Grazing Management

I have been reading Troy Bishopp’s articles on how to fit grazing around your life rather than building your life around your grazing operation (What’s a Grazing Decision Worth and Where Are You, Where Do You Want to Be and How Do You Get There?). Troy writes about planning camping trips, vacations, and time with […]

On Pasture’s New Year’s Resolution is to help you develop a business vision and goals that ensure a happy, healthy life, and a grazing operation that gets you there. Creating a vision and goals, isn’t something that’s natural for most of us. So to make the process easier, we’ll be providing lots of examples. With […]

This piece is part of our discussion of moving toward a better life with grazing. Last week, Troy Bishopp share how he’s creating a more fulfilling life by building in time in his grazing management for family, friends and fun. This week, John Marble provides another perspective. Several decades back (well shoot, let’s be honest […]

This month’s Grazier’s Focus is on managing our winter grazing to future forage. Victor Shelton adds to this by reminding us what to do when we’re dealing with a wet winter. I’ve enjoyed several good autumn days and joked, “it can just stay this way and then turn nice!” But, winter is coming. I do […]

  George Whitten and Julie Sullivan own and operate the San Juan Ranch in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. The  Valley is known for the crops it produces – potatoes, head lettuce, wheat, and barley – and for the struggles to save and maintain the aquifer that supports the farms and ranches. In this […]

This week, Victor Shelton has answers to the most asked questions for winter graziers. Thanks, Victor! What is the difference between a frost and a freeze? When water vapor condenses and freezes without first becoming dew, a thin layer of ice crystals form – this is frost.  It generally has to be below 36 degrees […]

We began using MG way back in the early 90′s during the winter with stockpiled fescue on rented farms. Each year we came to trust more and more what we were doing until we eventually sold all of our hay equipment – one of the best decision we’ve ever made. It was the key to […]

Victor Shelton helps us make the most of our forages by telling us which should be grazed first, and which will last into the winter months.

Here in Indiana, the rains are finally replenishing reserves in most areas. Though a bit late for some things, it is still a boost for forages that have been stockpiled and they have leaped in compensatory growth! But sooner or later, it’s going to snow, and everything will quit growing. So, it’s time to be […]

It has been another odd year with the weather. Some areas that were extremely dry early in the year are now enjoying abundant forages and rapid regrowth. Some areas that were wetter than normal during that same period are now on the dry side. No matter where you are located, you should always be prepared […]

While the grasshopper is enjoying the summer, the ant is always getting ready for the winter. Typically graziers and all producers are the ants, working away to make sure livestock and their communities will have food for the whole year. Still, there’s no reason that the life of an ant can’t be made a little easier and more profitable. This video describes how stockpiling and then strip grazing through the winter can save you time and money while improving your pastures.

My dear Mother always said that the older you get, the faster time goes, she was right. I really don’t know what happened to the summer. But here it is, August already. This is the prep month for the beginnings of fall activities starting with the seeding of permanent vegetation, early planting of annuals for […]

It was just a few weeks back that many of us were concerned about how dry it was getting…and then suddenly some of these same places have way to much moisture. Excess water has turned the focus more on trying to maintain forage quality and a rarity for this time of year, “pugging.” Saturated soils […]

There are so many different names for different kinds of grazing management that sometimes it gets a little confusing. So, to help you pick what’s right for you, here are some names and definitions. Each of these styles of grazing could fall under “Management-intensive Grazing” meaning that management of the animals is the focus, with […]

A simple DIY project from items everyone has at home!