Grazing

Editors note: Click here to read the second of this two part series. Haying equipment on the Jones Ranch has stood idle for six seasons. The 12,000-acre spread is a grassland experiment that demands intense management and labor but no baler – just cows.

I grew up in 4-H and I assume many of those reading this also have 4-H experience.

Today’s U.S. beef industry is certainly in unchartered territory – cattle prices have seen historical highs, but so have production costs.

Beef herd owners short on pastures for their cows can provide fall grazing by planting cereal grains, says a University of Missouri plant scientist.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series. Click here to read part one of the series. Last month, I gave a brief overview of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the most common legal mandates that relates to grazing on public lands.

Rotation grazing enables stockmen to increase the health, productivity and stocking rates on pastures by giving plants periodic rest for regrowth before grazing them again.