How to Make a Grazing Plan for Cattle

Rotational grazing is a practice sometimes used by small farms in the United States as a way to avoid high grain and labor costs. Before a farm initiates a rotational grazing system, it must create a plan concerning how it will use the available land. The cattle must be switched among paddocks at the appropriate rate to ensure optimum growth performance from pastures. A farmer must also be sure he has enough pasture available to support the size of his herd.

Things You'll Need

  • Grazing pasture
  • "Sacrifice" pasture
  • Farm data
  • Grass growth data
  • Dairy Extension workbook
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Instructions

    • 1

      Calculate the total acres of pasture land available. This includes current pastures, and land that can be turned into pastures. Only land within walking distance from the barn can be useful as paddocks, since the cows must be retrieved from it daily.

    • 2

      Determine the total number of cattle that will grazed. The more cattle on the farming operation, the more grazing land required.

    • 3

      Estimate the growth output potential of your pastures. This is determined by the types of grasses on your land, as well as the potential growing season. Areas in warmer climates will have year-round growing seasons, while other farmers live in climates where the grass only grows from spring to fall. Some area farming extensions offer websites that estimate daily grass growth for a region.

    • 4

      Calculate the daily dry matter intake of the herd. As a rule of thumb, cattle generally eat 3 percent of their weight in dry matter. For example, a 1,000-cow will eat 30 pounds of dry matter daily. Estimate the average weight of your cows, multiply it by the number of grazing animals, and then multiply that figure by 0.03 to get a daily estimated dry matter consumption for the herd.

    • 5

      Construct a calendar of how many days the herd will spend in each paddock. This will vary according to paddock size and the season. It is best to consult an agricultural extension agent in creating this plan for more specific access to grass growth data, as well as workbooks to help guide the planning process.