Pasture Design and Grazing Management

The goal of pasture design is to achieve a livestock distribution that positively affects pasture utilization, plant diversity, watershed function, and control of animal wastes and nutrient flows. This chapter describes plant responses to defoliation and the mechanisms underpinning them. It defines the key grazing management choices and their potential impact on a grazing system and reviews the elements of effective pasture design. A goal of grazing management is to achieve canopy conditions and forage productivity that result in optimal levels of animal performance. Manipulation of grazing intensity, stocking method, and timing of grazing are the primary means of achieving the desired canopy characteristics. Design of pastures depends on a number of factors, including landscape characteristics and intensity/complexity of grazing management. Pasture design is particularly important when considering responses that are affected by distribution of livestock across the landscape.