Darrell Yardley of Beaver, Utah started rotational grazing when drought reduced the amount of forage he was producing. Now he’s sold on the system saying, “If you want to get more out of your pasture, and you want your animals to look better and do better, this is the way to go. If you want your feed to last longer it will last longer.”
Darrell attended the one of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Pasture Schools to learn how to manage his rotational grazing system. He found that managing for his grass solar panel was important. Leaving at least four inches of grass behind means the grass can collect enough solar energy to regrow. Resting the pasture gives the grass time to regrow.
“The cows are funny,” Darrell says. “They like to eat the nice, tender grass and leave old stuff. This way they eat the old stuff and turn it into tender stuff, so it turns out well for them in the end.” Cattle are now grazing everything in their pastures, including the Garrison creeping foxtail. He’s also learned that pounding the ground rod for the electric fence into a wet spot improves the fence charge.
You can check out what Darrell is doing in this 6 minute video. We hope you enjoy your Utah Pasture Walk!
If you’d like to learn more about how this might work for you, check with your local NRCS office. Click here for a map to help you locate the closest office.
I’ve watched the clip of Mr. Yardley several times before. Around here, there is very little irrigation and those who have it would never think of irrigating a pasture. Too bad.
Curt
P.S.: I get a chuckle out of Mr. Green talking about this topic with some cows eating grass roots in the background.