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For those of us who wonder what in the world you’re talking about..

What is mob grazing?

Mob grazing involves moving cattle at least daily between small paddocks, sized to match the number of grazing cattle, and split by portable electric fence. The goal is for every plant in the grazing cell to be either eaten or walked on and trampled. Grass in each paddock then rests for 60-120 days or more.

“It’s not a big deal if I move the cattle daily or weekly. What’s important is managing around the weather, your forages, and always watching animal performance,” said Totemeier. “Think holistically, be flexible and vary paddock rotations year to year to allow seed production on all paddocks.”

Benefits of mob grazing compared to continuous grazing include: allowing more cattle on the same or fewer acres, better weed control, less fertilizer cost, extended grazing season, improved livestock health, more plant diversity, and better soil health through built-up organic matter and reduced erosion.

“With a longer rest period (for grass), it’s amazing what grows,” said Totemeier. “Eventually you get such a healthy stand you don’t have weeds because they are crowded out by new grass species.

“I have just about tripled my grass production and started growing new species like eastern gamma grass, Indiangrass, and big and little bluestem – all those species now have time to go to seed,” he said.

Mob grazing fits into Totemeier’s belief in a holistic approach where chemicals such as herbicides and insecticides are unnecessary if the grazing system is designed the right way with the right animals. Totemeier is not a Certified Organic producer, but nearly all of his inputs like salt and minerals are listed for Certified Organic production.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ia/home/?cid=stelprdb1186272

Thanks for posting that. That is really intelligent management. It reminds me of the philosophy behind intensive gardening which I am a fan of.

I hate to post a Ted talk, but there was one about that practice:

Allan Savory: How to green the world's deserts and reverse climate change

Also see: http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change