Salt and rotational grazing

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.

Salt Institute

Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter

Spring 2007 (Vol. 39, No. 2)

With rapidly increasing grain prices there is renewed interest in optimizing beef production from grazing systems. Rotational grazing, sometimes referred to as management intensive grazing, can increase beef production per acre by 30% compared to traditional grazing methods. The most common form of rotational grazing requires large pastures to be subdivided into smaller paddocks. These paddocks are grazed for 2-4 days and then the cattle are rotated to a new paddock. Often 10 or more paddocks are involved so that grazing occurs at roughly 30-day intervals. Salt can be a major management tool to deliver rotational grazing. Besides the increased beef production per acre there are several ecological benefits from properly managed rotational grazing systems. First, more uniform grazing prevents bare spots that often result from localized grazing. In most rotational grazing systems, the cattle will be moved when the forages has been grazed to a height of 2-3 inches. This reduces wind and water erosion by maintaining a uniform forage cover. With rotational grazing the feces and urine are more evenly distributed across the paddock rather then being concentrated in resting areas as often occurs with traditional grazing methods. This improves nutrient recycling and increases forage production.