1. Slow down the moves.

2. Gave more access to the woods.

3. Watch closely for any drop in animal performance.

4. Fed a little bit of hay.

The owner obviously wants his animals to return to him in good condition. I obviously do not want to destroy my pasture. Having said that, its critical for the health of the entire system to give the grass a chance to recover. Regrazing grass that has not fully recovered results in eventual death of the grass and a more weedy pasture. By giving access to the woods the cows were able to graze leaves off of forbs, brush and low lying branches.

Bear in mind that slowing down the moves resulted in severe grazing for certain areas that were less productive (the grass wasn’t as prolific), but overall I was able to keep pretty condition on the cows while allowing for 70-80  days rest in July through the end of September. In Iowa that’s a pretty good stretch for that time of year, and now my grass looks in great shape. One thing to remember though – as moves are slowed or area grazed is reduced the stocking rate has increased. An increase in stocking rate has an effect on the pasture in terms of recovery if the plants have been grazed severely. Stocking rate is the amount of animals on a given amount of pasture for a given amount of time. One thing to bear in mind is that I’m custom-grazing 2 year-old dairy replacement heifers, who go back to the owner in late October. I don’t know if I would manage the same way if I had cows year-round.

Bottom line – the year worked out but it was not like last year. In fact, I’ve not had a similar year yet, which tells me that understanding grazing principles are key, as well as having a plan but being able to replan immediately.

WHY THE ORGANIC PASTURE RULE IS A GOOD THING

1. The large “organic” (meaning “fake”) operations will have to change (and already are). One of the major issues with organic dairy was the presence of essentially confinement operations in the West that did not allow animals access to pasture, or the pasture that was available was not adequate for dairy. Essentially the animals were fed their necessary ration for milk production in confinement, and then possibly allowed out for a short time (but didn’t eat anything). These large operations supplied major chains like Wal-Mart and others. Consumers were becoming more and more aware of this, and realizing what they thought “organic” meant was not what they were buying. This was extremely bad for the organic label.

2. Ruminant livestock in general will have to have more pasture in their diets. This absolutely is a good thing. Cows, sheep and goats are geared for grazing. The resulting meat and milk from these animals will be healthier. I know there will be those that disagree, but speaking as a producer and a processor I can tell the difference in a big way through taste and the health of my family.  One doesn’t have to look far to find study after study supporting the nutritional value and quality of organic foods vs non-organic. The information that refutes this is heavily influenced by large economic interests that profit off of confinement feeding with a lot of grain.

3.  The increase in opportunity. One opportunity that I can see is a custom grazing operation that would take replacement heifers from an organic dairy for the grazing season. This would have several positive benefits: (1) the dairy would realize a decrease  in labor in regards to not having to take care of those animals, (2) a decrease in feed requirement in terms of pasture,  and (3) an increase in pasture for the money-making milking herd OR additional land on the home farm for grain production. In addition, another local farm would have a good business helping the dairy adhere to the organic pasture rule and make some additional money. The more economic activity I see happening, the better it is for the local economy. I can attest to this: I graze a local dairyman’s replacements for the summer. It works very well, as I get paid per head/per day, the dairyman brings a grain mix as a supplement and minerals, I get animal impact on my pastures, and the dairyman can increase his milking herd and actually make more money in the long run.

WHY THE ORGANIC PASTURE RULE IS A BAD THING

1. The increased paperwork. One thing that grates on organic producers is the paperwork involved. It seems backwards that an environmentally better agricultural production model has to “prove” itself, when probably the reverse should be true.  I know for certain that the increased paperwork has resulted in organic producers making the decision to give up certification.  In the dairy world the increased paperwork has put off those that are on the fence of deciding to transition. Also, on the certification end of things that increased paperwork and scrutiny has resulted in increases in costs and fees, which increase the costs of certification — which could lead to an increase of cost to the end consumer. Someone has to pay for all of that.

2. The hit to the small guy. I say this with tongue in cheek, because the small guy needs to play by the rules as well. Already there is a move afoot to modify the Pasture Rule, only because of the unintended consequences to the small producer. HOWEVER, I think that generally speaking everyone needs to move towards increasing the amount of pasture ruminant animals have under their care for their enterprise to be certified organic.

This is just a short analysis of a very impactful ruling. One thing for sure that I believe will be the short-term result, and that will be a shortage of organic milk and organic meat. I havent’ even addressed the issue of pasture or access to pasture for organic chickens. That’s another story in itself.

Grassfed dairy products are much harder to profit by than meat or eggs due to the increased complexity in production and marketing. Interest of 100% grassfed raw milk are on the rise (but a very very very small percentage of the total milk that is produced out in the marketplace). Raw milk grassfed cheese and butter are  more feasible due to the storability of the product — butter can be frozen and cheese can be aged.  The biggest issues that grass-based dairymen face is marketing and useage – typically the volume of milk from a grass-based dairy is highest in the spring and early summer, and lowest in the late fall and winter (the typical reality of when grass is growing). The problem with this is the processors that buy the milk from these dairies have a glut of milk in April, May, June and part of July — right when school lets out. School lunch milk makes up a significant portion of milk useage. Also, consumption of bottled milk falls in the summer. Whereas non-organic milk makes up the bulk of school lunch dairy, this phenomenon effects all dairy – especially fluid milk.

