It’s hard to believe we’re already at the beginning of April. Spring is full of flowers and beautiful growing things, but it’s also the season of mud. Even though much of the country is experiencing less than normal rainfall, other regions will experience heavy downpours and spring thunderstorms that bring the threat of serious mud issues. Here are some strategies to keep your cover crops and pastures thriving throughout the spring grazing season.
Keep Livestock Moving
Rotational grazing (or adaptive management grazing, intensive grazing, whatever you may call it) is simply the best way to implement grazing on any piece of ground not only to maximize forage efficiency, but also to have the most positive impact on the land. No matter what form of rotational grazing you use, strategically moving the livestock across the land to mimic natural grazing cycles (a grazing event followed by a much longer period of rest) is the best way to regenerate an ecosystem with livestock.
Photo courtesy of Kipp Hinrichs
Break Up Parasite Cycles
If your livestock are calving, lambing, or kidding this time of year, rotational grazing will help improve herd health by breaking up the parasite cycle. This is especially important with baby animals in the picture as their immune systems are still developing and growing strong. When you rotate the animals through a pasture, and give areas sufficient rest, parasites from manure are broken down by the biology in the system, helping to reduce the impact on the animals.
The key to successful rotational grazing is the recovery period. In the spring, when the temperatures are warming up (but not hot yet) and many regions receive sufficient rainfall, the plants grow readily and abundantly. Pastures usually require less rest during this time.
Soil Health = Herd Health
A healthy herd starts with a healthy pasture, which only comes from healthy and high functioning soil. Giving pastures ample time to rest allows not only the plants to regrow, but also the biology to be fed by the leftover residue, the manure left from the livestock, and even the saliva from the grazing event. All these components help to feed the biology that already exists and add more diversity to the underground ecosystem of microbes.
Keep Water and Mineral Sources Moving
If you are moving the livestock you inevitably need to move their water and mineral sources. During a wet spring, things can get pretty muddy around these high traffic areas. To reduce the impact to the land, try moving these sources more frequently and try to choose the drier spots in the pasture for the livestock to congregate.
Decisions To Make In Heavy Rains
If you know you’re going to receive heavy rain in the near future, consider moving your livestock to a different location or a sacrifice area. Livestock, especially cattle, can really damage a perennial pasture or an annual cover crop after lots of rain. In the case of an annual cover crop it may be ok to allow them to tear up a small section of the area if you can get back to it and smooth it out later in the year. In the case of a perennial pasture, it’s usually worth the effort to get them off the ground while things dry up so as to not damage the perennial stand.
If you don’t have the option to relocate your livestock you may consider moving them more frequently when the ground is wet. A faster, lower impact graze will help minimize the damage that hoof traffic can cause and additional residue left covering the ground creates a barrier between the animal and the soil. Once things dry up you can return to that area to graze the left over residue and the new regrowth.
Sticking to the Soil Health Principles
Livestock integration is one of the 6 principles of soil health and provides immense benefits for the land and the ecosystem when managed properly. On the other hand mismanagement can cause lots of damage to the land and have long term impacts on the health of the ecosystems surrounding it. Utilize these tips to make the most of your spring grazing season and continue improving your soil for the years to come.
Kate grew up in rural southern Wisconsin and spent most of her time outdoors and working on various farming operations. During this time she developed a deep appreciation for plants, animals, food, agriculture and natural resources and the way in which they all work together. Kate went to college at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln studying Animal Science and Grazing Livestock Systems. After college, Kate started working full time for Green Cover as a Sales Representative, gaining experience in the cover crop world. After a couple sales seasons, Kate transitioned to the marketing team helping write articles and organize processes. Kate and her husband, Ben now reside in Monroe, Wisconsin. Kate enjoys spending time outdoors, with her family, and seeks every opportunity to visit a lake during the summer. She enjoys leaning about soil, plant, and animal health and how it relates to human health.
