Grazing
Many traditional grazing systems keep animals limited to one space, creating issues with overgrazing, erosion, and animal health. With heightened effects of climate change causing droughts and flooding, pastures are under even more stress than ever before. Thinking through other forms of grazing can help alleviate issues and create more resilient grazing systems. Though it might seem overwhelming, the number of methods out there, looking at the ideas behind rotational grazing, management-intensive grazing, and more, can give you a head start in finding what systems work for you and your land. Through healthier grazing methods, farmers can work with their animals to create healthier and more sustainable systems for all. Use this blog as a guide to explore different grazing tools from local grazing communities, national experts, and more!
To start, the Rotational Grazing for Climate Resilience is a USDA climate hub resource that helps farmers think through the implementation of rotational grazing. This resource includes the advantages and disadvantages so farmers can think ahead before starting, while also including links to help them to find the answers to their questions.
Rotational Grazing and Regenerative Agriculture with Livestock is a video that looks at how traditional grazing can be adapted to mix species and create healthier systems. It goes through how limited grazing space can get the most out of your pasture.
Pasture Management Tips is an article created by MOFGA that features the book “The Art and Science of Grazing – How Grass Farmers Can Create Sustainable Systems for Healthy Animals and Farm Ecosystems” by Sarah Flack to help farmers understand different pasturing systems. One of the other resources mentioned in this article is The Northeast Pasture Consortium, or NEPC. NEPC is a network of graziers, researchers, and extension members throughout the Northeast. They send out resources in a newsletter, updating farmers on grazing conditions and upcoming events. This is a great resource to connect with experts to help guide you in creating a rotational grazing system.
Another local resource for educational events and grazing resources is the Granite State Graziers. Their guide, Grazing Fundamentals Toolkit, is dedicated to grazing in NH. This guide works with you step by step, such as infrastructure, water, forage, and more. They include a great list of resources in the guide as well to help farmers dive deeper into topics.
Maine Pasture Management Course by the Maine Cooperative Extension is a self-study course that was modified to fit Maine producers, but it does have information that can be valuable in NH on how to create a pasture management system. Through seven lessons, you can understand different parts of the grazing system at your own pace to help you build knowledge in your management plans.
These are only a small portion in a field of resources on grazing. Take what you need and keep grazing! By having a deeper understanding of how your pastures work and what your animals need, you can create systems of success that are adaptable to change. Interested in learning more about sustainable livestock practices? Check out our resource blog on silvopasture.
This resource was funded in partnership with the Transition to Organic Partnership Program