Rotational grazing can be a winning strategy to offset feed shortages when Mother Nature doesn’t co-operate.
“We went 47 days without rain at one point this summer,” said James Clark, who farms in Eastern Ontario. “I’m hearing (farmers) haven’t gotten a second cut, so where are they going to get that hay from?”
Why it matters: Rotational grazing is crucial for extending the grazing season and could be a key factor in providing feed this year, especially in drought-affected areas with only one hay cut.
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Clark, the Ontario territory manager for Gallagher Animal Management, demonstrated several mobile fencing options and discussed the benefits of rotational grazing during a cattle livestock demo at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.
The goal of rotational grazing is to increase livestock feed availability, improve soil health, and achieve financial sustainability by using temporary electric fencing or GPS-enabled virtual systems, Clark said.
“You don’t have to do the same thing you did last year; you can adapt every single year,” he explained. “These are tools that might help you to be financially sustainable and to help make your herd as profitable as possible.”
Step one is to consult with the local territory manager, feed dealer, or producers using rotational grazing when developing a tailored system for their operation.
“That’s a big thing that we don’t do as farmers. We will talk for two hours straight about absolutely nothing,” Clark opined. “And not talk 20 minutes about something important that our neighbours are doing that might help us. So have conversations with everybody and talk pasture management.”
Calculating how many acres, rotational pastures, timing, and how to access water will be individual to each producer, depending on the age of the pasture and the available forages, he said.
For example, a herd of 10 cows on 20 acres of land, divided into half-acre plots provides a 40-day rotation, which allows for good regrowth in the initial grazing plot. However, seasonal adjustments, influenced by weather, regrowth, the age of the pasture, and forage availability, are required.
He said the original calculation could increase to 40 acres of pasture, divided into one-acre plots, to effectively feed the herd, especially with cow-calf pairs or during droughts, such as this year.
Access to water can be a significant limiting factor in rotational grazing, said Clark.
“They don’t drink; they don’t eat. They don’t eat, they don’t gain,” he explained.
At the farm show, water was pumped from ponds 500 metres away through a black quick-connect pipe. The heavy plastic water trough, equipped with a float valve for automatic filling, was easily moved with the cattle.
Another often overlooked aspect influencing rotational timing is the potential to decrease parasite load by moving livestock when forage reaches a height of eight to 10 inches.
“They’re not eating anywhere near where the parasites are,” Clark said. “We will kill that parasite cycle in no time at all.”
Some producers use a two-year pasture system, baling hay in one year and grazing the other during each rotation, he said. Others are integrating cover crops, such as tillage radish, or crop residue into their rotation.
“You’ve just found yet another food source, (and) you’re helping your soil with the cover crop,” Clark said. “You’re putting your animals on it, so they’re eating it. You don’t have to mow it over, and the nutrients are going right back into the soil.”
Project funding
Cathy Dibble, a field representative with Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, said the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) offers 65 per cent funding for new or expanding grazing projects.
“There’s been a huge uptake on it, and I do think it has encouraged more producers to more effectively manage their pastureland,” said Dibble. “The last intake for rotational grazing, the uptake far exceeded the funding that we had available, so every applicant was limited to one project.”
The minimum requirement for the rotational grazing program was a minimum of four paddocks on 10 acres, and OSCIA initially hoped to provide funding for up to two projects per producer.
Every project requires a grazing plan, she said, with producers who understand soil type and forage needing little direction.
In contrast, newer producers are encouraged to seek professional advice on seeding mixes.
Dibble said the project submissions indicate that poorer and hilly lands are being converted to grazing, increasing grazing capacity and potentially herd size.
“To see so many producers want to do more rotational grazing is a good indication (producers) are feeling positive about the program and the whole process of rotational grazing,” she said. “It’s certainly more cost-efficient and beneficial to the bottom line. And it has been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if you rotational graze properly.”
Guides for OSCIA funding programs are available on its website (www.ontariosoilcrop.org), and field representatives are always accessible and happy to answer questions from producers about how to benefit from funding opportunities, said Dibble.