So what you have is all this milk right when the processor and marketer doesn’t need it. To compound matters worse, people actually like to drink milk year round. They may drink more in the winter, but by in large not having milk available all the time is a very bad play for marketers. Grassfed dairies typically either stop producing milk or reducing the volume dramatically in the winter. This just does not work — processors, stores, marketers and consumers want what they want, and they want it all  the time.  Just like people want tomatoes and bananas all the time.

What can be done? In my thinking, 100% grassfed bottled milk is not feasible now, not until the mainstream consumer dramatically changes their eating habits. When you see Wal-Mart doing anything, believe that the groundwork was laid a long time ago for acceptance in the marketplace. What I do see is the potential for 100% grassfed cultured products like butter and cheese — BUT, this requires the industry to absorb the excess of these dairies out of the goodness of their own hearts — which is not something to base a business plan on.  Farmers that are wanting to be 100% grassfed should focus on local sales if possible, and develop strong relations with normal marketing channels like local dairies that will work with them. Consumers should understand the hit that these pioneers get financially, and should work overtime to support them.

Raw pastured eggs add a good dose of protein, as well as “good fats”. Coconut oil is also a source of beneficial oils. Here is short listing from the website “Organic Facts” concerning coconut oil  and good fats (http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html):

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

We are not promoting kefir specifically persay, but more sharing the benefits of probiotics and getting those from sources that are readily available and healthy. Yogurt is another cultured milk product, but if someone is anti-dairy there are products such as kombucha that also are good (we make our own as well). I like using local organic whole milk as well as our own eggs because its one step in the direction of a more sustainable life, even though the presence of bananas and coconut oil are not “local” by Iowa standards.

If anyone has other sources of probiotics or comments, please share!

Without addressing any scientific reason, I’m wondering if there is a relationship between animals and the land (of course there is!), in terms of the effects of grazing (especially mob-grazing) versus running equipment over to make hay. Obviously, making hay takes off fertility and without adding that back the land will revert to species that can live in a less-fertile environment. Cattle grazing will eat the grass and hopefully return the nutrients via manure and urine. If the grazing is planned right, most of the manure and urine will not have to be hauled back out on the field via a manure spreader.

We are getting ready for winter already, and there is stockpiled grass for the sheep over the winter. Last year I fed my sheep five small square bales of hay for the entire winter season, and only did that in the end because I felt sorry for them during a ice storm. This year I hopefully plan to not feed anything. I keep you posted.

I can’t say enough about how this has clarified my focus and enabled me to make decisions that get me to my goals – based upon the “whole” that I manage. Holistic management is all about recognizing we live in wholes (our farm, our business, our school, our family, our whatever) that also are a part of greater wholes. The earth is a “whole”, a whole entire earth that functions interdependently within itself. The earth itself can be considered a whole apart of the greater whole of our solar system, and on and on. It’s important to recognize that when we identify our whole that we manage, we are impacted by the greater whole which our whole is a part of , be it our community, our nation, our earth. We don’t live interdependently, we are all networked (and we must realize it, especially on farms).

Once we identify our whole, then we develop our goal, which is comprised of three parts. A lifestyle or life goal, a production goal, and a future resource base goal. I won’t go to much into detail here, as there are other sites and literature that do this. What I will say is Savory and others have done is identify ecosystem processes by which tools for managing them are utilized to achieve your goals. There are testing questions that one uses as decisions are contemplated, as well as management guidelines that help clarify the issues.

For example, if  I identify my future resource base (in my case my farm) as something that increases in fertility yet decreases in cost, the tools that I would use would be grazing and animal impact.  I would monitor my decision, assuming my tools are wrong (which allows for quicker correction — usually when I assume I’m right I won’t change as fast).

I’m simplifying the ideas here, however, the bottom line is that this is a method that works! Holistic management is something that is not just for agricultural enterprises, as it also can be used in civic situations, family decision making, businesses etc.

Now, how do I feel about it? I love it! Rain waters my grass. Managing the cows properly will also result in timely planting of future seed. Since my grass this year shot to the reproductive stage in May before I could graze it, a lot of grass went to seed. Utilizing high-density grazing, my first time through the paddocks with the cows resulted in a lot of grass seed being planting in moist soil with cattle hooves. As I’ve said before, I strive to organize the grazing paddocks so that the cows have enough to eat for one day or less plus trample at least half of the forage available. That trampling effect lays a layer of grass down as mulch and future organic matter, plus shakes loose all the grass seed ready to increase my grass sward.

I believe that years like this can help focus the debate. We grow way too much corn and soybeans in Iowa. We use way to much questionable hilly erodible ground for row crops, when those areas should be planted to grass or some long-term perennial that will hold the topsoil. The more grass we plant and the more focus we have in managing animals in such a way as to create more topsoil, the more water we’ll hold, the less floods we’ll have, as well as minimizing drought.

