PRESCRIBED GRAZING - USDA



PRESCRIBED GRAZING

|[pic] | |[pic] |

| |Natural Resources Conservation Service | |

| |Michigan | |

Conservation Practice Sheet 528

Definition

Managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing and/or browsing animals.

Purpose

• Improve or maintain desired species composition and vigor of plant communities

• Improve or maintain quality and quantity of forage for grazing and browsing animals’ health and productivity.

• Improve or maintain surface and/or subsurface water quality and quantity.

• Improve or maintain riparian watershed function.

• Reduce accelerated soil erosion and maintain or improve soil condition.

• Improve or maintain the quantity and quality of food and/or cover available for wildlife.

• Manage fine fuel loads to achieve desired conditions.

Where This Practice is Used

This practice may be applied on all lands where grazing and/or browsing animals are managed. Removal of herbage will be in accordance with site production limitations, rate of plant growth, the physiological needs of forage plants, and the nutritional needs

of the animals. Plants shall be managed by using livestock grazing intervals and alternating rest periods for the plants to maintain forage in a vigorous vegetative state at its optimum nutrient value for the animal category. Exclude livestock from any forestland managed for timber or other forest product, wildlife or natural area, or where pasture management is not a primary objective.

Practice Information

A prescribed grazing plan is written for all planned management units where grazing and/or browsing will occur according to state standards and specifications. The plan should be readily understood and useable by the decision-maker in their daily operations. The plan will be flexible for changing forage conditions and revised, as necessary, to meet management needs.

Planners may use the Prescribed Grazing Plan template or one of the Prescribed Grazing Conservation Plans found in the Field Office Technical Guide. Specifications to be used in a prescribed grazing plan appear in Tables 1-3. Refer to the Prescribed Grazing (528) Conservation Practice standard and Grazing Technical Note 3 Designing a Prescribed Grazing System. The MI Grazing Calculator or GSAT may be used to develop the forage-animal balance.

When wildlife food and or cover is of equal concern as grazing, refer to the Grassland Activity Dates in section IV of the FOTG and criteria in the Prescribed Grazing 528 conservation practice standard to develop a wildlife friendly grazing plan.

Operation. Prescribed Grazing will be applied on a continuing basis throughout the occupation period of all grazing units.

Adjustments will be made as needed to ensure that the goals and objectives of the prescribed grazing strategy are met.

Maintenance. Monitoring data and grazing records will be used on a regular basis within the prescribed grazing plan to insure that objectives are being met, or to make necessary changes in the prescribed grazing plan to meet objectives.

All facilitating and accelerating practices (e.g., Fence (382), Pest Management (595),Brush Management (314), Pasture Planting (512) ( etc.) that are needed to effect adequate grazing distribution as planned by this practice standard will be maintained in good working order and are being operated as intended.

Landowners or operators may be required to submit grazing management records to the local NRCS Field Office.

TABLE 1. MINIMUM HEIGHTS OF PASTURE SPECIES FOR

INITIATING AND TERMINATING GRAZING

(----------------GRAZING SEASON ----------------( DORMANT

BEGIN GRAZING END GRAZING BEFORE FROST

| |MINIMUM/OPTIMUM | | |

|SPECIES AND MIXTURE |HEIGHT OF VEG. GROWTH [1] in |MINIMUM GRAZING HEIGHT[2] |MINIMUM REGROWTH BEFORE FROST |

| |Inches |in Inches |KILL in Inches |

|Alfalfa/Timothy/Orch. |8 |3 |8 |

|Alfalfa/Orchardgrass |8 |3 |8 |

|Alfalfa/Tim./Brome |8 |3 |8 |

|Ladino Clover/Orch. |7 |3 |8 |

|Red Clover/Lad. | | | |

|Clover/Orchardgrass |8 |3 |8 |

|Red Clover/Lad. Clover/Tall Fescue| | | |

| |8 |3 |6 |

|Birdsfoot Trefoil/ Timothy | | | |

| |7 |4 |6 |

|Ladino Clover/Brome |5 |3 |6 |

|Orchardgrass |6-8 |3 |8 |

|Tall Fescue |6-8 |3 |8 |

|Alfalfa/Tall Fescue |8 |3 |8 |

|Lad. Clover/Tall Fescue |7 |3 |8 |

|Alsike Clover/Lad. Clover/Timothy | | | |

| |7 |3 |8 |

|Lad. Clover/Alsike Clover/Reed | | | |

|Canarygrass |6-8 |4 |4 |

|Lad. Clover/Alsike Clover/Tall | | | |

|Fescue |7 |3 |8 |

|Alfalfa/Bromegrass |8 |4 |6 |

|Bluegrass |5 |2 |4 |

|White Dutch Clover |4 |2 |4 |

|Table 2. Recovery Guidelines for Planned Rest Period, Michigan Grasslands |

|In days |

| |Forage Regrowth and Vigor |

|Key Species of Concern |Rapid recovery, good |Delayed recovery, |Slow |Slow recovery, poor vigor |

