PASTURE       (CSP)           March 2005

Grazing Plan Inventory Worksheet

To CSP Applicant: (Applicant Name)

For those pasture acres you wish to enroll in CSP, please consider the following required minimum level of treatment.

The minimum level of treatment required for pasture is following a grazing plan which addresses the following:

.                      •           Forage availability is in balance with livestock numbers

.                      •           Grazing distribution is achieved through proper placement of watering facilities, fence alignment, salting, or herding technique

.                      •           Livestock access to rivers, streams, and other surface waters is managed to maintain water quality

.                      •           Proper timing and duration of livestock use is used to protect and enhance plant health

.                      •           Minimum of two years of written records that document these requirements

If you believe that you meet the minimum treatment level requirements, please complete the following Grazing Lands Inventory Worksheet and the list of questions. This information will help us with assessing the benchmark condition for this land use. An example is provided to assist you.

Example Grazing Lands Inventory Worksheet

Grazing Records

Notes: Ex. Yearlings weighed 550 pounds before going to grass and weighed 800 pounds after being removed 9/30/05. Cows had spring calves on them born around March 15.  Cows weighed 1050 pounds as an average.

NRCS, NHCP

March 1999

Grazing Records

Notes:

NRCS, NHCP March 1999

Grazing Plan Questions

1)    In the offered acres, are there areas of the grazing unit which are either under utilized or over grazed?  (e.g. Grazed lower than 3” in height)    Yes  No 

2)    Do grazing animals have free access to streams or grazing lands which contain sensitive riparian or water quality areas?      Yes No 

3)    If question 2 is answered yes, do the identified sensitive areas have bare, exposed, or raw banks, livestock trails, or over-utilized forage present?     Yes No

4)   As a part of your grazing management plan, where and how is the desired forage monitored to aid your ability to evaluate the effectiveness of your grazing management plan? 

Explain: 

5)   How do you determine the stocking rate for the offered acres? 

Explain:

6)   Do you test your soils for nutrient needs? Yes No 

7)   If question 6 is answered yes, are nutrients applied according to soil test recommendations? Yes No 

8)   Are nutrients applied based upon forage tissue samples? Yes No 

9) Do livestock have access to abandoned or actively used water wells, sinkholes, or other direct conduits to ground water? Yes No

10)  Do you apply animal manure on pastureland?     Yes No

11)  Is it applied according to soil test analysis? Yes No

12) Are animal manures analyzed before application?     Yes No 

13)  Are nutrients, including animal manures, applied on or near sensitive areas?  (wells, surface water, sinkholes, karst topography, saline seeps, ground water recharge areas, or wetlands) 

Explain:

Managing Pests on Pastureland Questions

14) Do you apply pesticides on offered pastureland acres?     Yes No 

15) Please explain what pesticide was used, how it was applied, and what the targeted  pest identified was:

16) Do offered acres contain state identified noxious weeds or undesirable brush
species (See attached Vermont State Noxious weeds list)?     Yes No

17)   If pests are targeted for control by using pesticide applications, describe how water quality protection is considered as a part of the chemical application:

Managing Forage and Soil on Pastureland Questions NRCS, NHCP March 1999

18)    Do you rotate livestock concentration areas, livestock travel areas, feeding areas, or water access areas to prevent soil compaction? Yes No

19)    Is vegetation managed to always leave at least 3” of upright vegetation present to protect the soil from water erosion?     Yes No 

If No, explain why:

20)    Are gullies present on offered pastureland which are active and not supporting growing or live vegetation in the bottoms of the gully?     Yes No 

21)    Are access roads present and actively used in offered pastureland acres? Yes No 

22)    0If access roads are present how are they maintained to prevent erosion from occurring? 

Explain:

Managing Irrigation on Pastureland Questions

23) Are any of the offered pastureland acres irrigated?     Yes  No (If answered no, stop with question 25) 

24) Are there signs or evidence of irrigation induced erosion present on offered acres? Yes No 

25) What type of irrigation system is used?  

Explain:

26) Are nutrients and pesticides applied in conjunction with irrigating offered pastureland acres? Yes  No 

27) Do you have and follow an irrigation management plan which identifies timing of application, rates of application, and frequency of application?     Yes No

Certification Statement

The above information is correct to the best of my knowledge.  I understand that if requested, I can provide a minimum of two years of documentation to support the information provided above. 

Name:_________________________________ Date: ______________ 

NRCS, NHCP March 1999