Extended season grazing refers to lengthening the grazing season into the fall and early winter period. To do this you need to plan ahead and have forage available for grazing during the late fall/early winter. A number of research projects completed in the past few years in eastern Canada and the northeastern USA have confirmed that this grazing system can be effectively implemented.
There are a number of things that need to be considered as you plan to implement an extended grazing program. The first consideration is selecting the most appropriate forage species from what is available on your farm. Grass species that form a sod will work better than bunch grasses. The sod type grasses will withstand the late fall tramping better than the bunch grasses. Legumes present another set of considerations as they can suffer winter damage if they are eaten off too short in the fall or tramping damages the crowns. Soil type and drainage of the field should also be considered. A poorly drained field or one with very fine soil type (clay) will suffer more fall damage from tramping than a course textured well-drained soil.
Stockpiling forage should start about the middle of July to allow sufficient forage to accumulate and be available for late fall grazing. If stockpiling starts later than mid July the quantity of available forage will be reduced although the quality may be higher. In most cases it is quantity that you will be looking for as this type of feeding program works best for animals on a maintenance ration.
When livestock are given access to the stock piled forage they must be strip grazed or there will be excessive wastage. As there is no growth during this time period any forage that gets tramped is unrecoverable. Calculate the amount of forage that the animals require for maintenance and give them access to this amount each day. This requires a time commitment for moving animals and fencing but you have saved the cost of mechanical harvest. Back fencing should also be used to reduce tramping on grazed areas. Some type of wind protection should be provided, as cold winds will increase the animals maintenance needs.
Don’t graze the forage too short or the plants will be subject to winterkill. As with any forage management program reasonable stubble height (approximately 4-6 inches) should be maintained to act as a snow trap for the winter. Snow is an excellent insulator and protects the plants through the deep cold of the winter.
Stockpile grazing is a reasonable and cost effective way to provide forage during the late fall and early winter. Plan ahead by selecting fields with appropriate species and good drainage.
From the Archives:
OMAFRA Update 3, July 2000
