In most cases, holistic and regenerative grazing programs rely on electric fence to control where cattle graze in order to "mimic the action of wild, migrating, herds of herbivores." In the above picture is on the Mashed O ranch in Kansas. These 1,300 cows are migrating around the pasture as a herd (only taking up nine acres in this picture.) We call this Instinctive Migratory Grazing, or IMG for short.

IMG does not "mimic herds," but creates herd by rebooting the herd instinct allowing ranchers to follow holistic and regenerative grazing plans with less infrastructure and labor while allowing for more flexibility. Once herd instinct is rebooted, it is possible to contour graze without the need for daily moves. How often we adjust their grazing path is dependent upon factors such as riparian areas and roughness of the terrain. In difficult terrain, or in protecting riparian areas, they may need daily moves. However in other areas, cattle may migrate around a pasture of a thousand acres or more with no need to be adjusted. This also allows fewer water points to build and maintain, as explained in this Working Cows podcast interview by a client in Wyoming. You can listen to it while perusing the rest of this site.

Successful regenerative grazers have a saying

"It isn't how much rain you get, but how you use what rain you get."

This short video shows what is meant by that statement.

If you don't believe desertification is real, look at the picture to the right. That is a sidebar sickle mower abandoned from when they would harvest native grass hay in that very spot less than seventy years ago. If you are not familiar with holistic or regenerative grazing, it is because it is counter intuitive. For a better understanding, visit our Grass Management page for a list of books, articles, videos and services from other people.

Leave a message at and I will get back to you