#83 The Rookie Mistake We All Make When Starting to Implement a Grazing Program

Hello, I am Jim Elizondo and you all are welcome to this podcast. It makes me very happy to see that more young people are getting involved in the fascinating world of livestock farming. Farming without livestock becomes dependent on costly inputs very fast! If we are serious about improving our land’s natural productivity we need to include livestock in our land, and livestock that have their grazing managed by us in the correct way. 

Today, I will detail the three rookie mistakes we all make when starting to implement a Grazing Program. But, first I want to remind you that today and tomorrow I will be holding our free masterclass, "Triple your Stocking Rate with Lush Pastures and Thriving Livestock". It's time to transform your property with the lush pastures created by thriving livestock. This event is your ticket to making informed decisions that will revolutionize your grazed livestock enterprise. Prepare to witness improvements in both land health and productivity,  the link to save your ticket is www.rwranching.com/masterclass.

You will also get a Q&A session at the end!

Okay, what would be the first mistake we all make when we start a grazing program? Do you know?

Most times we stop observing and follow a recipe! When we follow a recipe, we are sure to fail, because conditions are different between different environments, between different years and months and days; conditions change on a daily basis.

This means that if we follow a recipe and fail to adjust, for example, a rigid rotation or a recommendation that says if this happens do this, and that. We will feel we are doing well but results will be dismal!

Nobody wants that, nobody wants to be a failure.

How about we rely on universal principles, learn how nature functions, how basic plant physiology works, and how grazing used to function before man killed off the large hindgut fermenter megafauna?

Once we understand these universal principles and start observing the results of our actions when we apply them, we can make informed decisions that will take us to success! 

Another rookie mistake we all have made is to focus our attention on improving the grass and forgetting about our livestock's body condition.

Good body condition is indispensable for your livestock to be healthy and productive; we cannot expect to use them as tools if we do not maintain them in good body condition. Many people have failed in this respect and when they finally turn back to look at their livestock they feel very bad because they caused them unnecessary suffering.

I have seen this happen many times, I even made the same mistake when I started! Do not allow this to happen to you, your livestock productivity is your cash flow and your land improvement means your capital gains. If you lose your cash flow it may kill your business or at least cause you unnecessary suffering.

Not considering a grazing program as a continuum would be the other major rookie mistake. Let me explain:

When people hear about the Total Grazing Program they visualize grass taken down to the ground, right? 

That would be considering only an isolated grazing event and not the continuum.

When we consider the continuum, we understand that before that grass is to be grazed it is a prerequisite that the same grass has fully recovered and with strong and deep roots BEFORE it was totally grazed; this changes the visualization. 

Then, in a continuum, we know that there is more than one grazing event and we can visualize that harvesting more cow days per acre per grazing means that your herd will advance slower through your property, giving longer rest periods to your paddocks. Will a longer rest period grow more grass than a shorter rest period? Yes!, this is the main advantage of the Total Grazing Program: we grow up to 5 times more grass than when people allow selective grazing. Why? Because the grass has time to develop strong and deep roots which will allow it to reach moisture deeper into the soil profile.

Will the quality of the grass be lower due to it being rested for longer? Yes, in the stockpiled área the idea is to grow a huge volume for the non-growing season, while in the green grazing área, we focus on quality for the green season!

Can you see now, why the Total Grazing Program is a continuum where we consider every decision and have a road map where universal principles are suited to your particular environment and management?

This is the main reason I want you to attend my masterclass today. In it, I will explain what is needed to triple your stocking rate with lush pastures and thriving livestock. Save your seat and enjoy the free class! I promise you will learn something new and it will change how you see your farm or ranch.

Recap and Conclusions:

1. Following a rigid system or instructions as if it were a recipe, the only sure recipe is a recipe for disaster!
   Observe, use common sense, adjust, and try again, until you get it right. Always within the Universal principles while you adjust your management to your specific environment with its unique challenges. You still need to be within the Universal principles, but when in a situation that requires you to choose one over the other; favor your livestock as they represent your cash flow which trumps land improvement.
2. Focusing your attention on your grass, while allowing your livestock to lose body condition.
   Hence my mantra: fat cows, fat cows, fat cows. I made it up to emphasize the huge importance of maintaining our livestock in good body condition. It is not only productivity that requires our livestock to maintain good body condition but health, the immune system requires fat to function correctly. This failing to maintain good body condition from focusing too much on improving the land is very common, do not make this rookie mistake!
3. Focusing on the moment, without considering the consequences of our decisions in a week, a month, a year, or many years in the future is another rookie mistake.
   Like when people only consider daily gains and start to slip into selective grazing to get higher daily gains and eventually fall into overgrazing and reduce their total productivity, or when people do not consider how poor body condition at the end of lactation in cows with calves will lower fertility next year. We need to be always thinking about the present and the future. The roadmap of the Total Grazing Academy helps with that.

As we wrap up this podcast, I encourage you to seize the opportunity before you. Reserve your seat at our free masterclass, "Triple your Stocking Rate with Lush Pastures and Thriving Livestock", It is today!

This class promises to change the way you view your farm or ranch.

Thank you for your dedication to the world of ranching. We look forward to your participation in our masterclass and witnessing the transformative impact it will have on your ranching journey. Until then, may your days be filled with ranching success, fulfillment, and cherished moments!

Secure your seat today at www.rwranching.com/masterclass, and invite fellow ranchers and land stewards to join this enlightening event. Together, we'll embark on a journey towards ranching excellence and prosperity.

May God bless you all :)