Rotational Grazing

You mention rotational grazing practices being important to you. Can you describe yours?

Enos: “I employ rotational grazing (regenerative farming practices) for herd and soil health, and, in the winter, feed hay out in the pasture on grass. I have boosted microbes in the soil with organic applications (MyCorr Plus).

Everyday, the sheep are moved to fresh pasture and are given fresh water. I move them rotationally and give the fields (paddocks) long rest periods. Sheep follow the cattle in the pasture.”

Did you learn these methods from someone?

“Yes. Joel Salatin was very much the reason we started with our small farm venture.”

How did you discover Joel?

“My wife and I had a dream of finding a larger farm where we were, or a more affordable farm outside of our area. One day, we were looking at a printed bookstore catalog we had received, and we came across Joel’s book, “You Can Farm”. That book caught our eye, and with our dream in mind, we went ahead and ordered it.

From Joel’s book, we learned about how rotational grazing, especially with multiple species, improves both soil and animal health. We learned that the biggest benefit of rotational grazing is as a land improvement tool. He taught us that, by boosting the fertility in our land, we would then improve animal vitality, and, as a result, human nutrition.

Another great benefit of intensive rotational grazing is that it helps keep the cows moving away from the parasites and fly larvae, and helps to break the parasite cycle. Rotational grazing also saves the farmer in fertilizer prices.”

How can a farmer save money by rotationally grazing his cows?

“Based on pre-covid fertilizer prices (keep in mind that those prices big difference from what it is now), the amount of fertility that a cow passes on comes out to a worth of $40,000 in fertility per year per 100 cows, or $400 per cow per year. So if you spread that out, you capture it much more efficiently.

If you don’t manage your animals correctly, the potential fertilizer the cow can pass to the earth gets wasted. If you can capture that fertilizer by moving them everyday, you can capture that fertility a lot better.

If farmers are making hay on their fields, but keeping no cows on those fields, they have to keep putting fertilizer down on those fields. This can be expensive, and if that fertilizer is conventional, it can destroy the soil long-term. This destruction of the soil is due to chronic imbalances and lack of microbes. In addition, conventionally fertilized soil cannot hold water like regeneratively managed soil.”

So, in your experience, moving animals around rotationally improves soil health?

“Yes. If you have healthier soil, you have healthier animals, and vice versa. You can manage your animals in a way to help build up the soil. Animals can ruin soil health, AND animals can help soil health. It’s all in how you manage them.”

How do you employ rotational grazing practices with your herds?

“In the grazing season, I move my cows and sheep daily, if possible.

In the winter, the cows and sheep are still moved, but much less often. I feed them hay out on the field. I unroll each round hay bale by hand on a slight hill on the pasture to distribute the manure and hay more. This prevents them from making one muddier manure-filled area, and instead distributes the hay and manure around the field.

I am moving my sheep lambing until May this year (2023) so they have plenty of grass after they lamb and do not need the hay inputs they would in the early spring. I am not sure how rotational grazing will go with day-old lambs, and have yet to experience that.

The cows and sheep see a marked improvement in health in living outdoors. They find shelter when needed (besides and under trees) and get plenty of exercise.”