Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Purdue Extension
               United States Department of Agriculture

                                                AY-328

Management-Intensive
   Grazing in Indiana
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana         AY-328

Contributors                Ed Heckman
                            Purdue Extension Educator, Retired
                            Susannah Hinds
                            USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
                            Northwest Indiana Grazing Land Specialist
                            Keith Johnson
                            Purdue Extension Forage Crops Specialist
                            Jerry Perkins
                            USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
                            Northeast Indiana Grazing Land Specialist
                            Victor Shelton
                            USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
                            Southwest Indiana Grazing Land Specialist/Agronomist
                            Robert Zupancic
                            USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
                            Southeast Indiana Grazing Land Specialist

                            All photos in this guide courtesy of the contributors.

                            Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be
                            an endorsement to the exclusion of others that may be similar.
                            Persons using such products assume responsibility for their use
                            in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.

                                                             The USDA-Natural Resouces Conservation Service’s
                                                             Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) is a
                                                             nationwide collaborative process of individuals and
                                                             organizations working together to maintain and
                                                             improve the management, productivity, and health
                                                             of the nation's privately owned grazing land.
                                                             For more information, visit www.in.nrcs.usda.
                                                             gov/programs/GLCI/glcihomepage.html

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                                   AY-328                                   Purdue Extension

Getting Started                                                                                              4      Table of
   Chapter 1:
   Chapter 2:
                   Improving Pasture by Management . ............................................... 5
                   Would Your Pasture Make the Grade?.............................................. 8
                                                                                                                    Contents
Physical Components of a Grazing System                                                                    13
   Chapter 3:      Laying Out Your Paddocks ............................................................ 13
   Chapter 4:      Providing Water to Your Livestock ................................................ 15
   Chapter 5:      Planning Your Fencing.................................................................... 17
   Chapter 6:      Maintaining Fertile Soils................................................................. 21
   Chapter 7:      Determining the Right Forage Species to Grow.............................. 26

Grazing Management Considerations                                                                          30
   Chapter 8:      Determining Length of Stay in Paddocks . ..................................... 30
   Chapter 9:      Using Stockpiled Perennial Forages to Your Advantage . ............... 36
   Chapter 10: A Plan for Streamside Grazing . ..................................................... 37
   Chapter 11: The Question of Woodland Grazing ............................................... 39
   Chapter 12: Livestock Grazing Behavior ........................................................... 41
   Chapter 13: Potential Forage-Induced Animal Disorders .................................. 42

Indiana Graziers’ Experiences                                                                              44
   Chapter 14: One Acre Pasture Provides Forage for Boer Goats ........................ 44
   Chapter 15: Multi-Species Grazing Offers Greater Efficiency and Diversity........ 45
   Chapter 16: Low Inputs Help Sheep Farm Do More than Survive...................... 47
   Chapter 17: Longtime Beef Cattle Graziers Embrace Changes........................... 48
   Chapter 18: The Dairy Perspective of Management-Intensive Grazing . ............ 49

Glossary of Terms                                                                                          51
Additional Reading and Information                                                                         57

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana         AY-328

Getting Started               W    elcome to management-intensive grazing. This manual
                              will help improve your understanding of basic grazing
                              concepts. The information here should be applicable to any
                              Hoosier grazier of any livestock species.
                                Grazing systems management is a combination of art and
                              science. You will have to master the art as it relates to your
                              farm, but this manual will get you started on the science.
                                The first section, “Getting Started,” outlines the basics of
                              grazing systems management. It includes chapters on why
                              you should consider grazing systems management and how
                              to assess your pasture’s performance.
                                The second section, “Physical Components of a Grazing
                              System,” discusses the main elements that go into any graz-
                              ing management system. This includes laying out paddocks,
                              providing adequate water, establishing fencing, ensuring soil
                              fertility, and selecting the right forage for your operation.
                                 Section three, “Grazing Management Considerations,” ex-
                              amines other issues you’ll encounter in your grazing system.
                              This includes chapters on determining how long to keep
                              livestock in each paddock, stockpiling forages, streamside
                              and woodland grazing, grazing behavior, and potential for-
                              age-induced disorders.
                                The fourth section shares the experiences of Indiana gra-
                              ziers who have implemented grazing systems management.
                              Written by producers who have implemented and managed
                              these systems, these accounts explain how and why they feel
                              their rotational grazing system has been successful.
                                The last two sections of this manual are a glossary of basic
                              terms and a list of additional resources.
                                Happy reading and happy grazing.

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328                          Purdue Extension

Improving Pasture 		                          Rotational systems can allow pastures to
                                              rest and regrow, distribute manure more
                                                                                               u   Chapter 1
by Management                                 evenly, and increase forage production.
  Traditionally, livestock producers          However, the costs for establishing such
have focused more attention on their          a system (water distribution and fenc-
animals than on the forages the animals       ing) are higher than for a continuous
eat. However, successful pasture-based        grazing system.
production systems rely on producers
                                              Management-Intensive Grazing
who understand the connection be-
tween livestock and forages, and main-          Management-intensive grazing is
taining a healthy balance between the         a system that divides large fields into
two. Mismanage the forage crop, and           smaller paddocks. In this system,
your livestock may develop nutrition          animals are moved frequently at high
                                              stocking rates. Management-intensive          Rotational systems can allow
deficiencies. Mismanage the livestock,
                                              systems can provide the highest forage        pastures to rest and regrow,
and your pasture may not produce the                                                        distribute manure more evenly, and
quality and quantity of forage your graz-     production and use per acre, control
                                                                                            increase forage production.
ing livestock need, nor will the pasture      weeds and brush naturally, provide the
be environmentally sustainable.               most even manure distribution, give
                                              more forage options, and allow pad-
   One way to keep livestock and forages
                                              docks to rest and regrow completely.
in balance is to think of ourselves as for-
                                              However, such systems require careful
age farmers; we raise the forages and the
                                              monitoring and greater startup costs for
livestock harvest it for us. This change
                                              water distribution and fencing.
in thinking requires that we spend more
time on forage management than we               This manual focuses on rotational and
may have done in the past.                    management-intensive grazing systems.
                                              The most important aspect of such sys-
Types of Grazing Systems                      tems is an understanding of rest.
  There are almost as many ways to
graze as there are graziers. But there are
                                              Give the Forages a Rest and Your
three basic kinds of grazing practices        Forages Will Take Care of You
you should understand.                          Like all plants, forages undergo
                                              photosynthesis to store energy and
Continuous Grazing
                                              grow. Photosynthesis, of course, cannot
  Continuous grazing is a system in           occur without energy from the sun. The
which livestock graze in a single large       vegetative parts of a plant (primarily
area for an entire season. This may be        the leaves and stems) capture that solar
simple for the grazier in terms of costs      energy and convert it into digestible
and labor. In the long run, however,          material. The greater the surface area
continuous grazing has many draw-             of the leaves, the more energy they can
backs, including lower forage quality         capture, which results in more digest-
and yield, lower stocking rate, overgraz-     ible material for the livestock as well as
ing, and uneven manure distribution.          greater survivability for the plant.
Rotational Grazing                              Because perennial grasses and le-
  Rotational grazing is a system that         gumes can recover from mowing and
uses more than one pasture. In such           grazing quickly, they are extremely
a system, livestock are moved from            valuable for forage and soil protection.
one pasture to another based on their         But removing too many leaves through
feed requirements and forage growth.          overgrazing retards forage production
                                              and reduces the plant’s root system. For
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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana          AY-328

