Natural Resources Conservation Service 

February 2016

Keys to Better Soil, Plant, Animal, and Financial Health

Grazing Management 

and Soil Health
Rangeland is land on which the native vegetation is 

predominantly grasses, grasslike plants, forbs, or shrubs. 

This land includes natural grasslands, savannas, shrub 

lands, most deserts, tundras, areas of alpine communities, 

coastal marshes, and wet meadows.

The Basics

WHAT IS RANGELAND 

HEALTH?

Rangeland health is the 

degree to which the integrity of the soil, the vegetation, the water, and the air 

as well as the ecological 

processes of the rangeland 

ecosystem are balanced 

and sustained.

Soil is a dynamic resource 

that supports plants. It 

consists of mineral particles of different sizes 

(sand, silt, and clay), organic matter, and numerous 

species of living organisms. 

Soil has biological, chemical, and physical properties, 

some of which change in 

response to how the soil is 

managed.

WHAT IS SOIL 

HEALTH?

Soil quality is the capacity 

of a specific kind of soil to 

function within natural 

or managed ecosystem 

boundaries, sustain plant 

and animal productivity, 

maintain or enhance the 

quality of water and air, 

and support human health 

and habitation. Changes in 

the capacity of soil to function are reflected in soil 

properties that change in 

response to management 

or climate.

What Does Soil Health 

Affect on Rangeland?

Plant production, reproduction, and mortality

Erosion

Water yields and water 

quality

Wildlife habitat

Carbon sequestration

Vegetation changes

Establishment and 

growth of invasive 

plants

Rangeland health

Why is Soil Health so 

Important?

Changes in soil quality 

that occur as a result of 

management affect:

the amount of water 

from rainfall and snowmelt that is available for 

plant growth;

runoff, water infiltration, and the potential 

for erosion;

the availability of nutrients for plant growth;

the conditions needed 

for germination, seedling 

establishment, vegetative 

reproduction, and root 

growth; and

the ability of the soil to 

act as a filter and protect 

water and air quality.

How Are Soil Health 

Indicators Integrated 

into Rangeland 

Assessments and 

Monitoring?

Ecological processes on 

rangeland are evaluated 

with soil and vegetation 

indicators. Evaluations 

made through assessment 

and monitoring provide 

information about the 

functional status of soil 

and rangeland. Soil quality 

indicators are properties 

that change in response 

to management, climate, 

or both and reflect the 

current functional status. Functions include 

maintaining soil and site 

stability; distributing, 

storing, and supplying 

water and plant nutrients; 

and maintaining a healthy 

plant community.

How Are Soil Health 

And Rangeland Health 

Related?

Rangeland health and soil 

quality are interdependent. Rangeland health is 

characterized by the functioning of both the soil and 

the plant communities.

The capacity of the soil to 

function affects ecological processes, including 

the capture, storage, and 

redistribution of water; the 

growth of plants; and the 

cycling of plant nutrients. 

For example, increased 

physical crusting decreases 

the infiltration capacity 

of the soil and thus the 

amount of water available 

to plants. As the availability of water decreases, plant 

production declines, some 

plant species may disappear, and the less desirable 

species may increase in 

abundance. Changes in 

vegetation may precede 

or follow changes in soil 

properties and processes. 

Significant shifts in vegetation generally are associated with changes in soil 

properties and processes 

and/or the redistribution 

of soil resources across the 

landscape. In some cases, 

such as accelerated erosion 

resulting in a change in the 

soil profile, this shift may 

be irreversible, while in 

others, recovery is possible.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 2
Better Forage, Better 

