Managing Pasture A Complete Guide to Building Healthy Pasture for Grass-Based Meat & Dairy Animals

by Strickler, Dale

• ISBN13: 9781635860702
• ISBN10: 1635860709
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2019-04-30
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Summary

The health and profitability of grass-based livestock begins with the food they eat. In Managing Pasture, author Dale Strickler guides farmers and ranchers through the practical and ideological considerations behind caring for the land as a key part of running a successful grass-based operation, from the profitability of replacing expensive grain feed with nutrient-rich native grasses to the benefits of ecologically-minded land management.

In-depth examinations of the biology and benefits of grazing plants and different grazing strategies accompany detailed plans for paddock and fencing set-ups, livestock watering, and effective methods for dealing with common pasture problems throughout the seasons, from mud to drought. For readers invested in pasture improvement strategies that offer environmental benefits beyond better meat and dairy, including carbon sequestration, erosion prevention, increased pollinator resources and wildlife habitat, and improved water quality, Managing Pasture is an approachable, accessible guide to creating and caring for the grassland that feeds animals and future generations.

Author Biography

Dale Strickler is the author of Managing Pasture and The Drought-Resilient Farm. He is a leader in the soil health movement and an agronomist for Green Cover Seed, the nation’s top cover crop-specific seed company. Strickler holds degrees in agronomy from Kansas State University and has taught at the college level for 15 years. He farms and ranches cattle in Kansas.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Past & Promise of Pasture
Part 1: Increasing Pasture Production & Profitability
  1  What Makes a Pastured Livestock Operation Profitable
  2  Why Grazing Plants Behave the Way They Do
  3  How Animals Digest & Utilize Forage
  4  Improving Pasture Productivity: Minerals, Water & Sunlight
  5  Providing Year-Round Grazing
  6  Determining a Proper Stocking Rate
  7  Grazing Systems & Management
Part 2: Selecting & Managing Pasture Plants
  8  Perennial Warm-Season Grasses
  9  Perennial Cool-Season Grasses, Legumes & Forbs
  10  Annual Forages
  11  Silvopastures & Browse Plants
Part 3: Solving Practical Problems of Pasture Management
  12  Pasture Fencing
  13  Developing Drinking Water
  14  Dealing with Too Much or Too Little Water
Part 4: Managing Pasture for Different Livestock Species
  15  Beef & Dairy Cattle
  16  Sheep & Goats
  17  Horses
  18  Swing & Poultry
Part 5: Increasing the Ecosystem Services of Pasture
  19  Honey Bees & Other Pollinators
  20  Wildlife
  21  Pastures, Climate, Water & People
Conclusion: Final Words of Pasture Wisdom
Glossary
Metric Conversion Charts
Resources
Index