                            that reason, the more residual forage        paddocks so that each one can be prop-
                            that is left in a paddock, the quicker the   erly rested before the livestock graze in
                            paddock will produce new growth and          them again.
                            be ready to graze the next time.
                                                                         Better Forage Means
                               If allowed to do so, livestock will eat
                                                                         Better Nutrition
                            forages down to the ground. When
                            that happens (and it frequently does in        Managing your paddocks provides
                            continuous grazing systems), the forages     many benefits. One of the most im-
                            cannot capture as much solar energy, so      portant is an improvement in livestock
                            they must draw upon their root reserves      nutrition. Managing your forages allows
                            just to survive. Generally, root growth      you to produce a higher quality and
                            is unaffected when up to 50 percent of       quantity of feed than you would be able
                            the plant is grazed. But if animals graze    to produce on the same acreage under
                            60 to 90 percent of the leaves, then root    continuous grazing. That’s because
                            growth drops by 50 to 100 percent.           managed paddocks allow you to keep
                            Overgrazing will slow new growth, and        the forage growing and vegetative.
                            plants may die, especially if there are        Vegetative forage is higher in available
                            other stresses present. Even if the forage   protein, energy, and essential nutrients
                            survives, it will be less vigorous and       than forage that has to draw on root
                            healthy because stress has weakened the      reserves just to survive. Vegetative for-
                            roots.                                       age is also better than fully mature grass,
                              Root growth is very important. Not         because grasses tend to build up thicker
                            only do roots deliver essential moisture     cell walls once they mature, mean-
                            and nutrients to the leaves, perennial       ing there are fewer nutrients available
                            plants store food in their roots, stolons,   for the livestock. You want to keep the
                            corms, and rhizomes after seasonal           forage in this growing state as long as
                            growth. Forages draw on these reserves       possible.
                            to survive dormancy, to make the first         Rotating livestock into paddocks with
                            new growth the next spring, and to start     vegetative forage means better nutri-
                            new growth after green leaves and stems      tion, and that means improved animal
                            are closely grazed or mown.                  performance and more profit.
                              If livestock continually graze in just     Better Management
                            one pasture, animals are free to graze
                            whatever and wherever they like. That’s
                                                                         Requires Fewer Inputs
                            why it’s important to have more than           Animal health and profitability go
                            one paddock in your pasture man-             hand in hand. Another benefit of man-
                            agement system to allow time for the         aged grazing is the ability to extend the
                            forages to rest and regrow before being      grazing season with less labor. Let the
                            grazed again. As the livestock feed in       animals do as much work for themselves
                            one paddock, the other paddocks are          as possible. Why carry all that feed to
                            resting, giving time for the plants to       them? They have four legs and are mo-
                            grow, build new root reserves, and           bile. They often go some places that we
                            maintain vigor.                              don’t even want to travel, especially on
                                                                         foot and impossible with some equip-
                              The number of paddocks you have in
                                                                         ment. But more importantly, if they are
                            your pasture, of course, will depend on
                                                                         working, then most likely, you are not. If
                            many factors and your particular goals.
                                                                         they are grazing, you are spending much
                            But in the end, you want to have enough
                                                                         less money to feed them.
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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                   AY-328                           Purdue Extension

  Not only do you have to work less,         Better Management Makes
you’ll spend less on fuel. If a wheel is     Livestock (and Producers)
turning, then you’re spending money.
So, the less a tire has to turn by hauling   More Sociable
hay around on a tractor, the better. Most      Managed grazing provides social
people see increased profitability as they   benefits to livestock and producers alike.
extend the grazing season and start cut-     The social needs of livestock are very
ting back on the amount of hay they are      important. Social stress can affect pro-
feeding.                                     ductivity and performance, so the way
                                             we handle animals affects everything
Better Management                            from their disposition to the quality of
Improves the Environment                     the meat. Animals quickly get used to
  If you’re not burning fuel, you’re not     being moved and know that the next
just saving money, you’re not emitting       stop is going to be a paddock with better
exhaust. Managed grazing also offers         forage.
a number of environmental benefits,             Many graziers testify that changing to
including:                                   a grazing system would have been worth
• Less rain runoff because of better         it just for the change in the way animals
  water-soil infiltration.                   behave and react. They say things like,
                                             “They are not the same cows,” and “I
• Better water quality because growing       can move them within a couple minutes
  forages trap sediment and nutrients.       without a bucket and without help.”
• Improved animal waste distribution           There are also social benefits for pro-
  because waste is more evenly spread        ducers. The public typically perceives a
  over several paddocks.                     good grazing system to be more aes-
• Less erosion because dense, thick,         thetically and environmentally pleasing.
  vigorous forages reduce runoff.            Consumers like to know that the prod-
                                             ucts they are buying, especially when
Better Management                            they are coming straight from you,
Improves Livestock Health                    are being produced by a more holistic
  Livestock have evolved to graze for-       method. Many producers are cashing in
ages and stand on sod. Therefore, they       on this perspective and marketing their
are happiest and healthiest on lush,         products as “grass fed.”
productive pastures. The direct benefits        But there is still more to it than that.
of improved forage grazing management        Grazing management seems to offer to
include:                                     consumers a more wholesome, family-
• Reduced foot and hoof problems.            friendly operation with a more laidback,
                                             slower-paced lifestyle that many wish
• Increased calving percentage.
                                             they could experience.
• Reduced parasite problems.
                                               So, why should you divide up your
• Reduced incidences of displaced            pasture?
  abomasums.
                                               To take better control of your forages,
• Reduced somatic cell counts and            your livestock, and your farm.
  instances of mastitis.
• Reduced fly problems.

