Baygard Energizers

Controlled Grazing

A good fence is the best grazing management tool. With new technology, such as low impedance chargers and portable fencing materials, electric fencing has become even more effective as a grazing management tool.

Controlled Grazing is the management of forage with grazing animals. It was introduced to North America in the late 1970's and is being used by thousands of livestock producers to make more money from their livestock. Controlled Grazing can increase the amount of forage harvested by your animals, improve the quality of forage being grazed, extend the grazing season, reduce fertilizer and herbicide applications, and reduce labor and feed costs.

Best of all, Controlled Grazing is easy to do. Simply divide your pastures into many smaller pastures, or paddocks, with portable electric fencing. Concentrate your livestock into one paddock. When they have grazed the forage down to the right height, ideally in one to three days, move then to another paddock. Give each paddock time to recover before grazing it again.

The key to Controlled Grazing is to graze each paddock quickly and then rest it long enough, but not too long, for the forage to recover. Unlike 'rotational grazing', Controlled Grazing is not based on a calendar. Grazing and resting periods are determined by grass growth. It's a flexible method that requires you to monitor forage growth and adjust paddock sizes and numbers.

You don't have to build a lot of fences to practice Controlled Grazing. Most people use three or four portable fences to divide existing pastures into paddocks, moving the fence as they move their cattle. Once livestock get used to Controlled Grazing, it only takes 15 to 30 minutes per day to move them and the fence. Portable fencing also allows you to change the size and shape of the paddocks easily. If your livestock aren't grazing the forage short enough, simply give them a smaller paddock next time. The 'secret' to Controlled Grazing is staying flexible.

Here are a few steps to get started...

Step 1 Select an area to start. Keep it small and close to home, maybe 20 or 30 acres, no more than 200 acres. Choose an area that is as similar in soil, forage and terrain as possible. Hay pastures make great Controlled Grazing areas.	Step 2 Use high-tensile or aluminum wire on offset brackets to run power around the perimeter of the pasture. Use portable fence to sub-divide the pasture into as many paddocks as possible (not all at once). Simply moving the fence away from a central water source works well but if possible provide water in each paddock.
Step 3 Put enough livestock into a paddock to graze the forage in less than three days (one day is best). This usually requires 20 to 50 head (1 head=1000 lbs. live weight) per acre. The smaller the paddock and the higher the number of livestock, the more uniformly the paddock will be grazed. When the forage in the paddock is grazed to half its original height, move livestock to a paddock that is ready to be grazed.	Step 4 Watch the forage in the grazed paddocks. When it has recovered, move the livestock back into it. This is the 'secret' to Controlled Grazing. Growth rates vary widely during the grazing season. In the spring, it may take no more than two weeks for the forage to recover. In late summer it may take six to eight weeks to recover. The rule of thumb is 'fast growth-fast moves, slow growth-slow moves.'
Step 5 Always have back-up pasture available in case you run out of grass in your paddocks. Don't graze paddocks that haven't recovered sufficiently. Also be prepared to cut hay off paddocks that grow too much between grazings. Don't try to follow a set rotation, move livestock to the paddock that is ready to graze.	Step 6 Relax. You aren't going to hurt your forage or your livestock if you graze the grass in a paddock too short. Just let it rest longer than the others. Be flexible. The key is to watch what is happening in your forage and make adjustments as needed. Controlled Grazing is more an art than a science. You will be amazed at how much more forage will be available and how fast your livestock adapt to being moved. Keep it simple. The purpose is to reduce costs and labor, and make more money.