Most horse farms practice continuous grazing, but more and more horse owners are discovering the benefits of rotational grazing. Even if you just have one acre, splitting your pasture into two grazing paddocks and rotating between them produces healthier and thicker pastures that provide better nutrition for your horses.

Rotational vs. Continuous Grazing

Rotational grazing involves the use of several pastures or paddocks, one of which is grazed while the others are rested before being re-grazed. Continuous grazing is the use of one pasture for the entire grazing season. Traditional continuous grazing systems may use only 30 to 50% of the available forage. Compare this to pastures that are rotationally grazed. Shortening the grazing periods to three to seven days increases utilization 50-65%; to two days, 55-70%; and to one day, 60-75%. Keep in mind that horses are spot grazers and may graze certain areas down to dirt and leave other areas overgrown. Mowing may be needed to maintain the paddocks at the proper height and reduce a horse’s propensity to spot graze.

“Horses have a tendency to graze their favorite grass species close to the ground, then return to graze the regrowth as soon as it appears,” said Laura Kenny, Equine Extension Educator for Penn State Extension. “This is called overgrazing, and it is very damaging to grass plants. First, it removes so much of the leaf area that the plant can’t capture sunlight to make energy for regrowth. The plant must then use stored energy to regrow, and with repeated close grazing, the energy stores run out and the plant dies.”

Once beneficial forages such as orchardgrass, smooth brome, and timothy die then weeds or other less desirable grasses take the opportunity to grow and reduce the productivity of your pasture.

Plan Your Grazing Paddocks

The ideal grazing system would be designed as a central hub with a shelter, a sacrifice (heavy use) lot, automatic waterer and four connected paddocks. According to Krista Lea, coordinator of the University of Kentucky’s Horse Pasture Evaluation Program, horse owners who may not have an ideal setup can utilize what is referred to as “paired pastures.”

This simple approach pairs two pastures that are similar in size and quality of forage. The horses will be rotating between the two paddocks approximately every two weeks.

Another option is to simply split a pasture into two parcels and rotate between them. Temporary or portable fencing can be used to set up your paddocks quickly and easily. Solar powered energizers are easy to move and a great way to power electric fencing.

Rest is the Key to Success in Rotational Grazing

The growth rate of grasses and forages will vary depending on the plant species, soil health and weather conditions. The biggest factor to determine the success of your rotational grazing is rest.

If you are rotating between two paddocks, make sure to give the pasture two weeks of rest between grazing. As you add more paddocks, you will shorten the time between grazings and you will notice that the horses will graze more of each paddock at one time.

According to Kenny at Penn State Extension, the general recommendation is to follow the “take half, leave half rule.” Horses graze a paddock until they consume around 50% of the forage. Horses should graze a paddock when the average forage height is six to eight inches and then moved to another paddock when the forage height is three to four inches. Make sure that your pastures are not grazed below three inches to maintain plant health.

Be willing to try and experiment with paddock layouts until you can achieve a good rotational balance.

Water Placement is Also Important

Delivering clean, fresh water to each grazing paddock is also important to help maximize pasture use and maintain horse health. Ideally, a centrally located area with an automatic waterer that is connected to all paddocks is preferred. If one central automatic waterer doesn’t fit your farm’s layout, then consider installing an automatic waterer in a split fence configuration. There are also portable automatic waterers that use a standard garden hose hook-up that can be easily moved from paddock to paddock.

The Bottomline

Rotational grazing requires more planning and management than continuous grazing but the benefits are good for both horses and the land. Proper rotational grazing management will strike the right balance between providing good forage utilization with forage availability.

Have you heard the expression “chicken math”? In a nutshell, chicken math is the addition to your flock in quantities and breeds beyond what you initially planned. However, this phenomenon is not just contained to chickens; homesteaders are just as likely to do this with sheep and goats and it is easy to understand why. These affable, multi-purpose animals are a popular choice with small farms everywhere. In the United States, there are over 5 million head of sheep and over 2.5 million head of goats. According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report on small scale goat farming, almost half of all goats are raised as pets, brush control agents also known as “goatscapers”, livestock show animals and other uses besides meat, milk and fiber production. Sheep reached peak population in the U.S. in 1942 with 56.2 million head. Despite the decline in population over the decades, the number of small-scale sheep operations continue to grow, fueled by the popularity of hair sheep breeds. There are over 88,000 sheep operations in the U.S. that have a total economic impact of $5.8 billion. Whether you are thinking about adding sheep and/or goats to your homestead or are contemplating “sheep or goat math” by expanding your flock, carefully consider your current facilities and plan for upgrades and additions as your herd grows.