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                   AY-328

 u   Chapter 2                       Would Your Pasture                            ate a current pasture’s productivity and
                                                                                   the stability of its plant community, soil,
                                     Make the Grade?                               and water resources. The scoring sheet
                                        In well-managed pastures, produc-          should also help you identify weaknesses
                                     tivity is optimized for both the plants       and alternatives to improve pasture
                                     and the animals (which could include          management.
                                     livestock and wildlife). Furthermore,            Each indicator is given a score of one
                                     well-managed pastures should not nega-        to five, according to what is seen in the
                                     tively affect soil, water, and air quality.   field. Each condition ranges from very
                                     Poor plant growth, high weed popula-          poor to excellent. Each is also given a
                                     tions, soil erosion, increased runoff,        weighted value according to its impor-
                                     poor animal performance, and impaired         tance. The indicators included on the
                                     water quality are all signs that indicate     sheet are described below.
Dense forage stands indicate
proper grazing and results in high
                                     problems within a pasture.
forage intake and high sunlight
                                                                                   Desirable Plants
                                        Before you begin any grazing manage-
interception.                        ment program, it’s important to get a            The desirable plants indicator mea-
                                     good, objective assessment of how your        sures the percentage of plants in a
                                     pastures measure up. One method of            pasture (by weight) that livestock will
                                     evaluating pasture management is to           eat and meet their nutritional needs. A
                                     use a pasture condition score sheet. You      desirable species is readily consumed,
                                     can use the sheets on pages 11 and 12         persistent, and provides high yielding,
                                     to give your pasture’s an overall “grade.”    quality forage for most of the growing
                                     In addition to an initial assessment, it      season. Undesirable species (such as
                                     is usually a good idea to keep track of       woody invaders, noxious weeds, and
                                     your pastures’ health by completing a         toxic plants) typically are not eaten by
                                     score sheet every year. Pasture condi-        livestock, cause undesirable side effects,
                                     tion is useful to help you decide when        or are likely to crowd out more desirable
                                     to move livestock or plan other manage-       species. You want to estimate visually
                                     ment actions. It also indicates improve-      the proportion of the desirable species
                                     ments that are most likely to improve         present by weight and score accordingly.
                                     your pastures’ condition and livestock’s      Remember, the percentage is by weight.
                                     performance.                                  Just because there is a lot of short blue-
                                                                                   grass in an orchardgrass stand does not
                                       While you can evaluate your own
                                                                                   mean the short bluegrass is 50 percent
                                     pastures, it is usually a good idea to find
                                                                                   of the stand — by weight, it is probably
                                     someone else to do it and allow them
                                                                                   only 20 percent or less.
                                     to be honest with you. Chances are, you
                                     will be less objective with your own          Live Plant Cover
                                     pastures than someone who doesn’t see            The live plant cover indicator mea-
                                     the same things you do every day. Also,       sures the percentage of the soil surface
                                     when you walk or drive over the same          that is covered by plants. This is an
                                     ground day after day, you sometimes           important factor for pasture produc-
                                     overlook or just stop noticing little         tion, as well as soil and water protection.
                                     changes.                                      Dense stands indicate proper grazing,
                                       The pasture condition scoring sheet         high animal intake, and high sunlight
                                     at the end of this chapter involves the       interception. Plant cover also highly in-
                                     visual evaluation of 10 indicators. The       fluences water runoff and water infiltra-
                                     purpose of the scoring sheet is to evalu-     tion, which can be especially important
                                                                                   during dry years.
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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                   AY-328                           Purdue Extension

Plant Diversity                              Percent Legume
  The plant diversity indicator measures       The percent legume indicator is im-
the number of different forage plants        portant because legumes are a source of
that are well represented in the pasture.    nitrogen critical for pastures. Legumes
Each species should make up at least         also improve the forage quality of a pas-
20 percent of the sward. Ideally, you        ture mix, especially protein content and
want to see at least three species and       dry matter consumption when they are
include at least two functional groups.      at least 20 percent of the stand. Thirty
Functional groups include cool-season        percent is a good legume goal. Some
grasses, legumes, warm-season grasses,       legumes can cause bloat, so consider us-
and annual forages.                          ing nonbloating legumes when appro-
                                             priate (see table on pages 28 and 29 for
Plant Residue
                                             nonbolating legumes).
  The plant residue indicator measures
the amount of plant material in vari-        Uniformity of Use
ous states of decay. Residue, of course,       The uniformity of use indicator re-
provides additional surface cover and        cords observed animal grazing patterns.
organic matter to the soil; however, too     Grazing is considered uniform when all
much residue reduces the feed value of       species (including desirable and inter-
the forages consumed and animal in-          mediate ones) are grazed to a similar
take, and can inhibit new plant growth.      height. Grazing is considered uneven if
Residue left over winter, however, can       you observe “clump syndrome,” or when
be very beneficial in the early spring to    some plants are eaten to the ground
help balance out the grazing animals’        and others are in full seed head. You
rumens while they are consuming high-        can usually correct uneven grazing by
protein, highly digestible, high-moisture    increasing the stocking density, using
forages.                                     smaller paddocks, and maintaining
                                             shorter grazing periods.
Plant Vigor
   The plant vigor indicator measures        Livestock Concentration Areas
how many of the desired forage species          The livestock concentration areas
are healthy and growing at their poten-      indicator accounts for places in pastures
tial. Plant color, size, rate of regrowth,   where livestock return frequently and
and productivity all help determine vig-     linger to be near water, feed, minerals,
or. Fertility is very important for good     shelter, or just to be in shade. Typically,
plant vigor and should be adequate           well-worn trails lead to these preferred
but not excessive. Close, frequent, or       areas. Depending on their locations,
continuous grazing, such as the shaved       these trails can direct sediment, nutri-
lawn mower look, often causes loss of        ents, and bacteria toward nearby water
vigor, reducing yields and ground cover.     bodies.
Low plant vigor makes weed problems
                                             Soil Compaction
more likely. Occasionally, the climate
or soil is not appropriate for the species     The soil compaction indicator ac-
being grown, such as perennial ryegrass      counts for water infiltration rates and
on a droughty soil. Weather, insects, and    runoff. The lack of water infiltration
disease can also influence plant vigor.      decreases water availability in the soil
                                             for plant growth, potentially lowering
                                             production or sometimes survivability.
                                             Instead, water runs off, increasing chan-

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana - Purdue extension AY-328
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana          AY-328

                             nel erosion downstream, and carries
  Find out more              contaminants such as nutrients from the
                             site, reducing water quality. Compac-
  For more information,      tion can be detected in the field using a
  see, Guide to Pasture      soil probe, metal rod, or knife. As these
  Condition Scoring by       tools are pushed into the soil, com-
  Dennis Cosgrove, Dan       pacted soil layers interrupt their ease of
                             penetration. Compare in-field resistance
  Undersander, and James
                             to penetration with areas such as the
  Cropper, www.glti.nrcs.    fence lines where animals are not able to
  usda.gov/technical/        graze.
  publications/
                             Erosion
  A PDF version of
                               The erosion indicator measures the
  the pasture condition
                             amount of soil loss in a pasture. Sheet
  scoring sheet on pages     and rill erosion increase as ground cover
  11 and 12 is available     decreases. Erosion also occurs along
  at www.in.nrcs.usda.       streambanks, and in areas of high-water
  gov/technical.             concentration, resulting in gullies. Fre-
                             quency of use, livestock traffic patterns,
                             and the attractiveness of some sites
                             to livestock (including sunning, dust-
                             ing, travel lanes, watering, and rubbing
                             areas) can heighten erosion problems if
                             left unchecked.

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Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                                                   AY-328                                       Purdue Extension
                                                        Pasture Condition Score Sheet
                                        Standard for Midwest Cool-Season Grass/Legume Mixed Pastures
                                                         30- to 45-Inch Rainfall Zone
 Cooperator:                                                                                                   Date:

 Evaluator:                                                                                                    Pasture Number:

   Evaluate the site and rate each indicator based on your observations. Write that number in the Points column, then multiply by the Weight, and enter
   that number in the Weighted Points (Wtd. Pts.) column. Scores for each indicator may range from 1 to 5. Add the indicator scores to determine overall               Score
                                              pasture condition score. If an indicator does not apply, enter a 5.

                                                                                                                                                                                Wtd.
 Indicator                       1 Point                     2 Points                  3 Points                4 Points              5 Points                 Points   Weight   Pts.

