How Much Water Do Livestock Need?  

Water is a key part of grazing livestock.   Lack of water can reduce animal performance more quickly and severely than any other nutrient.   This table from Roger Ingram, a farm advisor with the University of California, shows the amount of water per day different livestock require (see chart pdf below).   “In cooler weather, below 75 […]

Healthy Soil and Water Management Tips  

Improper fertilizer and animal waste application can affect soil and water resources. The Beef Quality Assurance Field Guide suggests these tips for monitoring and managing both soil and water to prevent contamination, reduce run-off and prevent the transfer of disease.   Soil Management Tips:  Water Management Tips:   Casey Wade, vice president of ranching operations for Dixon […]

Soil Health Benefits and Improvement Tips 

Healthy soils are fundamental to sustainable rangelands. In fact, “grazing lands occupy nearly half the Earth’s land area, provide livelihoods for millions, and mitigate climate change via massive stores of carbon,” explains Ken Tate with UC Rangelands. “Maintaining and restoring soil health is essential to ensuring these benefits in our ever changing environment.” Healthy soil can […]

How to Train Animals to an Electric Fence

Properly training animals to an electric fence can mean all the difference before using the fence to contain them.   Don Ashford, a rancher in Ethel, Louisiana, and the National Grazing Lands Coalition offer some tips for training animals properly.   Watch the Wallace Center’s Guide to Training Animals to an Energized Fence as part of The […]

How to Successfully Set Up a Solar Electric Fence  

Since there isn’t electrical power at Dean Schneider’s ranch, solar was his only option for an electric fence.  As the manager of Bell Rule Genetics, a family ranching operation in northeast Oklahoma, solar electric fencing has been a very cost-effective and trouble-free part of his rotational grazing system.   While solar can be tricky, Schneider figured […]

How Climate Change is Impacting Rangelands 

Rangelands encompass over 770 million acres of land in the U.S., and despite their classification as a single land type, these U.S. rangelands occur across a variety of ecosystems and have unique vulnerabilities. There is consensus in the scientific community that rangelands are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and that management will […]

Understanding Your Pasture & Grazing Agreement Options

The lack of a futures market for forages can make it difficult for landowners and beef producers to establish a fair-market value, particularly for standing forages. Furthermore, the plethora of management and infrastructure considerations that go into establishing a value, while overwhelming at times, often can make the difference between profit and loss on a […]

6 Soil Heath Principles for Ranchers  

Ranchers might not give enough credit to their soil when it comes to optimizing their pastures. Soil can do quite a bit when it comes to recycling nutrients and making them available to plants, as well as keeping plants healthy.   The main principles for healthy soils are to:  Download Soil Health Principles For Grazing Lands […]

Looking for Maximum Regrowth on a Pasture? Try these Recovery Tips 

The biggest mistake ranchers make in pasture management is not giving their pastures enough rest, explains Dave Pratt, CEO emeritus of Ranch Management Consultants.   A plant’s recovery period must be based on its growth rate. Slower growth means longer rest is needed and vice-versa.  But how can a rancher define longer rest? It depends on […]

Antibiotic Residue & Tissue Risk Assessment  

The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program for antibiotic stewardship is rooted in a cattleman’s belief of doing the right thing. The judicious use of antibiotic technologies is no exception to the goal of producing high-quality, wholesome and healthy beef. BQA guidelines are designed to make certain all beef consumers can take pride in what they […]