Revive your pastures with rotational grazing

Overgrazed fields, declining grass quality, and rising feed costs are challenges many farmers face. Implementing rotational grazing can offer a practical solution to these issues, helping to maintain healthier pastures and improve overall farm efficiency.

What is rotational grazing?

Rotational grazing involves dividing your pasture into sections (paddocks) and regularly moving livestock between them. This gives grass time to recover, prevents overgrazing and allows your soil to rest. Properly managed grazing is the key to healthy, more productive grassland.

Benefits of rotational grazing

• Healthier pastures: Overgrazing degrades soil and reduces forage quality. Rotational grazing restores grass, enriches soil, and boosts forage yields, leading to healthier livestock and less reliance on expensive feed.
• Improved livestock health: Fresh forage from rotating animals across paddocks reduces parasite risks, promoting better growth rates and increased milk production.
• Environmental impact: Reducing the need for artificial fertilisers and allowing soil recovery, supporting both farm productivity and environmental health.
• Cost savings: Less dependency on external feed and fertilisers cut input costs. A well-managed system boosts farm self-sufficiency, offering more predictable budgets and greater financial control.

Disadvantages of rotational grazing

• Initial setup costs: Investment in fencing and water supply which can be a significant upfront cost.
• Labour-intensive: Demands more management and planning, including regular monitoring of pasture conditions and livestock movements.
• Limited grazing periods: Seasonal changes or drought conditions may restrict the availability of quality forage, making it challenging to maintain a consistent grazing schedule throughout the year.

How to implement rotational grazing

Transitioning to rotational grazing doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are a few steps to get started:

1. Divide your pastures: Start by splitting your pasture into several paddocks. The number of paddocks depends on your farm size, livestock demands, and pasture performance.
2. Rotate based on grass growth: Rotate livestock when the grass reaches a recommended grazing height (usually 4-8 cm) or when perennial ryegrass reaches the 3-leaf stage. The general rotation length is around 21-28 days, but this may vary depending on grass growth and weather conditions. Always allow time for paddocks to recover before reintroducing animals to paddocks at the target DM cover.
3. Monitor and adjust: Regularly check pasture recovery and livestock health. Adjust paddock size and rotation timing based on seasonal shifts and pasture conditions.
4. Prioritise important livestock classes: Focus on breeding or finishing animals at critical times of the year to meet Daily Live Weight Gain (DLWG) targets or specific production needs.

Tailored to your farm

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, what works for one farm may need adjusting for another. However, the principles remain the same: rest the grass, give your livestock access to fresh forage, and monitor the results.

Start small, observe your results, and adjust as needed. Over time, you may find that rotational grazing can bring improvements to your farm’s overall productivity and pasture health.

Take the next step to healthier pastures

Are you ready to start rotational grazing? Contact us for advice on which grass mixtures will work best for your farm.

To explore more grazing options, check out our article on 10 grazing systems.