                                                                                       Desirable species 40-   Desirable forage
                                                             Desirable species 20-                                                   Desirable species
                                 Desirable species                                     60% of stand. Un-       species 60-80% of
                                                             40% of stand. Mostly                                                    exceed 80% of plant
                                 90%.
                                                                                       Canopy=70-80%.          Canopy=80-90%.        Forages are
                                                                                       Most forages are
 Live Plant Cover                Canopy 75% of                                  one functional
                                 from one functional                                   dominant functional                           least one being a
                                                             DM wt.). Or, more                                 group (each 20%
 Plant Diversity                 group with differing                                  group (>75% of DM                             legume (each 20%
                                                             than five forage                                  DM wt.). None
 (evaluate as a complete         growth habitats (>75%                                 wt.). At least one                            of DM wt. and total
                                                             species (all 75% of DM wt.).
                                                             from one dominant                                 forage species
 10% of overall score            evenly grazed, poorly                                 permitting presence                           Well intermixed,
                                                             functional group, not                             each from two
                                 distributed. (e.g.,                                   of mature seed                                compatible growth
                                                             evenly grazed, poorly                             functional groups,
                                 jointed grasses and                                   stalks. Species in                            habit, and compa-
                                                             distributed.                                      both supply 25-
                                 nonjointed grasses).                                  patches.                                      rable palatability.
                                                                                                               50% of DM wt.

                                                                                       Ground cover=10-        Ground cover=20-      Ground cover=30-
                                 Ground cover 1 inch).       0.5-1 inch thick.         slight thatch buildup   thatch present.       buildup.
                                                                                       (
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                                                  AY-328

  Evaluate the site and rate each indicator based on your observations. Write that number in the Points column, then multiply by the Weight, and enter
  that number in the Weighted Points (Wtd. Pts.) column. Scores for each indicator may range from 1 to 5. Add the indicator scores to determine overall                Score
                                             pasture condition score. If an indicator does not apply, enter a 5.

                                                                                                                                                                                Wtd.
 Indicator                      1 Point                      2 Points                 3 Points                 4 Points               5 Points                Points   Weight   Pts.
                                                                                                               Some livestock
                                                                                                               trails and one or      No untreated live-
                                                             Livestock concentra-
                                Cover >10% of the                                                              two small con-         stock concentration
                                                             tion areas and trails
                                pasture or concen-                                    Isolated livestock       centration areas       areas in the pasture
 Livestock Concentration                                     cover 5-10% of
                                trated areas convey                                   concentrated areas       cover
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328                             Purdue Extension

          Physical Components of a Grazing System
          When it comes to spending money, a careful consideration of the expected financial returns from
          any investment is crucial to farm profitability. Always evaluate the expected returns from any invest-
          ment opportunity.
            With grazing management, there are four major investment categories: fencing, water distribu-
          tion, lime and fertilizer, and seed selection. Each category is unique in its payback potential, and each
          category is unique to the needs of every individual farm and grazier.
            The first chapter in this section discusses the basics of paddock layout. The remaining chapters
          focus on each of the investment categories, offering you practical information you can use to assess
          investment values.

                                              streams, laying out the paddocks can be
Laying Out Your Paddocks                      very challenging. Piping in water will              u    Chapter 3
                                              probably make layout easier and more
  Rotational grazing and management-          reliable in quantity and quality.
intensive grazing systems depend on
paddocks: smaller, fenced-in units            Match Paddocks to Landscape
within a larger pasture. Paddocks de-            The next consideration is topography.
crease the amount of area that animals        It is important that animals be able to
can roam and give previously grazed           see the water. That can be much more
forage in other paddocks more time to         difficult in hilly areas than it is in flat
rest and regrow.                              fields. By constructing paddocks to
  Laying out a paddock system can be          match the different topographies in your
as simple as dividing an existing field       field (hillsides versus flat areas), you will
in two, or as complex as systematically       have more consistent grazing.
dividing a field into multiple paddocks,         For example, if a paddock contains
complete with travel lanes to get animals     both bottomland and hillsides, then
back and forth to working areas, distant      the two landscapes are typically grazed
paddocks, or the milk parlor. However,        differently because of their differences
there are a few basics to consider as you     in topography, fertility, water availabil-
think about laying out your paddocks,         ity, and so on. You certainly would not          Construct paddocks to match the
including water, topography, soil types,      want to mix a flat creek bottom with a           different topographies in your fields
shape, and frequency of animal move-          very steep hill if you are grazing cows,         (hillsides versus flat areas) and to
ment.                                         because the cows would prefer grazing            make the watering locations visible
                                              the lowland (which they would tend to            throughout the whole paddock.
Water Must Be Close and Visible
                                              overgraze) and avoid the high ground
   Water location is of primary               (which they would undergraze). If you
importance in rotational or                   graze sheep or goats in the same situa-
management-intensive grazing systems.         tion, then they will probably prefer the
Water should always be close (so              slopes and not the lower, potentially
animals don’t have to walk far to get         wetter ground. Thus, it is almost always
it) and visible (so animals will drink        better to split paddocks based on topog-
individually rather than as a group).         raphy and soil type.
It is optimal to have water within 400
to 500 feet for dairy cows and 800 feet       Understand Soil
for beef cattle. If you will be using         Productivity, Drainage
natural water sources, such as ponds or         Topographical variations are directly
                                                                                                                                13
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328

                                       related to changes in soils and pro-         regarding paddock layout is the size,
                                       ductivity. Lighter or sandier soils can      based on how often you want to move
                                       provide more desirable areas to sacrifice    the animals. This depends on the num-
                                       during rain events, but they produce less    ber of days the forage in each paddock
                                       annual growth. Heavier soils, or soils       will need to rest after being grazed and,
                                       that tend to stay wet, can often provide     of course, the amount of dry matter
                                       ample grazing during droughty periods,       available (plants) and forage needs of
                                       but may require restricted access during     the animals present. In general, you
                                       wetter periods.                              should move animals from one paddock
Rule of Thumb                            Of course, matching forages that are       to another at least twice per week. Any
Square paddocks can be                 best adapted to your soil conditions, is     less frequently and animals will tend to
grazed more evenly and                 of the utmost importance. Ideally, each      regraze certain areas and weaken the
efficiently than rectangular or        paddock should have similar soil types       plants. Frequent rotation is beneficial
pie-shaped paddocks. Keep              and forages. Whenever possible, you          because it can increase the percentage of
                                       should seed specific forages in unique       the available forage actually consumed
pastures as near to square as
                                       areas, such as frequently flooded or         (grazing efficiency).
possible to help reduce fencing
costs and use land better.             extremely droughty areas, then manage          The table below provides suggested
Long, thin paddocks tend to            these areas as separate paddocks.            ranges for optimal grazing periods.
                                                                                    These recommendations are based on
encourage livestock to graze           Keep Paddocks 			                            average forage production.
nearest to water, minerals, or
                                       as Square as Possible
shade, and animals tend to                                                          Other Considerations
avoid grazing in the far end.            Water sources, topography, soil types,
                                       and natural barriers can sometimes              Other paddock layout considerations
A square paddock that’s 210                                                         are tied to specific needs. For example,
                                       restrict a paddock’s shape. Whenever
feet on each side requires 840                                                      lanes are important when you need to
                                       possible, however, the first choice
linear feet of fence (44,100                                                        move animals regularly to a milking or
                                       should be to make your paddocks as
square feet). A paddock that           square as possible; the second choice        working area. When setting up lanes,
has the same square footage            would be to make rectangular paddocks        be sure to adjust locations to avoid
but that’s twice as long on one        with a maximum side to end ratio of          climbing hills to help minimize erosion
side (420 feet) requires 1,050         3:1; and the choice of last resort would     problems.
linear feet of fence.                  be a pie-shaped paddock. The paddock           Putting all these factors together
                                       shape may also need to be varied based       will enable you to set up a system of
   210 feet                            on the type of livestock. For example,       paddocks that not only provides your
                                       horses, llamas, alpacas, and emus prefer     forage plants with the environment
              210 feet

