Getting Stated

Managed Grazing

Grazing is known by many names and approaches: rotational grazing, grass-based farming, management intensive grazing, prescribed grazing.

 All the terms mean basically the same thing. Pasture is divided into smaller paddocks, often using portable fencing. One paddock is grazed for a specific time with a certain number of animals, while the remaining paddocks rest and recover.

Consider The Benefits

Economic Benefits: 

Lower feed costs, especially with corn prices rising, 

Less machinery investment and repair, 

Start up and maintenance costs are less, 

Maintenance costs are reduced if you already have a confinement feeding system because you use it only in winter, 

Grazing reduces the costs of equipment, fuel, chemicals and labor, 

Forage yields can increase under rotational grazing systems.

Time Savings

Moving livestock is less time consuming than cutting, hauling, and feeding greenchop, 

Livestock spread the manure

Environmental Benefits

Decreased soil erosion, 

Minimal fertilizer and pesticides required,

Reduced barnyard runoff,

Reduced high soil phosphorus,

Help reverse the declining populations of grassland birds 

Pastures provde great wife habitat

Convinced Yet? Managed

You know you are ready for new pasture management technques when you are ready to experiment with new approaches to farming. Managed pastures require creativity, good management and planning. Contact a NRCS field office located at your local USDA Service Center. They can listen to your goals and get you started on a plan that will work with your particular operation

For more information contact:

Kevin Kaija, Grazing Land Specialist 

USDA, NRCS 

28 Farmvu Drive, Suite 2 

White River Junction, VT 05001 

1-800 789-6713 extension 23 

Kevin.Kaija@vt.usda.gov http://www.vt.nrcs.usda.gov/techncal/ Vermont Grass Farmers’ Association Jennifer Colby, Outreach Coordinator 802 656 0858 by@UVM.edu Rachel Gker; Pasture Technical Coordinator Rachel.gilker@uvm.edu Vermont Pasture Network http://www.uvm.edu/~pasture/ For

NRCS Programs Can Help

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program provdes cost-sharing assistance to achieve environmental goals on the land. Farmers can receive a payment to commit their land to permanent pasture for five years under “prescribed grazing”. Other Environmental Quality Incentives Program practices include fencing, animal trails and walkways, pasture and hayland planting, watering facilities, heavy use area protection, pipeline and spring development. 

The Agricultural Management Assistance program provides cost share assistance to address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into farming operations. 

The Conservation Technical Assistance program provides technical assistance to help people conserve, maintain, and improve their natural resources. The program provides the technical capability, including direct conservation planning, design, and implementation assistance, that helps people plan and apply conservation on the land. This assistance does not provide cost sharing as an incentive. 

The Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wife habitat primarily on private land. Through both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to restore and manage fish and wildlife habitat. Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program agreements between NRCS and the participant generally last from 5 to10 years from the date the agreement is signed. Some practices include riparian forest buffers, fencing, pipelines and watering facilities.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer