Author: Howard Moechnig

Howard Moechnig graduated from North Dakota State University in 1974 with a degree in Agriculture, majoring in Soil Science. He worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service from 1972 through 2006. For the last 10 years of his career he was a Grazing Specialist with NRCS, and was the State Grazing Specialist from 2001 through 2006. After his retirement on January 3, 2007, Howard organized a consulting business, Midwest Grasslands. His business specializes in consulting with those who desire to manage their pastureland, rangelands, and grasslands in a manner that will sustain the soil, water, and plant resources. His work includes pasture and rangeland evaluation, and planning managed rotational grazing systems on pastures, rangelands, and land for wildlife habitat. For more information you can contact him at Midwest Grasslands, 37484 90th Avenue, Cannon Falls, MN 55009 or (507)263-3149.

August 26, 2019

Fall Grazing Management to Benefit Your Forages

One of the greatest temptations in the fall is to “open the gates” and “let the livestock have the run of the pasture”. In terms of pasture for the following year, this is one of the most costly mistakes that can be made. Even in the fall, it is just as important to control the […]

September 8, 2014

Managing Grazing to Improve Stream Corridors Part II

In Part I of this series, we looked at a variety of ways to create paddocks so that we could water livestock from streams while at the same time managing them to improve stream corridors. But in some cases, using streams as a water source can lead to damage, or can prevent livestock from grazing […]

September 1, 2014

Managed Grazing Can Improve Stream Corridors

Exclusion of livestock from streams doesn’t always result in better conditions for fisheries and wildlife or prevent negative impacts to the environment. Here’s how livestock and animal impact can be used as needed to maintain healthy streams and riparian corridors.