Determining a Sustainable Stocking Rate

As more folks explore the benefits of country living, savvy landowners are selling small acreage tracts of 5-20 acres to potential homesteaders.  The amount and productivity of the acreage will determine your stocking rate or how many animals you can have per unit area of land. This is typically represented as acres per animal unit (AU). 26 pounds of forage are consumed per AU.  Extension specialists at Texas A&M have calculated some AU equivalents for sheep and goats (See table 1 below). In the example of an 80 lb. hair sheep ewe, it is estimated that 8 ewes will consume 26 pounds of forage daily. The biggest mistake many homesteaders make is overestimating the stocking rate which can lead to overgrazing. It is important to know how many pounds of forage your acreage produces. There are many variables that affect land productivity, and your local Extension agent or Natural Resources Conservation Service can assist with information that can help estimate a range for your land.

According to Stephen Barnhart, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University, there is a quick, but less accurate way to estimate your pasture forage. All you need is an estimate or measurement of the forage height. Once you have the average height in inches of the forage in your pasture, multiply it by 200. This is an average estimate of pounds of consumable dry matter per acre per inch of forage height.

Purdue University Extension recommends a general estimate of 10 ewes and 15 lambs per one acre of pasture provided that rotational grazing and a proper nutritional plan is implemented.

Table 1. Animal Unit Equivalents (AUE)

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension bulletin: “Livestock for Small Acreage Landowners”, Machen, Richard V. and Lyons, Robert K.

Provide Shelter from the Elements & Predators

Sheep and goats need approximately 10 to 12 square feet of sheltered space per mature animal in the herd. Shelters can be simple lean-to’s that are roughly 4 to 7 feet tall with solid walls on the north and west sides, repurposed sheds, hoop houses or any other shelter that provides cover from the wind and weather.

Planning a working or holding pen with gates that are at least 48 inches tall will make handling the sheep and goats much easier, safer and less stressful for the animals. In addition, you want to plan for proper lambing pens (jugs), chutes for transporting and a means to transport your animals. There are many do-it-yourself plans available online and through local Extension offices – make sure to consult a sheep and goat specialist for specific questions you may have.

Fences to keep the sheep in and predators out are a must. The minimum height is 48 inches and there are many options available: woven wire, high tensile wire, barbed wire, portable electric net, electric wire, and electric rope/tape fences can all be suitable. Predators pose the biggest threat to your animals and are the biggest source of mortality to sheep and goats, so choose the fence that best suits your needs and area. According to the American Sheep Industry Association, 54% of all predator kills are carried out by coyotes, 21% by dogs and 25% is attributed to wolves, bears, cougars, vultures, etc.

Many homesteaders will also use a livestock guardian animal with the herd such as dogs (breeds like Great Pyrenees and Anatolian), donkeys or llamas.

Depending on your farm, you might want to consider additional shelter to store hay or forage, bedding and feed throughout the year.

Provide the Proper Feeders & Waterers for a Healthy Herd

There are five main types of feeding and watering equipment you need for the herd: grain feeders for adults, creep feeders for lambs/kids, hay feeders, mineral feeders and a dependable waterer.

“Feeder design whether it is for grain, hay or mineral is really important for reducing food/mineral waste and also important for health,” said Susan Schoenian, Sheep and Goat Specialist at the University of Maryland’s Western Maryland Research and Education Center. “When looking at sheep and goat equipment, you really need to pay attention to how it is designed. Can you keep it clean? When it comes to grain feeders, unless they are of a design that can keep the goats and sheep out of it, you should almost always remove them or turn them over when feeding is done to keep that feeder clean and reduce the chance of manure getting into it. Creep feeders for young animals better have a design that keeps them out of the feeder, while keeping the adults away. Those lambs and kids just love to curl up in feeders!  I know there is a temptation to repurpose other items into feeders but sometimes it pays to spend the money on well designed, quality equipment. Reducing feed waste/spoilage and keeping your equipment clean to keep your animals healthy will save you more time and money in the long run.”

