Multi-Species Bale Grazing to Build Soil Health

Multi-species bale grazing was planned to occur across 155 acres of land that had been historically mismanaged by a previous landowner to a point of soil depletion. The project was designed to address resource concerns and demonstrate how sustainable agriculture can be adapted to fit any operation. A planning committee met during the spring of 2020 and 2021 to discuss project objectives, activities/timeline, and outreach efforts. A committee meeting was also held at the end of the project to assess and reflect on its findings.

During the summer of 2020, Drew and I began to modify existing fences which were built for cattle management. Perimeter fences were modified by adding an electric high tensile wire to what was already a 2-wire electric fence. Due to the amount of infrastructure changes required to successfully incorporate sheep, bale grazing only occurred on a portion of the project area during Year 1. Bale grazing expanded to additional acres as more fences were modified during Year 2.

Approximately half of the budgeted sheep were purchased during 2020 and the rest were purchased in 2021. Drew and I chose to do this because we knew that it would take awhile to make the necessary infrastructure changes to successfully train and incorporate sheep. Upon purchase, the ewe lambs were quarantined to the corral for a week and then turned into a training pasture where they were introduced to electric fence. Our interest in hair sheep was because we wanted to minimize the labor involved with managing the animals and we also thought they might respond to electric fence better. 

During the summer of 2020 and 2021, hay was harvested both on-site and from nearby fields to support bale grazing on the project area. The amount of additional hay hauled to the site was reflective of the number of animal units that were fed through the winter months. During the winter of 2020, sheep bale grazed alongside 80 bred heifers and 50 bred cows. During the winter of 2021 and early spring of 2022, the sheep bale grazed with 80 bred heifers, 65 yearlings, and 20 bred cows. During the last few rotations, we even calved while bale grazing. We have never done this before and it was interesting to observe the benefits and challenges. For example, livestock were more interested in grazing green grass than eating hay. However, the calves thoroughly enjoyed the extra bale residue and used it as bedding and protection against the wind. Additionally, the bales provided protection for livestock during a couple unseasonal snowstorms. 

A benefit of incorporating sheep is that manure distribution was more evenly spread across the field and soil compaction was limited.  Additionally, cattle and sheep do not share parasites which in turn breaks the lifecycle. As opposed to cattle, sheep are less selective in browsing near manure deposits which results in improved feeding efficiency.  Soil health was monitored by collecting samples before, during and after project completion to monitor nutrients, biological activity, and residue.  Photos were also taken throughout the project to use for observation and outreach purposes.  Results were evaluated.

Bales were distributed and temporary fence was installed at the areas designated for bale grazing during the late fall of 2020 and 2021. Sheep and cattle rotationally bale grazed across 20 acres of land during the winter of 2020. After rotations had been grazed, bales from nearby stacks were distributed across the field again and again. During the first year of multi-species bale grazing, Drew and I were hesitant about how sheep would respond to minimal fence infrastructure and training, so we kept them relatively close to the yard where they could be monitored. Additionally, we wanted to create a high amount of impact across these 20 acres as this is where the soil is most unproductive and fragile. Bale grazing through the area on multiple occasions allowed us to see where organic matter and grazing impact was needed.

During the winter of 2021, we expanded our bale grazing impact to approximately 155 acres. We felt comfortable with this expansion because the sheep continued to respect the minimal changes to fencing infrastructure. Additionally, we wanted to expand the soil health benefits of bale grazing to other acres that could benefit from this type of management. Temporary fence materials were used to "strip graze" through the designated bale grazing fields.

Livestock performance was evaluated with each grazing rotation by assessing the animals body condition. The assessment was used to determine the animals nutritional status. North Dakota experienced an extensive drought during the summer of 2021, so forage production and quality was limited. To make sure that the animal's nutritional status would be maintained, mineral lick tubs were offered ad libitum. The lick tubs were helpful because they allowed us to more efficiently utilize the forage that was being offered to the livestock.

Litter depth was assessed during the spring of 2021 and 2022, following bale grazing. A bale was randomly selected from each grazing section and measurements were performed at 0, 10, 20 and 30 feet in each cardinal direction. Photos were also taken throughout the grazing period and into the following spring for observational and outreach purposes.