                                       longer, more rectangular paddocks.           they need for maximum growth and
                                                                                    persistence, it also helps maximize the
                                       Move Animals Twice or
                                                                                    productive potential of the livestock by
                                       More per Week                                offering forage that is higher in quantity
                                         The last decision you’ll need to make      and quality.
                            105 feet

                                          The table below provides suggested ranges for optimal grazing periods.
          420 feet                        These recommendations are based on average forage production.
                                                                                   Time Spent in a Paddock Before
                                                  Livestock Operation              Moving to Next Paddock
                                               Cow/Calf                                       3-7 days
                                               Stocker                                        1-3 days
                                               Dairy                                          1/2-1 day
                                               Ewe/Lamb                                       2-5 days
                                               Feeder Lamb                                    1-3 days
                                               Horse                                          5-7 days

14
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328                           Purdue Extension

Providing Water 		                                                                               u      Chapter 4
to Your Livestock
  Water is the most important ingredi-        easy to find the best location. But in real
ent in any living creature’s diet. We can     life, more goes into that decision.
survive for weeks without food, but only
                                                For example, it makes economic sense
days without water. Plentiful water in
                                              to locate water so it can service mul-
the paddock is essential for good animal
                                              tiple paddocks (whenever possible). In
performance and grazing efficiency.
                                              general, you should always try to locate
When establishing your paddocks and
                                              water so that it will be visible to animals
determining your water needs, there
                                              from any location within the paddock.
are four major considerations: distance
                                              That way, you’ll be able to use a smaller
animals have to travel to water, loca-
                                              tank since animals will tend to come to
tion of water, size of water tank, and the
                                              drink individually if they have shorter
amount of water to be delivered to the
                                              distances to walk rather than make
paddock.
                                              drinking a social event if they have to
Keep Water Close                              walk farther.                                   Tank size depends on the amount
                                                                                              of water you have available. A tank
  Studies show that providing easy            Keep the Water Fresh                            should refill faster than your animals
access to water improves animal per-
                                                Tank size is primarily about the              can drink it.
formance. For example, providing
                                              quality and quantity of water you can
adequate, high-quality, accessible water
                                              provide. Of course, you want to have a
for mother and calf has been shown to
                                              sufficient quantity of water so that your
increase the weaning weight of calves by
                                              water tank refills faster than animals can
more than 50 pounds. Logic tells us that
                                              drink it. But you should also size your
restricting the availability of the cheap-
                                              tank so that the water turns over every
                                                                                                 Rule of Thumb
est component of the grazing system                                                              To calculate optimum water
                                              one or two hours to ensure it is cool and
just does not make economic sense.                                                               tank size, use this formula:
                                              fresh. The longer water sits in a tank, the
  Distance from water is an important         warmer and more stale it becomes. This                     number of animals
factor. The table below shows the far-        makes it less desirable to the animals
thest distances grazing animals should        and, ultimately, they have to drink it to                           x
have to travel within a given paddock         benefit from it.                                       gallons per animal per day
to get water. Making sure that animals                                                                            ÷
                                                Assuming your water tank has proper
have access to water within these dis-                                                                        24 hours
                                              visibility within the paddock and that
tances maximizes animal performance
                                              you have a full-flow tank valve to                                  =
and ensures even grazing in the pad-
                                              provide rapid refill, an easy formula for
dock. When water is farther than these                                                                   optimum tank size
                                              calculating the optimum tank size is:
distances, animals tend to focus more of                                                                    (in gallons)
their energies acquiring water and less         number of animals x gallons per
on their main purpose of harvesting for-        animal per day ÷ 24 hours = optimum
age and producing meat or milk. When            tank size (in gallons).
establishing your paddocks, keep these           There are other considerations when
distances to water in mind.                   it comes to tank size, including the
Make Water Visible
                                                                                   Water Should Be No
   The next major consideration when                  Grazing Animal
                                                                                   Farther Than
putting adequate water in the paddock            Lactating Dairy and Goats            400-500 feet
is finding a suitable location. If all pad-      All Other Ruminants                  800 feet
docks were flat and square, it would be

                                                                                                                               15
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                           AY-328

 Livestock Watering Systems, Energy Source, Costs, and Capability
                                                                                             Estimated Cost
                                                                                              (2007 Dollars)
                                 Energy
 System                                          Water Supply     Capability                            Watering    Additional Information
                                 Source                                               Initial Pump
                                                                                                       System and
                                                                                         System
                                                                                                          Pump
 Existing well                   Electric or     Ground           Depends on           Already in         $700+     Very reliable. Low cost.
                                 fuel            water, etc.      well and pump           Place                     Suitable for intensive
                                                                  size                                              grazing.
 Gravity fed                     Gravity         Spring,          Depends on              N/A           $700+       Low cost. Airlock
                                 (change in      drainage tile,   water source                                      problems are possible.
                                 elevation)      cistern, pond                                                      Requires elevation
                                                                                                                    survey. Overflow
                                                                                                                    management at water
                                                                                                                    source and/or tank may
                                                                                                                    be required. Can restrict
                                                                                                                    tank location and
                                                                                                                    placement.
 Nose pump                       Livestock       Shallow water    20-30 head, 23-        $350            $400       Foot valve must be kept
 (mechanical)                                    sources          foot lift or 126-                                 clean. Suitable for small
                                                                  foot distance                                     herds. Low cost and
                                                                                                                    maintenance. Must keep
                                                                                                                    livestock within 600 feet
                                                                                                                    of nose pump or you
                                                                                                                    may limit water intake.
                                                                                                                    Only one animal at a
                                                                                                                    time can drink.
 Hydraulic ram pump              Falling water   Stream,          10-30 foot lift     $300- $1,000     $1,000+      Requires waterfall
                                                 spring           per 1-foot fall                                   or a good slope.
                                                                  depending on                                      Detailed installation
                                                                  model.                                            requirements.
                                                                                                                    Continuous pumping
                                                                                                                    system. Overflow
                                                                                                                    management at pump
                                                                                                                    and tank.
 Sling pump                      Flowing         River, lake      800-4,000             $1,000-        $1,700+      Requires sufficient water
                                 water (or                        gallons/day,          $1,700                      speed. Continuous
                                 wind)                            26-82 foot lift                                   pumping system.
                                                                  (water powered                                    Overflow management
                                                                  models)                                           at tank.
 Solar-powered pump              Sun             Any              Depends on            $1,500 +       $2,200+      Requires technical skills
                                                                  design                                            for installation and
                                                                                                                    maintenance. Requires
                                                                                                                    energy storage (battery
                                                                                                                    or reservoir).
 Wind-powered pump, air-         Wind            Pond, shallow    20-foot lift or       $1,100+        $1,800+      Requires some skills
 activated                                       well, etc.       over a 980 foot                                   for installation.
                                                                  distance                                          Requires water storage.
                                                                                                                    Continuous pumping
                                                                                                                    system. Overflow
                                                                                                                    management at tank or
                                                                                                                    reservoir.
 Mobile (on wheels) water tank   Electric or     Any              Depends on              $0+          $1,100+      Labor intensive. Suitable
                                 fuel                             tank capacity                        or about     for intensive grazing.
                                                                                                       $0.01/gal    Requires good water
                                                                                                                    source for timely fill up,
                                                                                                                    and a tractor or truck for
                                                                                                                    delivery.
 Gas- or battery-powered pump    Fuel or         Any              Depends on           $200- $900       $900+       Labor intensive.
                                 batteries                        model                                             Requires water storage.
                                                                                                                    Requires good water
                                                                                                                    source for fill up. Not
                                                                                                                    always practical.