| |vigor |fair vigor |recovery, | |

| | | |fair vigor | |

|Kentucky Bluegrass |14 |20 |30 |30 |

|Orchardgrass, |14 |25 |30 |40 |

|Perennial Ryegrass, |10 |20 |20 |Off |

|Reed Canarygrass |14 |20 |30 |30 |

|Smooth Bromegrass |14 |25 |30 |40 |

|Timothy |14 |25 |30 |Off |

|Tall Fescue |14 |25 |30 |35 |

|Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass, | | | | |

|Eastern Gamagrass |30 |30-45 |45-60 |45-60 |

|Alfalfa, White clovers |20 |25 |30 |30 |

|Birdsfoot trefoil, Red clovers, Alsike clover|20 |25 |30 |45 |

| |

|Table 3. Approximate Date to Begin Rest for Winter Protection |

|Michigan |

|Species |Upper Peninsula | | |

| | |Northern |Southern |

|Kentucky Bluegrass |NA |NA |NA |

|Orchardgrass | | | |

|Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, other non-jointed grasses; | | | |

|and |September 1-15 |September 15-October 1 |October 1 |

|Tall Fescue (endophyte free or friendly endophyte), Smooth | | | |

|Bromegrass | | | |

|Timothy, Reed Canarygrass, other jointed grasses | | | |

|Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass* |August 1 |August 1-15 |August 15- September 1 |

|Eastern Gamagrass** |August 1 |August 1-15 |August 15- September 1 |

|Alfalfa |September 1-15 |September 15-October 1 |October 1 |

|Alfalfa grass mix | | | |

|Birdsfoot trefoil | | | |

|Birdsfoot trefoil grass mix | | | |

|White clovers | | | |

|White clover grass mix | | | |

|Red clovers, Alsike clover | | | |

|White Dutch clover | | | |

|Prescribed Grazing Plans |

A written Prescribed Grazing Plan will be developed to include the following items:

A. Client goals and objectives are identified.

B. Resource inventory conducted to document the existing resources and concerns, opportunities to enhance resources, and the location and condition of structural improvements.

C. Inventory the forage resources. The inventory will record quantity of forage in pounds per acre, quality of forage indicating percent desirable species and uniformity of grazing (refer to the Pasture Condition Scoresheet), and forage species in each management unit. Special problems that restrict forage availability, use, or nutritional quality, such as toxic plants or mixed land uses, will also be documented.

D. Calculations to determine the estimated forage animal balance. Forage produced or available must meet the expected forage demand for the livestock of concern. The number of acres needed for grazing and/or browsing can be made with the following equations. These estimates are only a starting point for planning a grazing system and not representative of the expected forage-animal balance.

Step 1. Determine livestock forage demand.

Step 2. Use the Forage Availability estimate to determine the estimated number of grazeable acres needed.

Acres Needed Each Year=

(pounds DM required daily X length of grazing season in days ) / pounds of available forage per acre per year.

( __________ X ___________ ) / ____________= ________________

Lb. DM/ day days lbs. available Acres

Forage per acre per year

(table below)

[pic]

Step 3. Complete the Forage Animal Balance using the MI Grazing Calculator or GSAT.

E. Grazing Plan developed for livestock that identifies periods of grazing and/or browsing, deferment, rest, and other treatment activities for each management unit. The plan will provide details for implementation of the system including reference to paddocks or management units and include instructions for animal movement based on forage residual heights.

F. Contingency plan developed that details potential problems (i.e., severe drought, flooding, insects) and serves as a guide for adjusting the grazing prescription to ensure resource management and economic feasibility without resource degradation. Use of dry lots, green lots, sacrifice areas or paddocks, and/or confined housing may be included as part of a contingency plan. These areas should be planned so that runoff is not a concern because clean water is diverted from the site or runoff is treated appropriately with other conservation practices. When green lots or sacrifice paddocks are used, cover crops may be needed to protect the soil from erosion during periods when this area is not in use by livestock.

