How to Improve Production and Soil Health with Managed Grazing on a Working Ranch

Commodities

Practices

Stakeholders interested in AMP grazing for improved soil and pasture health include ranchers, conservationists, and consumers. It is not uncommon to see articles about the potential to improve rangeland value by increasing soil organic matter in print media like Successful Farming. In addition, the USDA provides incentives for AMP grazing infrastructure. Soil conservationists assert that allowing pastures time to recover improves production and overall soil health. Many consumers are willing to pay more for beef that is sustainably raised by local ranchers, but more information is needed to help consumers understand rangeland health benefits.

A core element of this problem, from a producer viewpoint, is a lack of information regarding how to graze in a manner that improves soil organic matter and soil health. After setting up grazing cells and water tanks, what next? Recent evidence on working lands in North Dakota indicates AMP grazing can be used to increase soil organic matter when a specific fraction of green leaf area is defoliated and allowed to rest and recover. Managing soil health means managing defoliation amount and time for recovery. Outreach is needed to a) demonstrate how this works and b) address questions.

We propose to address the gap in understanding how to manage grazers to improve soil organic matter using a practical, innovative approach with hands-on educational tools. We will set up a demonstration on Phillips' rangeland with Kalberer's herd to demonstrate how grazers can be managed to improve production and soil organic matter while still achieving livestock gains. Field tour participants will see how cattle are moved, grazing impacts, and the nuts-and-bolts of building grazing systems that work ecologically and economically. Staff at state and federal conservation agencies and NGOs that support regenerative grazing system implementation will have the option of making their clients aware that tours demonstrating connections between management and soil health are available on a working ranch.

The project will also provide measurable impacts of grazing on pasture and livestock production for dissemination and discussion during tours. Many ranchers see AMP grazing benefits, but these are often anecdotal. We will address the need for measurable costs and benefits by collecting data to address three questions. 1) Does forage production increase with multi-paddock grazing? 2) How long after defoliation does it take for the plants to recover? 3) Will enhanced rates of photosynthesis continue into autumn? For questions 1 and 2, we will track leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter by paddock over time to determine how timing of defoliation altered the trajectory of recovery and if forage production following recovery is greater than control. For question 3, photosynthetic rates will be assessed in October. LAI represents the capacity of a plant to photosynthesize, and photosynthesis represents production rate.

Figure 1 illustrates the 58-acre demonstration pasture, which is divided into four paddocks. For each paddock, there is a ½ acre grazing exclusion control area. Approximately 35 steers will be used for the duration of this project. Vegetation is primarily grass-alfalfa mix. The grazing plan is to remove a similar fraction of LAI for each paddock. The amount of time the herd will remain in each paddock will depend on available forage.

Before and after each move, leaf clipping, cover, and height data will be collected to assess fraction of LAI and dry matter removed and changes in height. Photosynthetic activity will be evaluated at each paddock during the first week in October 2026, prior to plant senescence, when carbohydrate allocation shifts from above to below ground. We will use a Li-Cor 6400 to assess potential photosynthetic activity for Bromus inermis, a dominant species in this pasture. Soil organic matter data will be collected as well as livestock weight gain. A continuously grazed reference pasture, located ¼ mile west, will also be photographically monitored, with record of heights and % cover.

OBJECTIVE I: Complete grazing system setup and determine soil organic matter

1. Mains fencing system
2. Collect cores for soil laboratory analyses

OBJECTIVE II: Graze and monitor paddocks, 2026 and 2027

1. Collect data and create photographic diary (LAI, dry matter, % cover, height) before and after grazing
2. Determine livestock weight at turnout in spring and at the end of summer

OBJECTIVE III: Compile data and prepare results for dissemination

1. Plot recovery trajectories over time-did grazing or graze timing affect leaf capacity?
2. Test for differences in photosynthetic rate-did timing of graze affect rate of plant production?

OBJECTIVE IV: Outreach and data dissemination

1. Conduct rancher field tours and training, with online educational materials (below).
2. Disseminate practice implementation and in-depth soil health information through quarterly stories on Substack.
3. Create pictorial stories of grazers, defoliation, and pasture recovery, and post on Youtube and Instagram.