Profit

Rangeland Health 

Indicators

Related Rangeland Soil 

Quality Information 

Sheet

Rills Water Erosion

Waterflow Patterns Infiltration, Water Erosion

Pedestals and/or 

Terracettes

Water Erosion, Wind 

Erosion

Bare Ground Water Erosion, Wind 

Erosion

Gullies Water Erosion

Wind-Scoured Areas Wind Erosion

Litter Movement Water Erosion, Wind 

Erosion

Soil Surface Resistance to 

Erosion

Physical and Biological Soil

Crusts, Aggregate Stability

Soil Surface loss or 

Degradation

Water Erosion, Wind 

Erosion

Plant Community 

Composition and 

Distribution Relative to 

Infiltration and Runoff

Infiltration, Water Erosion

Compaction Layer Compaction

Functional/Structural

Groups

Soil Biota

Plant Mortality/Decadence Soil Biota

Litter Amount Organic Matter

Annual Production

Invasive Plants

Reproductive Capability

or Perennial Plants

How Are Soil Health Indicators Used on Rangeland?

Assessment. Soil quality 

indicators are used to increase the value and accuracy of rangeland assessments and trend analysis. 

Assessments help to identify areas where problems 

occur and areas of special 

interest. Land managers 

can use this information 

and other inventory and 

monitoring data to make 

management decisions, 

which, in turn, affect soil 

quality. When assessments 

or comparisons are made, 

the rangeland ecological 

site description is used 

as the standard. For the 

soils associated with a 

given ecological site, the 

properties that change in 

response to management or 

climate are used as indicators of change.

Monitoring. Tracking 

trends in the functional 

status of the soil and the 

plant community helps to 

determine the success of 

the management practices 

or the need for additional 

management changes or 

adjustments. Regular measurement of soil quality 

indictors at the same location can detect changes 

over seasons or years and 

provide early warning of 

future vegetation changes.

How Do I Get More 

Information?

For additional information, 

refer to rangeland 

information sheet 2, 

“Indicators for Assessment 

and Monitoring.” For 

soil quality information 

related to rangeland 

health indicators, refer to 

the rangeland soil quality 

information sheets listed 

in the adjacent table. 

Download the sheets from: 

http://soils.usda.gov/sqi.

Managing for better forage 

and an increased profit 

begins with establishing 

and implementing a rangeland management plan. A 

rangeland management 

plan allows land managers 

to evaluate, monitor and 

improve their land.

On grazing land, forage 

is the crop and animals 

are the harvesting and 

marketing mechanisms. 

Improving forage requires 

land managers to assess 

their ranch holistically—

assessing plant and animal 

productivity, soil health, 

water and air quality.

Rangeland health, soil 

quality and the land 

manager’s bottom line 

are interdependent. Soil 

quality is the capacity of 

soil to function within natural or managed ecosystem 

boundaries. Soil quality 

affects ecological processes, including the capture, 

storage and the redistribution of water, the growth 

of plants and the cycling of 

plant nutrients. In addition, better soil quality can 

improve drought and weed 

resistance.

To improve rangeland health, land managers must manage 

for soil quality. As the soil improves, forage production 

will increase, leading to a better profit.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 3
Four Natural Laws of 

Grazing Management

Keep down the 

shoot, kill the root.

Roots anchor the plants to 

the soil, take up water and 

nutrients, and, if healthy, 

enable plants to survive 

stress from drought, cold, 

heat, and grazing. A basic 

problem facing livestock 

producers is not knowing 

how close to safely graze 

or mow plants and still 

obtain maximum productivity over an extended 

period. 

A clipping study (Crider 

1954) concluded that top 

growth of a grass plant is 

directly proportional to 

the root growth. About 

every year, one-third of 

the roots die and must be 

replaced. The amount of 

leaf volume removed has a 

direct effect on the growth 

of new roots. When 

excessive amounts of the 

top growth are removed, 

roots are not replaced and 

the grass eventually dies. 

If the leaf area is left at an 

optimum length, the roots 

will support more plant 

growth.

Managing plants and 

root systems is key to 

more and better forage. 

To manage for plants and 

root systems, landowners should implement a 

prescribed grazing plan. 

The prescribed grazing 

plan should define the 

proper degree of grazing 

use for key forage species. 

It should also establish 

a grazing schedule. The 

schedule alternates two or 

more grazing units—deferring or resting rangeland in a planned sequence 

over a period of years.

Nature does not 

like bare spots.

