Grazing Systems and Strategies

Livestock grazing systems are defined by multiple factors, including climate, soil, and forage resources, type of livestock enterprise(s), proximity to and timing of markets, and environmental concerns. This chapter deals with grazing strategies and systems, and focuses on grazing resources including types of grazed ecologic systems, forage-livestock systems such as cow-calf production, and integrated production systems. Grazed ecosystems include pastureland, cropland, forestland, and rangeland. Cow-calf production depends heavily on grazed forage which uses lower productivity land sites. Forage systems are generally based on perennials, but can be augmented by grazing crop residues and others. Historically, integration of livestock and cropping farms characterized US and Canadian agriculture. Regions of specialization within ideal climates led to development of monocultures for crop production to maximize output and profitability.