1. In nature the overriding principle is diversity – which creates stable ecosystems. The more diversity on my farm, the more stable and resistant to weather shocks (like drought, rain, etc).

2. Cattle and sheep are dead-end hosts for each other’s parasites. The cattle suck up a lot of sheep parasites in their grazing rotation, which help lessen the load in the sheep as they come behind and graze after the cows. The opposite is true with the sheep grazing and cattle parasites.  Every little bit helps.

3. Sheep and cows eat different plants – thus utilizing more available forage and allowing for more animals (albeit different species) to graze ( and increasing farm income, btw). The key to grazing, however, is time of exposure and return. What I mean by this is the initial exposure of the plants to grazing pressure, how long the plants are exposed, and how long does the plant have to recover before being exposed to grazing pressure again.

Ultimately I’d like to have chickens, goats and maybe even pigs in my rotation. This would help diversify my operation even further, encourage different forages to grow, and focus my efforts on maximizing the farm’s potential as a revenue source without compromising my ecological goals.

What I mean by low-labor is cutting out much of the work in raising sheep (and animals, for that matter). I have a hair-type sheep breed (St. Croix), so no shearing. I don’t clip their hooves, I don’t dock their tails, I don’t worm them (they are parasite-resistant), I don’t feed them grain, I don’t help them with their lambing, I don’t call the vet out for every issue. While some may consider this inhumane, I consider it a program of restoration.  Restoration in this instance and in my opinion is getting farm animals back to a status of health and productivity without a lot of human intervention and cost. I always ask myself: “If I wasn’t here, what would they do”? The truth is, wild sheep do quite well. Somehow they manage to live without worming, tail docking, hoof clipping, lots of grain, barns, and lambing assistance. Those that can’t adapt, die — and don’t pass on those genetics that won’t thrive in that environment.

Now, I know I’m generalizing. There are always specific instances where my broad-sweeping statements don’t apply. HOWEVER — all I know for sure is once I got my genetics right and my mindset right, my sheep herd thrived. I breed them in December for a May lambing. This means their third tri-mester finds them on grass (late March into April) right when their nutritional needs are the greatest. They give birth on grass during a time when it’s not too hot, the grass is growing. The lambs that I’m setting aside for my meat sales will finish in November, right when the grass is not growing (and I don’t have to feed hay).  These sheep came from a parasite resistant flock in the same climatic zone that I live in, so they are geared to thrive in humid environments (sheep traditionally have been raised in dry, cool, arid climates).  If a ewe or ram doesn’t do well in my program, I sell her or him. I’m ruthless with this, because if I’m sympathetic and introduce a lot of medication or labor, then eventually I won’t have a low-labor sheep herd.

The greatest part about these sheep is that they will graze the dead grass in winter, and dig down through the snow and ice to eat it. I didn’t feed any hay last year, and we had a very hard winter. The sheep stayed outside, ate grass all winter, and thrived. That mean their manure and urine was deposited on the pasture, not in the barn (where I would have to clean it up, put it in the manure spreader, and take it out myself).  Interestingly enough, so many people thought I was crazy to not feed hay. They almost got angry at how I was such a bad shepherd.  In looking at my sheep now, I’m amazed at how healthy they look, their lambs are fat and growing, the ewes are contented.

Bottom line: since they graze during the winter, I don’t have to make or buy hay (reduction in diesel fuel, equipment repairs, capital expenses). I don’t have to haul manure (reduction in my time spent cleaning, diesel fuel for tractor to pull manure spreader, equipment repairs, capital expenses).  I don’t have to put up expensive buildings to house the sheep as my herd grows (reduction in capital expenses).  Diesel fuel is the life blood of US agriculture – cut that off and the farm economy comes to a screeching halt. One of my goals is to create a farming system that approximates low labor, little to no reliance on diesel fuel, environmentally-sustaining and economically viable.

So far, so good.

The subjective metric is actually a eyeball evaluation of the condition of the cows. It seems obvious to animal raisers that making animals graze close together could result in lower selectivity (the amount of forage available to the animal at any given point in time). This would be true but if the animals were left in the small grazing area too long — but the idea is to move them often and in high group numbers, thus giving them a high selectivity. The component that is often overlooked and almost immediately rejected by conventional farmers and ranchers is the labor involved in moving cows and electric fence so often — this is key, and it is a cost that must be included in the evaluation of the enterprise.

The idea of mob grazing is to trample at least half of the available forage on the ground and eat approximately the other half. This is accomplished by long narrow sections of strips – encouraging the cows to move up and down. The reason for the desire for trampling grass is that grass becomes food for soil microbes. That soil life will take the “organic matter” and decompose it, increasing biological soil life, increasing fertility, and literally over time creating more topsoil. The trampling effect also has another benefit in that the sharp hooves of the cows concentrated in an area “plant seeds”. There are literally billions of seeds, grass seeds, in the soil already — why spend money for more seed?

This approach to grazing and utilization of animals is on the leading edge of farm sustainability.  With the right genetics, the right rest period for the plants and high-density grazing, farms can recreate topsoil that has been eroded away due to questionable cultivation practices or inadequate grazing management at an extremely low cost.