HMI’s Online Learning Series Getting Started Holistic Grazing Planning course began in March 2016 with 33 participants from the United States, Canada, Iceland, Belgium, Ireland, Chile and New Zealand. This course focused on the key grazing planning principles and practices. Participants practiced the tools to hone in on such as critical grazing considerations, determining forage inventory, animal needs, and grazing and recovery periods before putting all these calculations into a written grazing plan.

Featured Participant:

Randy Pistacchio

“Holistic Grazing Planning was an excellent stepping stone off of the Whole Farm/Ranch Planning course I recently completed. The challenges of grazing on a small urban property are unique and the tools I gained will allow me to maximize the output of our land while increasing soil health and maintaining a happy healthy herd. Also, as if I needed another excuse, monitoring paddock quality throughout the season will get me out on the land with my hands to the earth.”

Here’s the best things participant’s learned/experienced:

“I’m glad that the course explained the grazing chart to me. I’d tackled it a few years in a row, not knowing what parts of it meant.” “I learned how to use the grazing planning sheets, how to plan for a time based drought reserve, how to plan based on most limiting and latest constraints and plan in time backwards.” “The best things I learned were how to move the animals and not over work the land, to not create bare spots and keep the grasses at least 3 inches long, then 3 new leaves before returning. “I learned about competitive grazing and leaving litter on the ground, I used to try to get rid of all of it and now I’m trying to save it.” “The calculations were very helpful. Switching focus from grazing to recovery is very useful as well.” “The most useful thing I learned was calculating and using ADA.” “I learned to increase stocking density and utilize bale grazing more.”

Based on the survey responses, here are the changes that occurred:

Getting Started Holistic Grazing Planning Survey Results