Water is the most important nutrient you provide your animals and is the one you provide the most of on a per pound basis. Sheep and goats need anywhere between a half gallon to four gallons a day depending on their age, diet and reproductive cycle. During the growing season, high quality lush forages can provide a large amount of their daily water requirements. Make sure your animals always have access to clean, fresh water on demand.

“My dad taught me a simple rule when it comes to water,” said Schoenian. “If you wouldn’t drink it, then why should they? Sheep and goats are not going to drink dirty water; they can be finicky. They also don’t like water that is ice cold in cooler weather or way too hot in the summer. I definitely think water quality is taken for granted and I am a strong proponent of automatic waterers because they stay cleaner longer and are one of the best ways to provide frost free water. You don’t have to worry about frozen buckets or tubs with a good quality automatic waterer. I know a lot of small producers or hobby farmers don’t want to make the initial investment up front but again, it doesn’t really pay to go cheap when you think about the time spent hauling and cleaning buckets, breaking ice and dragging hoses throughout the year.”

When you are ready to invest in an automatic livestock waterer, you’ll find many options available. The long-time industry leader is a 100-year-old company, Ritchie Industries, based in Conrad, Iowa. The founder, Thomas Ritchie, was an innovative farmer and the inventor of the first automatic waterer valve in 1921. With over 3 million automatic livestock waterers sold worldwide, these red and yellow waterers can be seen on big and small farms alike. Ritchie was one of the first to offer a sheep and goat waterer that is specifically catered to the needs of hobby farmers and small-scale homesteaders.

“The Omni-2 Special model is designed with the sheep and goat farmer in mind,” said Robert Amundson, President and CEO at Ritchie Industries, Inc. “It has a low drinking height of 11 inches and features a stainless-steel trough with thermostatically controlled heating elements for frost free water in the coldest climates. This fully insulated poly unit is easy to clean, easy to maintain and has a fast refill valve that provides fresh water for up to 100 head of sheep in a compact footprint. We also offer the Genesis series – a portable, non-insulated option for pastures and rotational grazing pens. The G1 or G2 Genesis models are all about convenience. The biggest advantage for smaller operations is the easy installation – no digging, you just hook up a 200 PSI garden hose to the waterer and you are in business. Ritchie waterers have been made in the USA for 100 years and we are the industry leader because we are always listening and designing products that are cost effective, energy efficient and time saving for farmers, ranchers and homesteaders who raise all types of animals from alpacas to zebus.”

Best Selling Ritchie Waterers for Sheep & Goats

Source: Ritchie Industries, Conrad, IA  1-800-747-0222

It All Adds Up to A Happy Herd

A little planning goes a long way towards to maintaining a healthy and happy herd. When you think about adding sheep and/or goats to your homestead make sure you calculate how many animals your land can support, provide adequate shelter and fencing, invest in quality equipment and most of all, plan on enjoying spending time with your herd.

When it comes to tackling environmental issues in the cattle industry, Dave Petty of Iowa River Ranch near Eldora, Iowa, has always been one to grab the bull by the horns. Petty and his wife, Diane, are first-generation farmers who founded their own ranch in 1987.  Primarily a cow-calf operation with a finishing feedlot, the Iowa River Ranch is a diversified farm encompassing cropland, pasture, and hay land. Petty has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to being a good steward of the land and the environment while producing quality Angus cattle.

This commitment has been recognized by many agricultural and environmental groups throughout the years. Here are a few of the highlights:

• NCBA’s National Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2000
• Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrators Environmental Excellence Award in 2002
• 2003 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture
• 2005, the Master Farmer Award from Wallace’s Farmer
• 2013 Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame Inductee

When asked about his environmental stewardship, Petty revealed that he always asks himself three main questions when making management decisions for the ranch.

1. Will this be economically feasible and sustainable?
2. Will this be good for the environment?
3. Will this be socially acceptable and supported by the local community?

“Every step in our operation we are trying to add value in each process, said Petty. “Our ranch borders the Iowa River for a few miles, and that is an underlying reason why we are very aware of how our ranch can impact the local environment. When it comes to environmental practices, we strive to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Water Productivity on Iowa River Ranch

Maximizing the efficiency of all the resources needed to produce quality beef sustainably has led the Iowa River Ranch to scrutinize every facet of production from genetics to water resource management and productivity.

