ANGUS BEEF BULLETIN EXTRA

April 6, 2020 | Vol. 13 : No.3

management

Proficiency in Pasture Management

Measuring pasture production serves stocker and cow-calf operations in good stead.

It’s not uncommon to hear managers of grazing operations talk about year-to-year differences in range or pasture forage production. It’s an easy segue from conversation about the weather, because it’s during the years of abundant moisture, or scarcity, that producers notice just how much the accumulation of precipitation affects forage production. So it’s not uncommon for a producer to declare twice as much forage production in a wet year. Conversely, a dry year can bring claims that pastures yielded half as much as normal.

It might seem like forage production levels vary that much, even if they don’t. Many producers don’t actually measure it. And some might exaggerate just a little bit for the sake of interesting coffee-shop conversation.

“On well-managed grazing lands, the difference in forage production, between a really good year and a really bad one, is about 30%. And most of the time, year-to-year variation will be less,” according to Hugh Aljoe, a Noble Research Institute pasture and range consultant.

At the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention, hosted Feb. 5-7 in San Antonio, Aljoe talked about tracking precipitation, measuring forage growth and setting appropriate stocking rates to better manage grazing lands. During a Trade Show Learning Lounge lesson, Aljoe said application of appropriate tools can help producers gain proficiency as pasture managers.

Aljoe urged audience members to monitor monthly precipitation received on the ranch or farm and record it on a “water-year” rainfall table or chart. This allows the producers to determine the percentage above or below the long-term average (normal) of actual precipitation. Over time, the table reveals when soil moisture recharge begins, when the majority of recharge occurs and, accordingly, when annual forage production occurs.

The other important variable to measure is actual forage production, and Aljoe recommended three methods. A “grazing stick” can be used to periodically measure forage height throughout the growing season. Photo monitoring involves selection of various sites (photo points) where photographs of forage are taken. Returning to these same locations seasonally allows the producer to capture images for comparison of changes. Another method involves use of grazing exclosures — very small fenced-out areas that allow side-by-side comparison of forage production under grazing with ungrazed production.

management

Aljoe said the water-year table and forage monitoring can be used to determine stocking rates for a given year, but also to determine if and when, during the grazing season, adjustments to stocking rate are needed. Many producers adhere to “normal” stocking rates year after year, and are reluctant to make adjustments until forced by extended drought. By methodically tracking precipitation and forage production, they can actively manage stocking rates to protect the long-term health of their forage resources. They can better apply grazing management to optimize utilization of less variable production.

“It’s easy to be a grazing management genius when it rains aplenty,” Aljoe cautioned. “Not so much in a dry spell.”

Editor’s note: Troy Smith is a cattleman and freelance writer from Sargent, Neb. Photo by Shauna Hermel.