Agriculture Information

Pasture Management and Rotational Grazing

Rotational grazing is a system of dividing a pasture into numerous sections (paddocks) and moving livestock from one paddock to allow plants to recover before they are grazed again. This system improves gain, maintains plant diversity, and increases available forage.

New Zealand type fencing is the most common method for creating paddocks. The perimiter fence is usually a permanent two or three wire fence whereas the interior fencing is typically one multi-strand woven wire fence on reels with posts that can be easily moved.

The key issues with rotational grazing are stocking rates, water systems, paddock size, grazing period and seasonal adjustments. These topics are discussed in the recommended publications below.

A 40 acre pasture at the Kowitz ranch on Lake Ellen road has been converted to a managed rotational system. This plot demostrates fencing, design of paddocks, water design and livestock management. Anyone or group wishing a tour can call the Stevens County Extension office to arrange a site visit (509 684-2588). Several pictures of the pasture can be viewed at the rotational demostration site page.

Resources.
A good place to start on this topic is a publication by ATTRA entitled "Rotational Grazing." This article can be found at: www.attra.org/attra-pub/rotategr.html

An excellent article "Observations on Pasture Management and Grazing" by Utah State University Extension on both forage production and management, and livestock gain can be found at: www.ext.usu.edu/publica/agpubs/obsgrzng.pdf

A comprehensive publication "Getting Started Grazing" is available from Ohio State University Extension at ohioline.osu.edu/gsg/

The following grazing books are available at the WSU Stevens County Extension office:
Pasture Management Guide for Livestock Producers, by Steve Barnhart, Iowa State University, 1998.

Greener Pasture on Your Side of the Fence, by Bill Murphy, 1999.