Bare ground is soil that is 

not protected by plants 

(including lichens and 

moss), litter, standing 

dead vegetation, gravel or 

rocks. Areas with high 

percentages of bare soil 

are at greater risk of runoff 

and erosion. Bare soil lacks 

protection from impacts 

of raindrops, detachment 

by wind, and temperature 

increases from exposure to 

the sun.

Percent 

Leaf 

Volume 

Removed

Percent 

Root 

Growth 

Stopped

10% 0%

20% 0%

30% 0%

40% 0%

50% 2 to 4%

60% 50%

70% 78%

80% 100%

90% 100%

are washed or blown away 

while rocks and gravel accumulate at the surface. Soil 

organic matter is extremely 

low and the soil surface 

temperature is extremely 

high. These high temperatures create an environment 

that is hot and dry and not 

conducive to productive 

grass and “decreaser” plant 

establishment.

On the other hand, weeds 

with seed that can germinate quickly can increase 

dramatically on soil-depleted land. The land becomes 

less fertile and better 

adapted to weeds than to 

“decreaser” grasses—increasing drought severity 

and frequency

If given a chance, 

nature would like 

to bring back 

best-adapted 

plants.

Nature will bring back the 

original, best adapted vegetation if two key elements 

exist:

 The line of no return has 

not been crossed.

 Landowners work with 

nature to give her a 

chance to do her job. 

Following a good grazing 

plan will increase profitability and the drought 

and weed resistance of 

the ranch. A good grazing plan considers two 

essential components: 

nutritional needs of the 

livestock and the health 

of the forage.

With continued overuse 

of native decreaser plants, 

increaser and invader 

plants can take over the 

rangeland over time. When 

this happens, droughts 

are much more severe and 

grass production declines. 

Practices that keep soil 

covered physically protect 

it from erosive forces that 

disrupt aggregation, while 

also building organic 

matter. Any practice that 

increases soil organic 

matter and biological 

activity improves aggregate stability. However, it 

can take several growing 

seasons or years for significant organic matter gains. 

In contrast, management 

activities that disturb soil 

and leave it bare can result 

in a rapid decline in soil 

organic matter, biological 

activity, and aggregate 

stability.

Bare soils decrease moisture 

availability.

When rangeland is dominated by “increaser” and 

“invader” plants and more 

bare soil exists, runoff 

increases dramatically, less 

water goes into the soil, 

wind erosion increases, 

and water erosion increases due to the runoff from 

exposed soils. These issues 

result in a less productive 

range that is less resistant 

to drought and weeds.

During wind and water 

erosion, fine soil particles 

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 4

2

1

3

4
Making 

Rangeland 

More Drought 

and Weed 

Resistant

Ranchers want to 

ensure that their land 

is healthy enough to 

resist droughts and 

weed infestations and 

to produce high quality 

forage. To accomplish 

this, ranchers need 

to ensure that their 

rangeland is able to take 

in as much moisture as 

possible.

For example, increased 

physical crusting 

decreases the infiltration 

capacity of the soil. 

This limits the amount 

of water that gets to 

the plants. As water 

availability decreases, 

plant production also 

declines. During this 

time, some plant species 

may disappear and less 

desirable species (i.e. 

weeds) may take over. 

Significant shifts in 

vegetation are generally 

associated with changes 

in soil properties and 

processes and/or the 

redistribution of soil 

resources across the 

landscape. In some 

cases, this shift may 

be irreversible, while 

in others, recovery is 

possible.

Applying Grazing 

Management Systems

Conservation plans for 

grazing lands include 

decisions for manipulating 

the plant community to 

manage the soil, water, air, 

plant, and animal resources. These five resources are 

clearly related and respond 

to each other in an interactive mode.

On grazing lands, plants 

are directly affected by the 

soil, water, air, and animal 

resources. Animals are 

resources and tools used 

in managing the plant 

resource that, in turn, 

affect soil, water, and air. 

