Does holistic grazing have advantages over conventional all-in systems in drought years?
The Sidoryk family has been at the forefront of holistic management in Saskatchewan and Alberta for 30 years. They’ve brought cattle through their fair share of drought in that time.
Kelly Sidoryk, who was scheduled to deliver a presentation at an online Ag in Motion Livestock Day event Aug. 26 with Canadian Cattlemen editor Lisa Guenther, said planning for things to go wrong is a main component of the holistic system.
“Things have become extremely serious since Lisa and I did the videotape in July. Right now we’re almost in survival mode, so it’s difficult to be forward planning now,” she said.
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“Grazing planning is just one piece of holistic ranching. We also deal with the water cycle a lot. That’s basic. Over time, building a water cycle helps create some degree of drought resiliency. We try to increase organic matter so we have that spongy kind of soil that holds moisture.”
She said the holistic system deals with landscape and livestock but also with finances and people. In stressful times like these, those two subtle factors become very important. She said farmers need to get a realistic grip on their financial situation so they know where they stand.
“You can’t go out and institute holistic grazing overnight … but it can help ranchers beginning next year,” she said.
“When it comes to grazing in the fall, the multi-paddock system gives your plants time to recover after grazing. More paddocks give you more flexibility. You need plant diversity. Resiliency in your plant community allows you to grow more forage, but at the end of the day, our farm needs moisture just like everyone else. Our water spots are drying up, too. We’re all struggling to a varying degree.”
Sidoryk said one thing that can come out of the drought is a greater focus on soil health and the new opportunities in cover crops and cocktail crops that lead to a more complex and resilient plant community.
“I hope this drought can help bring people together. It seems that farming has become so divisive. Maybe this is a chance for grain farmers and cattlemen to collaborate on meeting these challenges from the drought. Grazing harvested fields, for example.
“There are so many electric fence systems now. In a short period of time, you can create grazing paddocks in a harvested grain field. Or baling the straw. It looks like straw will become a main feed source for a while.”
For more content related to drought management visit The Dry Times, where you can find a collection of stories from our family of publications as well as links to external resources to support your decisions through these difficult times.