G. Monitoring plan developed with appropriate records to assess in determining whether the grazing strategy is resulting in a positive or upward trend and is meeting objectives. Identify the key areas and key plants that the manager should evaluate in making grazing management decisions. Identify frequency with which the manager should evaluate each management unit and any tools to use. Records of grazing schedules, the forage height when livestock entered the unit, and the forage residual height are minimum documentation of monitoring implementation.

Prescribed Grazing Plan Implementation 528

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| |Natural Resources Conservation Service | |

| |Michigan | |

|Farm Name:      |Number of Acres in Prescribed Grazing: |Field ID: |

| |      |      |

|Operator Name:      | |      |

|Date: |County: |Year Prescribed Grazing began: |

|      |      |      |

| | | |

Information needed here should be gathered from observation but may need to rely on the person implementing the Prescribed Grazing Plan when it is not practical to measure each item.

|1. Written Prescribed Grazing Plan is kept in the case file and the client has a copy: | Yes No |

|A Plan Map exists in the file and the client has a copy. | Yes No |

|2. Goals of client clearly recorded and are presently being met according to the person | Yes No |

|implementing the Prescribed Grazing in an interview today? | |

|3. Resource Inventory recorded reflects present conditions, such as soils on the farm and | Yes No |

|number of head by kind and class of livestock (within 20%) as seen today? | |

|Key Species and/or areas are listed and match what is present? | Yes No |

|4. Forage Balance is written in detail so the livestock of concern will have the supply of | Yes No |

|forage and feed that they need for both the growing season and non-growing season. | |

|Upon general observations today, the written plan captures what can be accomplished on the farm| Yes No |

|to supply forage feed: | |

|5. Grazing Schedule was written and is being carried out as checked by items A through C | |

|below. | |

|Average Size of Paddocks/Pastures Grazed (Estimate by Pacing)? |      |

|Does this match what was written in the plan? | Yes No |

|A. Information to be gathered from the very next paddock/pasture that this herd of livestock | |

|will go to in the rotation. | |

|Average height of forage plants in the paddock? |      |

|Estimated total pounds of dry matter available in this paddock? |      |

|Tool used to determine answers on this form (circle one)? |Clipping squares |

|(Yield taken today should take present season rainfall, temperatures, etc. into consideration |MI Pasture Stick |

|from plan amounts.) |Rising Plate Meter |

| |Other       |

|B. Information to be gathered from the paddock/pasture that this herd just left. | |

|Average height of forage plants in this paddock? |      |

|Amount of days/hours the herd spent in this paddock? |      |

|Planned rest period this rotation in number of days: |      |

|Based on this paddock does the combination of herd/paddock size/residency period match the | Yes No |

|plant and livestock needs? | |

| | |

|C. General Information | |

|Contingency plan in the Prescribed Grazing Plan was written. If a sacrifice paddock(s) was | Yes No |

|planned and needed for the season and at the time of observation, was one (were they) present | |

|and used? | |

|Were facilitating practices such as fence and watering system components, such as pipeline, | Yes No |

|well, tanks, etc., listed in detail so the grazing system could be successful? | |

|Were sensitive areas addressed in the plan with ways to protect resource quality concerns? | Yes No |

|6. Did the person installing the Prescribed Grazing practice (528) have enough information | Yes No |

|and/or instructions to follow the prescribed grazing plan? | |

|7. Therefore, were the Prescribed Grazing standard requirements met and implemented determined| Yes No |

|by the above data and observation? | |

| | |

|If No, the Prescribed Grazing practice was not implemented according to a plan that met NRCS | |

|standards and specifications. | |

| |Corrective Actions:       |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|Conservation Planner: | |

| | |

|Certified By: | |

| | |

|Date : | |

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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[1] Minimum plant heights are to be reached before grazing is permitted in the spring following a rest period. Management intensive grazing (MIG) systems may allow for the removal of 50 percent of plant growth.

[2] Minimum plant heights, below which grazing is not permitted.

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___________________ X .04 (or supplemented figure) = _________________

Average weight/animal(lb.) lb. DM/head/day

______________ X ________________= Total Forage Need _____________

lb.DM/head/day # of animals lbs. DM/day

Forage Availability Per Year

Tons/acre/year 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0

Lb./acre 2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800

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