Therefore, proper use of 

the grazing and browsing animals in managing 

plant communities is basic 

to achieving the desired 

results of an ecologically 

sound grazing lands conservation plan.

A well designed system 

will provide for the health 

of the forages. It doesn’t do 

one at the expense of the 

other. It does both. If you 

design grazing systems 

properly, it will provide 

the proper nutrition for 

grazing animals so that 

they have a high reproductive performance at the 

lowest cost.

There are FOUR 

basic keys to grazing 

management: 

stocking rate, 

livestock rotation, 

utilization rate, 

plant rest and 

recovery.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 5
An Animal Unit Month 

(AUM) is the amount of 

forage required for one 

1,000-pound cow with calf 

for one month. This is 

equivalent to 915 pounds 

of air-dry forage.

On any operation, it is critical that the stocking rate 

match the available forage. 

Failure to properly stock 

an operation can lead to 

over and/or under-grazing, 

neither of which provides 

Stocking Rate

If 50 pairs can be supported on 20 acres for 10 days, 

the stocking rate is

70 ADs × 10 D = 700 ADs

700 ADs ÷ 20 Ac = 35 AD/Ac

Example Herd: 50 1,400-lb. cows with calves (50 pairs)

50 pairs × 1.4 AUE × 1 D = 70 ADs

Figure 1. Animal Unit Equivalent Comparisons

Class of Animal Animal Unit 

Equivalent

1,000 lb. cow with calf 1.1

1,200 lb. cow with calf 1.3

1,400 lb. cow with calf 1.5

1,000 lb. cow, dry .85

700 lb. steer or heifer .70

Bull, mature (1,850 lbs.) 1.5

Horse, mature (1,200 lbs.) 1.25

Sheep, mature .15

Goat, mature .15

Table 1. Calculating AD and AD/Ac

favorable outcomes. Overgrazing can lead to significant long-term degradation 

and an overall reduction 

in pasture condition and 

potential yields. Effects 

from overgrazing can be 

long-lasting and difficult 

or impossible to rectify. 

Properly stocking grazing 

animals is critical to the 

long-term viability of any 

grazing operation.

Determining stocking 

rate is simply a matter of 

collecting information on 

overall pasture production 

and balancing the animal 

numbers with available 

forage. Since this is specific to your grazing land, 

you can request assistance 

from your local Natural 

Resources Conservation 

Service office to determine 

stocking rate.

Stock Density vs. 

Stocking Rate

Stock density refers to the 

number of animals grazing a specific unit of area 

at a single point in time. 

Stock density is usually 

expressed in pounds of 

animals per acre. As the 

pounds per acre of livestock increases, stock density also increases. Many 

grazing operations do not 

adequately consider the 

impacts of stock density 

when planning and managing rotations. However, 

understanding the fundamentals of stock density 

is critical, especially on 

irrigated pasturelands.

In general, increasing the 

stock density can yield 

significant benefits by 

improving how evenly 

pastures are grazed and 

reducing livestock grazing selectivity. As stock 

density increases, animals 

begin utilizing forage more 

uniformly with a reduced 

tendency to ignore some 

plants and over utilize 

others.

Properly stocking the areas 

to be grazed is critical 

to maintaining pasture 

productivity and animal 

health. Pasture sizes and 

stock densities must incorporate the size of the area 

to be grazed, the amount 

of grass that is available, 

the number of animals you 

plan to graze, and the duration each area is grazed.

Care should be taken 

when increasing livestock 

density because animals 

that are bunched more 

tightly together need to be 

monitored and moved more 

frequently to reduce the 

risk of removing too much 

plant material and reducing animal performance. 

To increase livestock density, existing pastures can 

be subdivided either with 

permanent or temporary 

fencing.

Most livestock operations that have increased 

their stock density and 

decreased the time spent 

grazing in each pasture or 

paddock have seen significant benefits in overall 

forage production.

