Step 2: Plan your Pasture Spaces
Hi there!
So you are considering taking the following steps with adaptive grazing. Please note that I will discuss techniques for the southeast, which is considered a nonbrittle environment per Allan Savory’s Holistic Management. Brittle and nonbrittle environments refer to how much rainfall occurs in a region and the humidity levels. Where we are, we have significant rainfall and constant humidity throughout the growing seasons. I thought Allan summed it up perfectly when he stated a nonbrittle environment is like a “huge coiled spring.” This refers to areas that have been overgrazed. The first step in bringing vegetation back to these areas is to take the pressure off. The vegetation will come back every time, just like a spring. Once that occurs, you use herbivores for grazing areas on a rotational basis. They will prune the desirable vegetation, stomp out the unwanted weeds, and then fertilize the ground with their manure.
So that’s the overview in a nutshell. But how do you make it work on your farm? First off, you will need to assess areas on your land where you have grass or that you can graze. Many horse owners worry when they don’t have a pretty field ready to put horses on. I tell them all the time not to worry and to just start grazing those areas, and slowly but surely, the grass will get better and better with each rotation.
You can ask yourself the following questions to help determine which areas you will use:
Do you have areas you constantly have to mow?
Do you have areas that are overrun with weeds?
Do you have forests with thick vegetation?
Supplies: The main supplies you will need to be successful will be addressed in the following article. The list is very short and straightforward. You may have to train your horses to Polywire, and this can be done quickly by just putting up a simple one-line fence in their current paddock. To ensure horses respect the poly wire from here on out, you must ensure the wire is hot AT.ALL. TIMES. Polywire will be a psychological fence. For horses to respect it, they will most likely touch it when they see it first, and it will need to shock them. It does not hurt them, but it will ensure that they stay away from it from here on out.
So to sum it up, the second step to adaptive grazing is to pick out areas that need to be mowed, are thick with weedy vegetation, or are neglected areas of your farm. If you do not have a bunch of trees throughout your property, in the beginning (especially during the hotter months), you can use a shaded area as the base point of your rotation.
If you are ready to learn how to set up paddocks, read the next article on the Portable Pasture Equipment
Step 1: If you don't have great pasture grass, start reading here
Are you tired of feeding hay because you have no grass? Do you want to use your land better, but you don't know how to get started?
If you are like many farms without great grass, you are not alone. The good thing is that we have the plan to help you move in the right direction. You may not be completely independent on hay for the rest of your life, but we can help you manage your grass better so that your animals (horses, cows, sheep, etc) have a constant supply of succulent pasture grass. The way to be successful with adaptive grazing is to understand that the path will look very different from what you are used to with a traditional barn setup. Creativity and "out of the box" thinking is how you break through the mold.
You first need to accept that the road ahead will take a lot of work (initially), but you will save money in the long run. Your land will also become healthier by the year, offering more nutritious grass after every grazing cycle. Adaptive grazing is "adaptive." Each day, you will make decisions based on what your animals are eating, how the grass is looking, and growing, recent rain, trampling effects which have (or need to) take place, plus much more.
The second thing you will need to realize is that pasture areas will look much smaller. You may not think small daily paddocks will provide enough food, but you have to trust us: they will. You will be putting together paddocks of grass that horses can eat within 24 hours before you move them. Don't worry initially if you get it wrong. Many horses are not used to grazing consistently, so it will take a few days to get them into the routine. Also, your eye will need to be trained on the available forage. It will all come together with time.
If you think you are still willing to start, read my next article on "planning your spaces."