“One of the things that I’ve really noticed over the years is that to be profitable in grazing, you need to have water distributed properly across your operation,” said Petty. “if you are over or under-grazing, you just aren’t as efficient as you could be. It becomes important to use a good, reliable water system that can withstand the severe winter weather of the Midwest and work well in the summer months too.”

Petty’s early experiences helped shape his understanding of how providing water in the right place can affect your productivity and profitability.

“When I bought the place, the cattle used to walk two miles to water to get a drink,” said Petty. “So, the first quarter mile was ruined by heavy grazing and they never got to the far quarter mile. They would get their drink, get hungry, and start walking back the other way, and all it did was wear their weight off going back and forth to get water. I researched and drilled several wells and installed miles of underground black plastic pipe running to different waterers strategically placed in the grazing paddocks and all of a sudden, I’ve got full utilization of all my acres. I can rotate my grazing livestock, and increase the health and diversity of the pastureland, which in turn gives you more forage to put pounds on a healthy animal which makes you more profitable. The critical part of the whole set-up is the watering system, and on my farm, the products that have been well worth the money are our Ritchie waterers.”

Invest in Quality Watering Systems for Maximum Returns

According to the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, a better measure to compare water efficiencies within the livestock production system is the term water productivity. This is the production yield divided by how much water went into producing it, essentially the inverse ratio of a water footprint that places value on the end product. The Institute recently released a Water Productivity Report that included research that showed beef production in the United States from 1960 to 2016 increased its water productivity by 1.8 times.

Proper water management, conservation practices, better genetics, increased yields of feedstuffs and more efficient feed conversion ratios have all contributed to this increased water productivity. On Iowa River Ranch, all these factors have contributed to a highly efficient, sustainable and environmentally conscious operation.

“Providing clean, fresh water on demand helps increase feed consumption, which raises your daily rate of gain, which in turn makes you more profitable at the end of the day,” said Petty. “Ritchie waterers have been a part of our total management system that has allowed me to double my production. You need to use high-quality products that have longevity. We are all busy, so we can’t be dallying around with equipment that doesn’t work and isn’t reliable. I got advice from an older farmer who told me ‘You’ll never live long enough to make all the mistakes yourself, so if you can learn from other people, do it’. Through researching waterers during facility planning, I learned that Ritchie set the standard for quality and customer service – every other product out there would compare itself to Ritchie and I thought to myself, why not just start out with an automatic waterer that has a proven record of dependable service? It goes back to my three basic questions – economically feasible? Ritchie waterers may cost more upfront, but they save money over the long term because they are reliable and just continue to keep working. In fact, I have used one unit now for over 30 years. On the day of the storm or the coldest weather, you need your waterer to come through for you, and those red and yellow Ritchies always come through for us. Is it good for the environment? Ritchie waterers reduce water waste while providing fresh water to keep the cattle healthy. Is it socially acceptable? Ritchie Industries is a company that takes care of its customers, its employees, and the Conrad, Iowa community where they are built. Ritchie has been in business 100 years this year, and you only do that if your product is made to last and meets the needs of your customers.”

Leaving a Legacy for Generations to Come

Dave Petty and his wife, Diane, continue to be thoughtful stewards of their land and are continuously seeking new knowledge to improve their operation. Iowa River Ranch frequently hosts visitors and gives tours to showcase sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural practices. Petty has taken on countless leadership roles in the cattle industry and has been active in engaging EPA regulators to promote agriculture as a solution to environmental concerns.

While Petty is proud of his accomplishments, he is a humble farmer who never set out to win awards. He just set out to do what was right – for the cattle, for the land, for his family and for the community. When Petty was inducted into the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame, fellow Iowa cattle producer, Bill Couser, remarked “Dave Petty has gone the extra mile to get common-sense legislation passed, helping to educate those who regulate our industry. The beef industry is better off today for his involvement. Every cattle operation in Iowa is better off because Dave Petty took time to make it so.”

WHY ARE CARBON MARKETS A HOT TOPIC?

