#10 Transitioning from Selective Grazing to Total Grazing

Transition from Selective Grazing to Total Grazing.

Most cattlemen allow their cattle to do selective grazing where cattle select the best regarding forage species and parts of plants while leaving behind as residual the undesirable species and stems, as they prefer leaves. This is the main reason that the undesirable species take over a field or paddock. Besides, the residual that is left behind inhibits the regrowth of leaves for the next grazing as those stems continue to consume energy by respiring which weakens the roots or crowns. We need to remember that competition between desirable and undesirable plants occurs above and below ground. Above for sunlight and below for water and nutrients.

The consequence is a lower harvest efficiency and less leaf production per square yard, acre or hectare. This also means less humus production as humus is formed by the bodies of the microorganisms near the roots of the plants that fed on root exudates created by the plant, these root exudates depend entirely on the leaf to stem ratio, where we know that leaves produce energy through photosynthesis while stems consume energy by respiring, the more leaf we get in relation to stems in the regrowth more energy is left for production and to increase energy reserves in the plant: fat roots!

Of course, individual gains will be higher with this selective grazing, but with the high cost of lower stocking rate and land degradation, we need to remember that stocking rate determines profitability. It may take some time to observe this happening, but it is a very real fact.

We may already know all this right? But what we sometimes forget or have difficulty understanding is that thanks to a total grazing with high harvest efficiency the rest periods get longer, and this is necessary for our best forage species to prosper and our soils to regenerate, roots go deeper and turn fat instead of short and skinny. We need our soils to turn spongy and not be compacted or hard. We should remember that the type of thinking that has brought us to this state needs to change. Overgrazing caused by allowing the livestock to graze selectively, skinny and short roots, undesirable species invasion! This needs to change as if we keep doing the same, we will reap more of the same!

The solution is to implement Total Grazing, so you get more cow/days harvested per acre per grazing just as my students have been successfully doing in very different environments. This has allowed them to stockpile more acres for the difficult seasons and saved money in the use of hay, besides allowing them to increase stocking rate thanks to higher productivity and harvest efficiency. This is also a great way to insure you have enough grass in drought years. If we really want to improve our productivity and regenerate our farms or ranches, this is the best and most efficient way to achieve it. We need to remember that stocking rate determines profitability as the total annual costs are divided by more animals.

In the transition from selective grazing to a more total grazing we can realize that first we need to train our cattle gradually, so they are comfortable with the change.

I usually suggest to my students to go slow; first one break per day. This is easy to do, doesn’t require much infrastructure, and allows the persons and cattle to get into a routine. Let’s not forget that a stable routine is hugely important for success!

Later we can get to the optimum number of breaks per day, which are 4 on average, and we can celebrate each small triumph that we achieve as it means we are going in the right direction.

My students, who have taken the Total grazing course, know that it is more important to maintain good body condition than harvest efficiency. Now, this also depends on genetics and management. The more difficult the environment is the more important adapted genetics are to achieve the best results. If you are one of my students, you can recall I always emphasize maintaining good body condition with my motto: Fat cow, fat cows, fat cows!

In my experience, you can achieve a 30 to 40% higher stocking rate if you have adapted genetics with nutritional adaptation as this determines their good body condition under Total grazing.

This is so important for profitability!

Now, let’s review the important points of this podcast or takeaways:

1. A total grazing with high harvest efficiency gives us more cow/days harvested per grazing and longer rest periods.

2. We must always avoid overgrazing, which means re grazing an individual plant before it has fully recovered.

3. It is important to implement changes gradually.

4. Do not forget to favor good body condition over high harvest efficiency 

5. Stocking rate determines profitability of a ranch or farm

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