16
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                   AY-328                           Purdue Extension
amount of watering space and size of          200-pound ewes are 1 AU and should
the water line. Watering space at the         receive 30 gallons of water per day. A              Coarse Ag Lime (2"-4")
tank is especially important if your          1,500-pound cow is 1.5 animal units and                  No. 2 or 53
animals have to walk more than 1,200          should receive 45 gallons of water per                crushed stone (6")
feet to get to it. The greater the distance   day.
animals must travel, the greater the            There are many paddocks that can
                                                                                                   Geotextile fabric over
likelihood that the whole herd will come                                                               soil surface
                                              pose challenges for a variety of factors,
as a group. That means you will need to       such as the distance from the water
provide more drinking space to ensure                                                       Heavy Use Area Protection (HUAP)
                                              source. Even when a situation is less         constructions like this can help
that all animals get a drink before they      than ideal, an economical and practical
head back to pasture.                                                                       reduce erosion and other problems
                                              solution can generally be found. Con-         around permanent water sites.
  The water supply line’s size plays an       tracting an experienced planner can
important role in determining how             provide long-term satisfaction with the
quickly the tank can refill. The smaller      outcome and increase profitability.
the line, the longer it takes for a tank to
refill. In other words, the smaller your      Provide Erosion Protection                      Find out more
water line, the larger the tank you will      for Watering Sites
                                                                                              For details about
probably need.                                  To help avoid the problems associated         designing a geotextile/
                                              with bare soils around permanent wa-            gravel pad, see Purdue
Provide 30 Gallons
                                              tering sites, producers should consider
per Animal Unit                                                                               Extension publication
                                              using geotextile fabric with rock or con-
   The exact amount of water each ani-        crete. Geotextile fabrics are porous, so        AED-45, Using All-
mal needs is determined by its physical       water and moisture pass through them            Weather Geotextile Lanes
characteristics (type, size, lactation/       while the rock is held in place. Recom-         and Pads.
gestation stage, and metabolism rate) as      mendations are for 6 inches of coarse,          To order, visit the Purdue
well as environmental conditions (tem-        crushed limestone (typically Number 2           Extension Education
perature, humidity, wind, and forage          or Number 53 stone) topped with 2 to            Store at www.ces.purdue.
moisture). The standard rule in Indiana       3 inches of a finer material like ag lime.
                                                                                              edu/new
is to provide 30 gallons of water per         The area protected by geotextile fabric
day per animal unit (AU). One AU is           and gravel or concrete should extend a
1,000 pounds of live animal weight. For       minimum of 8 feet from water troughs,
example, two 500-pound heifers or five        tanks, and other equipment.

Planning Your Fencing                           The rest of this chapter looks at             u    Chapter 5
                                              common external and internal fencing
  Fences are a very important part of         options, as well as special considerations
any grazing system. In most grazing sys-      for electric fencing.
tems, you’ll need to consider both exter-
nal (or perimeter) fencing and internal       External Fences
(or divisional) fencing. External fences      Make Good Neighbors
keep your livestock from wandering off
                                                The old saying, “Good fences make
your property — and help keep other
                                              good neighbors” holds true in grazing,
animals out. Internal fences keep live-
                                              since it is wise to keep your livestock
stock confined to a specific area, such as
                                              where they are supposed to be.
a paddock within a larger pasture. These
fences are key to good pasture manage-          That’s where external (or perimeter)
ment because they allow you to control        fences come in. Since external fences          External fences must be sound
where your livestock graze, giving time       must keep your livestock within the            enough to effectively keep your
for forage in other paddocks to rest and      boundaries of your property, they need         livestock on your property.
regrow.                                       to be sound enough to effectively retain
                                                                                                                            17
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                AY-328

                                  your livestock. The Indiana state fence        Woven Wire
                                  law describes such a fence as “a straight        Woven wire easily controls most
                                  board and wire fence, a straight wire          types of livestock with little effort, and
                                  fence, a straight board fence, or a picket     high-tensile versions are also available.
                                  fence four (4) feet high . . . sufficiently    Woven wire is usually more expensive
                                  tight and strong enough to hold cattle,        than high-tensile wire and is much more
                                  hogs, mules, and sheep.”
 Find out more                       Having sound perimeter fences that
                                                                                 difficult to repair if damaged. Woven
                                                                                 wire fences can be topped with barbed
 For more information             will hold back your livestock won’t just       wire or one or two strands of electrified
 about fence laws, see            help you sleep better at night, they are       high-tensile wire.
 Purdue Extension                 the law. Although many different kinds           Wood posts are usually the best op-
 Publication EC-657,              of fences are allowed, Indiana law makes       tion for woven wire fences, although
 Indiana Farm Fence               it clear that external fences must be tight    steel “T” posts can be used for part of
 Laws, www.ces.purdue.            and strong enough to hold livestock.           the line posts.
 edu/extmedia/EC/                   So while you have certainly seen
                                                                                 Barbed Wire
 EC-657.pdf                       one-wire external fences with 3/8-inch
                                  steel rod posts, such fences are not re-          Barbed wire is an old fencing standby.
                                  ally physical barriers, but psychological      But if you have ever had to tear down an
                                  barriers. For both practical and legal         old barbed wire fence and try and roll
                                  reasons, such perimeter fences are inef-       it up to dispose of or move it, then you
                                  fective.                                       know why many producers don’t like it.
                                                                                 Like high-tensile wire, barbed wire fenc-
                                    When it comes to selecting fencing           es are made of four to six wires attached
                                  materials and construction, you need           to posts. They can also be mixed with
                                  to consider the livestock you want to          other types of fencing. Do not electrify
                                  control.                                       barbed wire because it can be a hazard
                                  High-Tensile Wire                              for children and young livestock. Barbed
                                     High-tensile wire is probably the           wire fencing is usually inexpensive and
 Rule of Thumb                    most versatile perimeter fence material.       versatile. It is best when it is mixed with
 Line posts for interior          Typically, high-tensile wire is extremely      other types of fencing. For example, a
 fences may be placed up to       flexible (making it useful for turns and       strand of barbed wire near the ground
                                  on land with major elevation changes)          can help reduce predatory animals from
 50 feet apart on flat terrain.
                                  and easy to repair (usually only requir-       digging underneath it.
                                  ing the replacement of a few staples and         Barbed wire is very versatile and can
                                  retightening). Fences made with such           be used with several different types of
                                  materials are made from any number             posts, wood and steel “T” posts being
                                  of wires stretched horizontally and at-        most common.
                                  tached to posts. The wires are spaced
                                  according to the livestock you wish to         Internal Fences
                                  control. A minimum of two to three             Aid Paddock Management
                                  wires should be electrified to help con-          Good internal (or divisional) fences
                                  trol the livestock.                            can be a great help for managing
                                      Wood or heavy fiberglass posts are         paddocks. The goal of an internal fence
                                  the best option with high-tensile wire.        is to keep livestock in the paddock
                                  If the fence is electrified, steel posts can   where you want them to graze and
                                  drain voltage, shorts are more likely, and     out of the other paddocks you want to
                                  they may not stay in place in areas with       rest. Internal fences can be simple or
                                  abrupt elevation changes (especially           as rugged as your best external fence.
                                  dips).
18
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328                          Purdue Extension