GOOD GRAZING, CONSERVATION AND WATER USE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES REWARDED

Researchers and scientists at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute and the Department of Animal Science of the University of Nebraska, along with the Twente Water Centre of the University of Twente, Netherlands recently collaborated to produce a report on the changes in water productivity (WP) of U.S. animal products from 1960 to 2016. The goal was to define a clear, concise way to measure and compare the WP of meat and milk production and identify opportunities to improve water efficiencies within the livestock production system.

“Water productivity is a little more intuitive of a parameter because it is the production yield divided by how much water went into producing it,” said Christopher Neale, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska. “It is the inverse ratio of a water footprint.”

More with less

As researchers compiled and analyzed data from 1960 to 2016, a clear growth trend emerged. Better breeding programs using advanced genomics, more efficient feed conversion ratios (FCR), and increased yield advancements in livestock feedstuffs such as corn and soybeans have all contributed to increased WP in all livestock sectors, with dairy posting the largest gains.

According to the data, in 2016 there were 47% fewer dairy cows producing 73% more milk than in 1960. During this period, the same volume of water was used to produce 400% more milk (weight-measured).

“The WP of all livestock products – beef, pork, chicken, turkey, milk, and eggs – increased considerably from 1.8 times for beef to 5.1 times for milk,” said Mesfin Mekonnen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama and one of the lead authors of the research study. “In evaluating opportunities to increase WP, one area that we examined in depth was utilizing distiller’s grains and other crop by-products as substitutes for corn and soybeans. This research will help set benchmarks and identify critical factors affecting WP to help meet the growing global demand for livestock products.”

Dairy industry leads the way

Nationally, demand for dairy products remains strong with cheese and butter leading the way. It is projected for 2021 that U.S. dairy farms will produce a staggering 227.4 billion pounds of milk. One of these highly productive farms, Rosy-Lane Holsteins of Watertown, Wis., is also a recognized leader in WP as the 2020 winner of the U.S. Dairy Center for Innovation Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability award. Rosy-Lane has focused on genetics, better feed conversion ratios, and finding ways to re-use water in the production environment.

“The biggest use of fresh groundwater on the farm is our plate cooler,” said Jordan Matthews, co-owner of Rosy-Lane Holsteins since 2013. “We use the 50-degree groundwater to cool the milk down to about 65 to 70 degrees. That water then goes to an old milk tanker that holds about 6,500 gallons and is reused in multiple ways to reduce our freshwater consumption. We estimate that our water re-use plan has reduced our manure hauling by about 1.5 million gallons a year.”

Additionally, genetics has helped Rosy-Lane produce 1.7 pounds of milk for every 1 pound of feed for the milking herd. The average U.S. dairy attains 1.5, according to Cornell University. This means that Rosy-Lane produces about 70 more semi-tankers of milk a year using the same inputs as other dairy farms. Another WP practice Rosy-Lane has implemented is utilizing dried by-products like cottonseed, oat hulls, and whey permeate into the cows’ feed.

Every detail counts when evaluating your WP

Water is a precious resource and taking time to evaluate new ways to eliminate water waste and institute best management practices are key to increasing your farm’s WP. Little details like re-using boot wash water to maintaining watering founts can affect your WP and your bottom line. Research shows that approximately 1% of a dairy cow’s water footprint is the 30 to 50 gallons of fresh water consumed daily.

“For many dairy farmers it is not top of mind to cost analyze your automatic watering system,” said Robert Amundson, President and CEO at Ritchie Industries, Inc. “There are so many complex factors that affect your production, but it is important to consider the maintenance costs, longevity, reliability, and durability of your founts. If you don’t have clean, fresh water on demand, it can grind your production to a halt. For 100 years, Ritchie has been made in America and we produce the finest, energy efficient founts in the industry. You can find our red and yellow founts in some of the top producing dairy farms in the country, including Rosy-Lane Holsteins.”

Ritchie Industries is headquartered in Conrad, Iowa, and was the first company to patent the automatic water valve in 1921. Ritchie has manufactured and sold over 3 million units globally.

The final takeaway

Research revealed that the dairy industry continues to lead the way in WP gains. These new benchmarks in efficiency will be useful tools for both producers and policy makers alike who are committed to responsible and sustainable water resource management.