Stocking rate is defined as 

the number of animals on 

a given area of land over a 

certain period of time, generally calculated in Animal 

Days per Acre (AD/Ac). An 

Animal Day (AD) is the 

amount of forage required 

for one, 1,000 lb. cow with 

calf for one day (see Figure 

1), equivalent to 30 lbs. of 

air-dry forage. Livestock 

forage needs of different 

breeds, classes, and/or 

sizes are all compared to 

the equivalent of one cow/

calf pair (see Table 1). 

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 6
10-acre pasture;

divided into 3.3-acre paddocks;

10 cows (1,000 lbs. each)

Figure 2. Stock Density in Action 

(Stock Density = Animal Weight/Acre)

1,000 lbs/acre Stock Density for 10-Day Rotation 

(Lower Stock Density)

10 x 1,000 lb. cow)/10 acres = 1,000 lbs/ac

3,030 lbs/acre Stock Density for 3-Day Rotation 

(Higher Stock Density)

(10 x 1,000 lb cow)/3.3 acres = 3,030 lbs/ac

Rotation of Livestock

Rotation includes managing 

when you graze, how long 

you graze, and how long 

you allow the area that is 

grazed to rest and recover 

before the area is grazed 

again.

of their energy into leaf 

growth, which can slow 

down or even halt root 

growth if too much leaf 

area is removed. During 

the time when plants are 

just starting to regrow, 

livestock will often heavily 

target the plants due to 

their fresh, succulent 

growth. Grazing this fresh 

regrowth is extremely 

detrimental to plants and 

can cause roots to shrink 

and can eventually lead to 

plant death.

Grazing plants without 

providing opportunity for 

recovery is by definition 

overgrazing and is the primary reason that pasture 

conditions deteriorate. Animals overgraze preferred 

plants repeatedly, while 

ignoring less desirable 

plant species. Over time, 

less favorable plant species, 

such as less productive 

grasses and weedy species, 

are able to out-compete favored species for water and 

nutrients, causing changes 

in species composition and 

a reduction in the longterm productivity and 

palatability of the pasture. 

Many livestock operations 

could improve their forage 

productivity by simply rotating their livestock more 

frequently and providing 

previously grazed pastures 

or paddocks more rest and 

recovery.

Commonly, on many grazing operations, pasture 

productivity tends to 

decrease over time. Often, 

deteriorating pastures are 

then renovated (reseeded) 

or heavily fertilized. Pasture renovation is costly 

and time consuming and, 

under most circumstances, unnecessary if proper 

grazing management and 

livestock rotations are employed. In fact, if pastures 

are properly grazed, the 

pasture condition and productivity should actually 

increase over time, leading 

to long-term financial 

gains.

10-acre pasture;

10 cows (1,000 lbs. each)

Livestock have a tendency 

to graze selectively, choosing their most favored 

species first and grazing 

them harder and more 

frequently while avoiding 

less desired species. This 

selective grazing is exacerbated when livestock have 

access to larger grazing 

areas and are not rotated 

frequently enough.

During the growing 

season, when a plant is 

grazed it can begin actively growing again almost 

immediately. As plants 

begin to regrow, they 

place a significant amount 

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 7
Utilization Rate (Grazing Intensity)

Utilization rate refers to 

grazing intensity and is a 

term often used to de- scribe how heavily an area 

is grazed. 

For example, if a plant 

is grazed as close to the 

ground as possible, the 

utilization rate would be 

100 percent, whereas if the 

same plant was not grazed, 

its utilization rate would 

be 0 percent.

Most grazing experts 

tend to recommend the 

old standby of “take half, 

leave half,” meaning when 

animals are allowed to 

graze, they should only be 

allowed to utilize half of 

the total plant biomass in 

a pasture. Ideally, every 

plant would be grazed to 

reduce its total volume by 

no more than 50 percent.

Grazing too hard and taking more than 50 percent 

(generally leaving plants 

shorter than 4 inches) 

stops all above- and below-ground plant growth 

for a period of time (Figure 5), thus slowing plant 

recovery and overall plant 

production. If plants are 

grazed less than 50 percent and are left taller after 

grazing, their root growth 

is largely unaffected and 

plant regrowth begins at a 

rapid pace.