Your decision should be based on the             Temporary fencing allows you to
livestock you have and how much               make frequent changes in forage al-
control you want. You also want to            location based on animal needs, which
decide whether internal fences need to        is particularly important with growing
be permanent or temporary.                    animals and dairy operations. Because
                                              you can quickly take down temporary
Permanent Internal Fences
                                              fencing, it also can make haying or clip-
  Permanent internal fences are typi-         ping easier because you can work on a
cally made from the same materials as         single large area instead of several small
external fences, but don’t necessarily        paddocks.                                      Rule of Thumb
need to be as rugged. For example, a
                                                The type of temporary fencing you            For one-wire fences, place
single strand of high-tensile wire at a
height of 30 inches will probably be all      use also varies according to the livestock     the wire so it is 2/3 the
you need for most cows and will keep          you want to control. For example, for          shoulder height of the
the majority of the calves in place. Plac-    most cattle and horses, a single strand of     grazing animal.
ing a second wire at about 18 inches will     poly-wire or poly-tape works quite well.
do a good job of controlling calves. You      This type of fence can be installed and
can use wood or fiberglass posts as far as    moved quickly with a reel for the wire
50 feet apart on reasonably flat ground.      and quality step-in posts.
To control smaller ruminants, you can           For dairy operations in particular,
use more wires and posts. In general,         temporary fencing is an extremely
however, reduced wire fences should be        important asset for providing breaks for
electrified to be effective.                  the milking herd. Breaks are important
   As with external fences, woven wire        to ensure efficient pasture use and aid
offers more small ruminant control. A         in grazing the paddock evenly while
shorter high-tensile woven wire fence         reducing waste and labor.
(28, 32, or 36 inches tall) with one or         Electrified netting is a great tool for
two strands of electrified wire on top        controlling small ruminants and for
is an excellent internal fence option for     training calves to poly-wire. Most elec-
smaller animals.                              trified netting comes in sections of 75 to
  Regardless of the material you use,         160 feet. These fences take a little more
all permanent internal fences must be         labor to move, but are very effective at
placed so they can be used long-term. In      deterring livestock and predators.
some circumstances, these permanent             Only use a low impedance-type
internal fences can double as laneway         energizer with poly-wire and tape; solid-
fences that help direct and move live-        state energizers will melt the plastic.
stock across large areas, providing ac-
cess to multiple paddocks along the way.      Electric Fences
These are especially handy for moving         Require Extra Attention
and managing individual animals.                Electric fencing, of course, involves
Temporary Internal Fences                     additional equipment and installation
                                              considerations. One of those consider-
   As the name suggests, use temporary        ations is what kind of energizer to use.
fencing where you only want a fence           To understand your energizer needs, it’s
for a very short period and need a lot of     important to know a few basic electrical
flexibility. Temporary fencing is great for
                                              terms: wattage, voltage, and amperage.
subdividing larger permanent paddocks
into smaller units and for strip grazing.      Watts are the basic unit of measure-
                                              ment of electric power. The higher the
                                                                                                                      19
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                  AY-328

                                    number of watts, the greater the amount       Set Up Your Energizer Correctly
                                    of energy you use. Wattage is to electri-       When it comes to energizers, the most
                                    cally powered devices as horsepower           important thing is to set it up properly.
                                    is to engines. A joule also is a unit of      That includes using the correct wire,
                                    measurement for electricity that is equal     grounding everything, and installing
                                    to the amount of energy required to           protective devices.
                                    produce one watt for one second.
                                                                                    Never use household wiring on your
                                      A rule of thumb with electric fenc-         electric fence — it is usually rated for
                                    ing: use one joule per mile of electrified    only 600 volts and you will have 4,000 or
                                    fence wire. So if you have five miles of      more running through your fence. Al-
                                    electric wire, use a five-joule energizer.
 Rule of Thumb                                                                    ways use double insulated high-tensile
                                      A volt is a unit that measures the po-      wire made especially for the purpose.
 For energizers, figure on          tential energy or pressure. In a way, volt-   Running an electrical wire through
 needing one joule per mile         age is similar to measuring the amount        a schedule 40 PVC pipe or conduit
 of electrified fence wire. So,     of pressure in a water line — the higher      provides extra protection where heavy
 five miles of electric wire will   the pressure, the faster water can pass       traffic is expected.
 need a 5-joule energizer.          through. In an electric fence, this is          For an electric fence system to work
                                    the amount of energy that is flowing          properly, it must be grounded. Make
                                    through the wire at any given moment.         sure to ground the energizer correctly
                                    Voltage is important to get the electric      according to the manufacturer’s instruc-
                                    shock through the animal’s hair. The          tions. If the manufacturer says you
                                    thicker the hair or wool, the higher the      need to use three rods, then use three
                                    voltage you’ll need.                          rods. The grounding system should be
                                      An amp measures the amount of en-           directed out toward the center of the
                                    ergy you pull from the line. Amperage,        energized system. Keep everything in
                                    not voltage, causes the greatest amount       the grounding system of the same mate-
                                    of discomfort. Energy will keep flow-         rial (that is, use all copper, or all brass,
                                    ing through a closed circuit, so circuit      or all steel). Rods should be about 1/2 to
                                    breakers and fuses are used to prevent        3/4 inch in diameter and 6 to 8 feet long.
                                    excessive energy flow and to keep the         Connecting wire should be 9-gauge.
 Rule of Thumb                      fence from heating up and melting or            Burying rods, clamps, and wires
                                    causing other damage.                         underground will help ensure good soil
 For electric fencing, 4,000
 to 6,000 volts is generally          When determining which energizer to         contact, but more important, it will help
 adequate for cattle and            install, remember that there is no really     keep the system from being damaged
 horses. Sheep and goats will       good way to compare one brand of en-          by livestock and equipment. Remember,
 probably require 6,000 to          ergizer to another. Low impedance en-         the grounding system should be head-
                                    ergizers deliver large amounts of energy      ing out toward the center of the pasture
 8,000 volts, especially when
                                    with very little resistance and are prob-     system, not installed inside a building.
 training them to the fences.
                                    ably the best buys. These low impedance       The grounding system needs moisture
                                    energizers are high amperage and high         to work correctly. The grounding sys-
                                    voltage, and deliver an extremely short,      tem is probably better described as an
                                    0.0003-second shock. The “shock” is a         “earth return” and acts as the energizer’s
                                    lot more powerful with the high amper-        antenna. Spend the money on a good
                                    age than older energizers, and the short
                                    duration shocks animals and people but
                                    releases them more quickly.

20
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana                    AY-328                           Purdue Extension

energizer and grounding system because        switches near the energizer and at new
without it, the rest of the fence will have   fence breaks are handy because they’ll
a hard time doing its job.                    allow you to switch off sections of fence
  Be sure to protect your energizer           as needed for repairs, to locate shorts, or
investment by installing a lightning          to reduce unused electrical load.              Cut-off switches are handy because
arrestor and surge protector. Cut-off                                                        they allow you to turn off sections
                                                                                             of the fence for repairs and to
                                                                                             locate shorts.

Maintaining Fertile Soils                     mendations either under apply or over
                                                                                                u    Chapter 6
                                              apply nutrients. The effort you take to
   Like any crop, forages require suf-        sample soils properly, interpret the test
ficient soil nutrients to grow and thrive.    results carefully, and apply the recom-
To make sure your pasture is healthy          mended nutrients intelligently, will pay
and productive you need to know the           big dividends.
nutrients in your soil and whether they
are sufficient for growing the desired          When you send your soil to a lab, be
forages. Soil nutrient deficiencies are a     sure to request, at a minimum, that the
leading cause of seedling failures and        results show:
poor yields, so it is in your interest to     • Soil pH (a measure of soil acidity).
test your soil. This chapter examines the
                                              • Buffer pH.
importance of soil testing, shows you
                                                                                             Soil nutrient deficiencies are a leading
how to accurately sample soils, and pro-      • Phosphorus (P) and potassium
                                                                                             cause of seedling failures and poor
vides recommendations for lime, nitro-          (K) levels.
                                                                                             yields, so it is in your best interest
gen (N) phosphorus (P), and potassium         • Organic matter.                              to test your soil regularly and apply
(K) for grass or grass-legume pastures                                                       amendments accordingly.
based on soil test results.                   • Cation exchange capacity (CEC).
                                                You may also want to consider
Get Your Soil Tested                          requesting the soil’s magnesium (Mg)
  Soil tests will determine precisely how     levels because low Mg levels may induce
much lime and fertilizer your soil needs.
Such precision affects your bottom line.
                                              grass tetany.
                                                                                               Find a Soil
Guess and apply too little, and yields        Collect Good Samples                             Testing Lab
will suffer; guess and apply too much,          An accurate soil test begins with good         Purdue Agronomy
and you not only have an unnecessary          samples. To take soil samples for test-
                                                                                               Extension maintains an
expense, you can also cause unintended        ing, you will need a sampling tube, an
plant growth, animal health, or envi-         auger or spade, and a clean plastic pail.        online list of certified soil
ronmental problems. Soil test at least six    Obtain soil sample containers and field          laboratories in Indiana at
months before seeding pastures. For es-       and cropping information sheets from a           www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/
tablished pastures, test soils every three    commercial soil testing service. You will        soiltest.html
to four years to determine the need for       use the field and cropping information
additional lime and fertilizer.               sheets to show the areas where you took
   Find a good, reputable soil testing        the samples, and to indicate the field’s
laboratory and follow their recommen-         past cropping and fertility practices. In
dations. You should never tolerate over-      general, you should take soil samples the
simplified fertilizer recommendations         same time each year. Sampling from late
like, “Apply 300 pounds of a blended          spring to late summer usually provides
12-12-12 fertilizer” because such recom-      a more accurate K soil-value assessment.
                                                                                                                              21
Management-Intensive Grazing in Indiana             AY-328

                                 For the best sampling results:                In the table on page 23, the liming
                               1. Divide the pasture into areas (10          rates for maintaining established
                                  acres maximum) that are uniform in         pastures are about half of what’s
                                  soil color and texture, and that have      recommended for pasture establishment,
                                  similar land use and management            because established pastures aren’t tilled
                                  histories. Producers who have pas-         before limestone is applied.
                                  tures subdivided into paddocks may            Most limestone recommendations
                                  consider sampling soil from each           are based on a 9-inch plowing depth. If
                                  paddock (provided the soil types,          you have mineral soils and the soil pH
 Rule of Thumb                    and use and management histories           is more than 6.0 on established grass
 Animals excrete at               within the paddock are similar).           pastures or more than 6.6 on grass-
 least 85 percent of the       2. Sample each area separately by draw-       legume pastures, you do not need to
                                  ing 15 random soil cores. In estab-        apply limestone. The SMP buffer pH (or
 phosphorus (P) and 50
                                  lished pastures, draw the cores from       “lime index,” as it is commonly called in
 percent of the potassium
                                  2 to 3 inches deep. For new pastures       soil test reports), measures how readily
 (K) they consume. The
                                  to be seeded, draw cores to the depth      a soil’s pH will change after a limestone
 goal of effective grazing                                                   application. Highly buffered soils (that
 management is to distribute      of tillage (6-8 inches).
                                                                             is, soils with a high cation exchange
 these nutrients from          3. Do not sample within 200 feet of a         capacity, or CEC) have lower lime index
 manure evenly throughout         gravel road, along field borders or        values and require more limestone than
 the pasture.                     other distinctly different areas, such     soils with a low CEC.
                                  as sandy ridges, eroded spots, or
                                  areas where hay or silage have been          If the soil test results recommend a
                                  fed. You can, however, sample these        limestone application and indicate that
                                  areas separately if you want soil test     soil Mg is less than 150 pounds per acre,
                                  information about them.                    consider applying dolomitic limestone
                                                                             because it contains up to 22.6 percent
                               4. If the soil cores are wet, let them dry    magnesium carbonate (MgCO3). Apply-
                                  on clean paper. Once dry, place the        ing dolomitic limestone may help you
                                  15 random cores from each area in a        resolve two issues at once: low soil pH
                                  plastic pail and mix them thoroughly.      and Mg levels.
                                  Put each sample in a separate mail-
                                  ing container with the appropriate         Fertilizing
                                  information, and send them accord-         Rate of Application
                                  ing to the soil testing laboratory’s
                                                                                The nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P),
                                  instructions.
                                                                             and potassium (K) fertilizer rates shown
                               Liming to Adjust Soil pH                      in the tables on page 24 depend on
                                 Proper soil pH is a basic requirement       yield goals. P and K rates are lower for
                               for optimum plant growth. If soil test        established pastures than they are for
                               results indicate that your soil is acidic     establishing or reestablishing pastures,
                               (low pH), adding limestone will be            because on established pastures grazing
                               recommended. Preferably, limestone            animals leave urine and feces that are
                               should be applied six to 12 months be-        high in these nutrients. Some estimates
                               fore seeding to ensure sufficient time to     indicate that as much as 85 percent of
                               lower soil acidity (i.e., raise the pH). If   the P and 50 percent of the K in con-
                               the soil test recommends 5 or more tons       sumed forage is recycled in the manure.
                               of limestone per acre, apply half of the      One of the inherent advantages rotation-
                               limestone before the primary tillage and      al stocking has over continuous stocking
                               the other half before a secondary tillage.    is that feces and urine are more evenly
22
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