Terms and Tools to Support the Success of Managed Grazing
Grazing requires little equipment and infrastructure when compared to other conventional farming practices. Yet, getting established in the world of grazing can sometimes feel like learning a whole new language, and there are many helpful tools and terms that beginning graziers may not be familiar with yet.
This resource is intended to be a comprehensive introduction to the language and world of grazing, featuring terms and tools with short descriptions and photos to help beginning graziers and grazing planners build expertise helpful to managing their own farms and writing grazing plans. This resource is framed around ‘managed grazing.’ Central to understanding the systems and terms that follow, it’s important to understand what ‘managed grazing’ refers to, first, so that is the first and most critical definition in the Grazing Glossary:
Managed Grazing: a cost-savings, pasture-based forage and livestock management approach that relies on planned rotation of a herd or flock at least once every three days to a new area of pasture, adequate residual height of forages left after grazing (4-6”), rest periods for forages to fully recover before being grazed again (~30 days, depending on conditions), and stocking decisions aligned with carrying capacity of the land and intake goals to optimize livestock performance, supply high-quality forage, improve farm profitability, and improve environmental outcomes
Like any active language and culture, the language and world of grazing is constantly evolving with new terms, tools, and technology each year. Requests to add terms to this glossary can be made by contacting the UW-Madison Extension grazing team.
View the full glossary by downloading it at the following link:
