What is Grazing Management
A variety of systems have been designed based upon the following:
- Grazing intensity
- Grazing intensity~how much of the more important plants will the animal utilize. Season of use
- growing season
- seed-ripe
- dormancy Deferment - allowing plants "rest" during the growing season.
- Grazing during different seasons allows for deferment through a rotation system
- In general, proper grazing use is removing no more than 50% of the annual growth by the end of the grazing season.
- Dormant season grazing can be intensified, but short in duration Stocking
- refers the number of animals a piece of land can support. This should always include wildlife utilization.
Grazing systems can:
- Improve distribution
- Give management flexibility for improvement activities such as burning
- Improve range condition
- Affect livestock production
- Alter wildlife use of rangelands
Types of grazing systems:
- Continuous Grazing (1 pasture:1 herd)
- Rotational Grazing (1 herd:multiple pastures)
- Deferred Rotation (Multiple herd:multiple pastures)
- High Intensity/Low Frequency (1 herd:multiple pastures)
- Short Duration Grazing (1 herd:multi-pastures)