil analysis.

With careful attention to your pastures and their management, you will be able to grow great food for your family with minimal cost out of your pocket book.

For more information on pasture management, check out these informative books:

Greener Pastures on Your Side of the Fence by Bill Murphy
Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin
Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable by Juliette De Bairacli-Levy

Kristin Hoffman homesteads with her family in the hills of East Tennessee and blogs about alternative energy, family farming, and home schooling with her husband at www.solarfamilyfarm.com. She can also be found hanging out on the Front Porch of Homestead Blogger.