Pasture management in the U.S. Midwest- An assessment of current practices and future opportunities

Authors: HOLOHAN, CONOR - Agri-Food And Biosciences Institute; PAINE, LAURA - University Of Wisconsin; CAVADINI, JASON - University Of Wisconsin; LIVELY, FRANCIS - University Of Wisconsin; Jaramillo, David; AKINS, MATT - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: International Grasslands Congress
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/2/2023
Publication Date: 5/14/2023
Citation: Holohan, C., Paine, L., Cavadini, J., Lively, F., Jaramillo, D.M., Akins, M. 2023. Pasture management in the U.S. Midwest- An assessment of current practices and future opportunities. International Grasslands Congress, May 14-19, 2023, Covington, Kentucky. p. 1175-1177.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Managed grazing offers significant potential to improve the sustainability of livestock farms in the US Midwest, however the benefits of managed grazing are largely influenced by the management practices employed on farm. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of current grazing practices on Midwestern farms and to identify the knowledge and support needs of graziers. A total of 185 responses were received from a range of different enterprises including dairy, beef, and sheep production. Results show a substantial degree of variation in grazing management practices between respondents and highlights significant scope for improvement on farms particularly in the areas of pasture measurement and budgeting, and grazing infrastructure. Reported benefits of managed grazing included lower environmental impact, better pasture and animal performance, better animal health and welfare, and lower costs. Challenges with managed grazing included time and labor input, maintaining pasture quantity and quality during the grazing season, adverse weather conditions such as excessive rain and drought, and animal health challenges such as heat stress, parasites and in some cases coyotes. The study highlighted opportunities for research and extension providers to better support farmers with information and advice and identified knowledge gaps in areas such as pasture species selection, soil fertility, grazing infrastructure, pasture budgeting, legumes, and pasture measurement. The study successfully gained an insight into graziers in the Midwest, the outputs of which, will be valuable to a number of key stakeholders going forward, including researchers, extension agents, farmers and policy makers.