Regenerative Grazing
A Summary of Approaches from Three Australian Grazing Trainers
Regenerative grazing management is a structured way of using animals to regenerate pasture, improve soil health and soil carbon storage and improve grazing profitability. The process builds organic material and carbon which in turn supports better nutrient cycling and improved water holding capacity.
The fundamental principle behind this management technique is to use livestock to improve the long-term health and resilience of pastures. Regenerative grazing has the potential to not only significantly reduce costs for the farmer, but also improve the land’s resilience to increasing climate variability.
Below, we summarise three different approaches from Australian Grazing Trainers.
Dr Judi Earl
Agricultural Information and Monitoring Services (AIMS)
Judi gained a PhD in pasture ecology when she conducted the first studies describing the benefits to pasture composition from planned grazing. She has extensive experience in how grasslands and pastures respond to grazing and fertility management and is a widely respected speaker on these matters.
Establishing the AIMS consultancy in 1998 and a Holistic Management™ educator since 2002, Judi’s main area of interest is working with land managers to enhance the condition and productivity of their land through improved understanding of ecosystem function and more effective utilisation of available resources.
Judi showcases the capacity of grazing animals to regenerate land on her 454 hectare property, Glen Orton in NSW.
Judi's view:
Dr Judi Earl believes that an understanding of how grass grows is a fundamental part of any successful grazing operation. Grazing should be planned around the assessment of the available pasture and the feed requirements of stock. She also believes that ongoing pasture assessment is vital.
Judi has a 12-point checklist that enables farmers and landholders to quickly and effectively assess elements of the condition and productivity of pastures. In her presentation she explains in detail how to measure the pasture height/weight relationship, how to estimate herbage mass, pasture density, pasture growth rate, water use efficiency, pasture utilisation (%) and how to calculate a feed budget for the farm.
Judi's advice:
"Grow more - use more - leave more"
She is an advocate for controlled grazing on small areas with very regular stock rotations to protect from over grazing and quick recovery
In this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate tapped into Dr Judi Earl’s PhD on Pasture Ecology to talk grass, and also how land managers can enhance the condition and productivity of their land through improved ecosystem function, and more effective utilisation of their pasture.
In this Talkin' episode we talk to Holistic Grazing expert Dr Judi Earl on the principles of grazing management and how grazing livestock can be used to regenerate their land. This is our second podcast with Judi, we chatted to her last year all about Grass – in fact that podcast is a ‘must listen to’ as a good understanding of how grasses grow and respond to being grazed is key to understanding how livestock can be used to enhance soil health and pasture production.
In this live webinar, pasture ecologist and regenerative grazier Dr Judi Earl, discusses the critical skill of pasture assessment & it’s place in the business of grazing & building soil health, and how it can influence pasture & animal production targets. Judi also walks the audience through how to assess pasture & undertake a feed budget, and introduce participants to planning grazing around assessment of pasture and feed requirements.
In our previous webinar with pasture ecologist and regenerative grazier Dr Judi Earl, ‘Calculating Pasture & Grazing to Build Soil & Profitability’, we explored the critical skill of pasture assessment & it’s place in the business of grazing & building soil health. In this webinar we drill down into the skill of planning grazing for the growing season. Taking some time to watch our first webinar with Judi is essential to get the most out of this ‘Planning Your Grazing for the Growing Season’ webinar
Dick Richardson
Grazing Naturally
Dick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in the practice of natural grazing to improve soil depth and health, water retention, increased biodiversity and animal production. Dick's life is about growing the relationship between people, land and livestock.
His experience and application of regeneration grazing principles has a wide base derived from the Namibia and Kalahari to tropical east South Africa, from the arid zones of Arizona and Colorado to the humid regions of Texas and Florida in the United States, the UK, and across Australia's temperate, alpine, tropical and semi-arid regions.
Dick's view:
Dick investigated various grazing patterns and although he agrees that grazing recovery is key, he ultimately found that longer (pre-determined) recovery periods didn't create the outcomes he was looking for.
The natural grazing approach is not based on rational or recovery grazing periods. It's based on grazing the optimum paddock for livestock - the way stock graze naturally.
So instead of following a set recovery period, the animals go back to the optimum paddock when it's back to optimum grazing condition.
Dick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in the practice of natural grazing to improve soil depth and health, water retention, increased biodiversity and animal production. In this podcast episode Jo & Kate talk to Dick about his method of grazing to regenerate soils, 'Grazing Naturally', - how it works & why Dr Christine Jones recommends it.
Graeme Hand
Hand for the Land
Graeme Hand farms beef cattle in Tasmania and NSW and is the CEO of Stipa Native Grasses Association. He also runs his own consultancy business and has delivered workshops across Australia & internationally to cropping and grazing farmers on farm financial health checks, planned grazing and forage & cover cropping.
Graeme has worked as an industrial chemist, international marketer, meat industry consultant as well as farm consultant to many family and corporate farmers. He is based in the Huon Valley in southern Tasmania, and has a special interest in working with family farms helping to create profitable, sustainable farm businesses which are enjoyable to work in.
Graeme trains throughout Australia on regenerating grasslands using planned grazing management. He has also carried out bushfire and drought extension for Victorian DPI, provided Holistic Management® training for CMA’s and universities, consulted for the meat industry on eating quality and marketing as well as currently managing STIPA Native Grass Association Inc.
Graeme's view:
According to Graeme, the key principles of regenerative grazing are long enough grazing land recovery, heavy stock density and deep enough plant utilisation.
He also advocates for small trial sites in different areas of the farm, so landholders can assess areas without them having a significant impact on the farm productivity. He calls these 'safe to fail' trial sites.
Want some to fail so you know what the boundaries are - so you know what to do and what not to do.
Graeme's goal is to design drought proof grazing. Longer recovery times means that there's always grass and hand and farmers will never run out. If the recovery time is too short, there isn't the time to react and lower the stocking rate.
Graeme's advice:
- Always have 'safe to fail' sites
- Design fencing to be flexible - a ladder system within strips
- Select stock for lower maintenance breeds (many are currently 'bred to be fed' which puts additional pressure on pastures)
High Stock densities: Image from Graeme Hand workshop with Landcare Tasmania
High Stock densities: Image from Graeme Hand workshop with Landcare Tasmania
In this episode, Jo and Kate talk to consultant Graeme Hand and focus on a key element of Regen Ag which is Regenerative Grazing Management, a structured way of using animals to regenerate pasture, improve soil health and soil carbon storage of soils. The LCDC were able to bring Graeme over from beautiful Tasmania to run a workshop for their farmers and undertake some individual farm consults to assist them in developing their own regenerative grazing program.
Graeme demonstrating a visual soils assessment at a Lower Blackwood workshop.
Graeme demonstrating a visual soils assessment at a Lower Blackwood workshop.
Built with Shorthand