Rotational Grazing and Minerals

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One of the major points I learned this week helped me expand on my previous knowledge of the rotational grazing pattern practiced here on the Perry Ranch. I discovered that the main objective of a pattern that allows for about 30-40 days of rest in each pasture, with a rotation every 5-7 days, is done to ensure that a cow is not coming back to graze the same plant twice. This second grazing decreases the health of the plant’s roots, therefore interfering with the soil structure. Preventing this is the main objective of rotational grazing and should be done to ensure the longevity of a ranching operation.

This week, I am also becoming more in tune with how cows can be trained to move pastures through experience. If a cow is familiar with the rotational grazing schedule, I have noticed that they start to crowd towards the fence if they believe it is nearing time to switch pastures and will move very freely to the next field if you simply leave the gate open for them, no herding necessary.

The only concept from this week I would challenge is how cows, as a species, can habituate to moving pastures on their own. I wonder what research and training it would entail to teach a grazing animal how to do this with less human interference, if it is at all possible.

[I wonder] how the use of mineral feed impact an animal’s diet, and what consequences do they face if they do not receive a specific amount of it? Is it necessary for ranchers in other areas that have a more diverse array of minerals in the soil and nutrient content in plants to add mineral feed to cow diets? What is the purpose of a salt lick?

How are horses broke in to herd animals versus to do things like barrel race?with herding with principles designed by Bud Williams that decrease an animal’s anxiety when moving between pastures. I am curious as to how using dogs or moving cattle on foot creates a difference in the stress levels of animals in comparison to the use of horses or ATVs. I also have questions about how plant species, such as dandelions, will disappear from a pasture on their own once their life cycle is complete.

I plan to use what I’ve learned over this past week to more run a biological study of grasses throughout the summer. This will be done by photographing various pastures before and after grazing at both a side and above angle view. By doing this, I will be able to see the impact grazing has on diverse grasses in distinct pastures. I began the study this week by photography with the use of a generic plastic water bottle to provide scale.