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Small changes in grazing add up

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Published: November 17, 2005

ST. PAUL, Alta. – Producers shouldn’t let a lack of money stop them from making long range improvements to their pasture, says an American grazing consultant.

Few producers can afford to create a state of the art grazing system on their farm all at once, but it is possible to make a quality grazing system under a 10-year plan with small improvements every year, said Jim Gerrish of Idaho.

“It’s the up-front cost that usually keeps us from doing it,” said Gerrish with the American Grazing Lands Service.

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Before producers begin to make changes to increase the length of a grazing season or improve the quality of grass, they must know why a pasture needs improving, Gerrish told a grassroots cattle conference.

“If you really have lousy pasture it’s probably because you made them that way. You always get what you manage for.”

Producers need to start with a plan and then develop a map of how they’re going to get to the end. Producers likely won’t be able to afford to do all the modifications at once like adding water pipelines, seeding new legumes into existing pasture or adding cross fences to control grazing, he said.

Gerrish recommended getting advice or funding help from agencies like Ducks Unlimited, Cows and Fish, and the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Council to help make projects affordable.

Ranchers should consider making changes because even minor ones can pay off financially.

Gerrish used the example that if annual pasture costs are $50 an acre and if the pasture produces 4,000 pounds of forage per acre, the base cost will be $1.25 per lb. of forage. If the pasture produces 6,000 lb. of forage, the base cost drops to 83 cents per lb. of forage.

“Higher stocking rates pay more bills,” he said.

Gerrish challenged people to look beyond their traditional methods to help extend the grazing season to reduce costs. Adding a legume to a pasture or changing from smooth brome to meadow brome are simple changes that can increase productivity. Swath grazing fields is also a way to reduce the cost of stocking feed for cattle.

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