Stocking rate is defined as the number of animals per unit area over a given period of time and is often reported as animals per acre or pounds of animal bodyweight per acre. When stocking rates are optimized for the pasture system, producers can achieve more grazing days per year and reduce the need for stored forages and feedstuffs. In a time of rising input costs for beef operations, stocking rates are not traditionally viewed in the “list of items” that can be adjusted to enhance profit potential. In order to determine the right stocking rate for your farm, consider the following:
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What is the forage base used in the operation? Most Southeastern beef farms have a perennial grass forage base such as tall fescue, bermudagrass or bahiagrass. If pastures are healthy and productive, the operation may be able to support a greater stocking rate per year than stands with high weed pressure, for example. Using a grazing stick, also known as a pasture ruler, can help producers understand their pasture yield. Another potential point of comparison is annual hay production if the same forage species is used across pastures and hayfields.
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What is your grazing management style or expected utilization level of grazed forage? Cattle naturally trample and waste a certain amount of grazable forage within the system. In most systems using continuous grazing or a simple rotation method, pasture utilization will be about 30% to 50% of the grazable yield.
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Weather and environment – We may be able to support a greater stocking rate in highly productive forage years with timely rainfall, whereas drought conditions limit stocking potential.
- Stocking adjustments based on the time of year – In each operation, there are times of the year where we have excess forage. Our stocking rate capacity should not be based on this time of peak production, but instead on the average season-long production potential of the pasture to support the most optimum stocking rate.
Understanding forage production potential using forages that are well adapted to a given area and having well-defined animal production goals can help producers identify sustainable stocking rates in pasture systems. Stocking strategies allow flexibility in management for the farm and may be another strategy to consider when evaluating changing input costs.