Although it may seem like 

common sense to graze 

plants short in order to 

extract the most amount 

of forage while grazing, 

this type of management 

ultimately reduces the 

total amount of forage produced on the pasture and 

can kill preferred forage 

species, allowing them 

to be replaced with less 

desirable plants. Keeping 

plants taller throughout 

the grazing season and rotating animals on a regular 

frequency allows plants to 

develop deeper roots, recover from grazing faster, 

and ultimately produce far 

more grass over the course 

of the season.

Lighter levels of use allow 

livestock to receive a diet 

balanced for protein and 

energy that is essential for 

livestock being finished 

on pasture. Don’t be fooled 

into extracting the most 

possible grass out of each 

grazing event. Instead, 

manage your pastures 

so that they produce the 

most possible grass over 

the course of the growing 

season; you will end up far 

ahead in the long run.

the larger the pasture and 

lower the stock density, 

the more variation there 

will be with regard to the 

grazing intensity within a 

pasture (think spot grazing where some areas are 

grazed heavily and others 

lightly). Large pastures 

with low stock density will have lots of spot 

“Take half, leave half” is a valuable and proven metric; 

however, in truth, utilization rates should vary based upon 

time of year, type of pasture, forage available, and overall 

management goals and expertise.

Amount of Leaf 

Removed

 Amount of 

Root Growth Stoppage

10-40% 0%

50% 2-4%

60% 50%

70% 78%

80-90% 100%

80%

60%

50%

30%

If 80% of plant leaf material is removed, plant root growth can 

cease for 12 full days, which slows plant regrowth considerably 

(Dietz, 1989). If only 10% to 40% of plant leaf material is removed, plant root growth doesn’t stop and the plant regrows 

faster and remains healthier.

Figure 3. Plant Root Response to Grazing -

What does 50 percent 

utilization look like? Generally, during the growing 

season, when plants are 

actively growing, plants 

should never be grazed 

shorter than 4 to 6 inches. 

Obviously, it is unrealistic 

to expect every plant be 

grazed uniformly at a 50 

percent level. In general, 

Percentage of Leaf Material Removed

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 8
grazing, whereas smaller 

pastures with higher 

stock density will be more 

uniformly grazed with less 

spot grazing. Increasing 

the uniformity of grazing 

patterns and reducing 

spot grazing will lead to 

higher grazing efficiencies, 

improvements in pasture 

and plant conditions, and 

an increase in financial 

returns.

SEASONAL GRAZING 

CHALLENGES

Spring grazing creates a 

new set of challenges. In 

the spring, plants are just 

beginning their seasonal 

growth and are extremely 

susceptible to overgrazing. 

Overgrazing plants in the 

spring can set back growth 

for the entire growing season. Many grazers make 

the mistake of grazing 

plants too hard or too early 

in the spring and the result 

is often a significant reduction in overall pasture 

yields over the course of 

the year.

Ideally, spring grazing 

should not begin until the 

grass has reached the 

four-leaf stage or about 

8-inch minimum height—

typically in early or midMay. 

Waiting to graze a field 

in the spring allows the 

plants to develop deeper roots that can better 

access water and nutrients 

Rest and Recovery

After being grazed, irrigated pastures should be 

allowed to rest for at least 

30 to 60 days during the 

growing season. Dryland 

pastures and rangeland 

will require longer rest 

periods. The length of rest 

depends on many factors 

(season, weather, plant 

species, utilization rate, 

stocking rate, livestock 

class), so it will be up to 

the livestock manager to 

learn to recognize when 

plants have fully recovered 

and can be successfully 

grazed a second time. 

NRCS can help you consider your options and provide some helpful advice as 

you plan your rotations.

As a general rule, it is best 

to wait until your desirable grass species are at 

least 8 inches tall, which 

is typically after about 30 

to 60 days for an irrigated 

pasture populated with 

tall-statured plants (i.e. 

orchard grass, tall fescue, meadow brome, etc.) 

during the growing season.

The adage “what you see 

above-ground is reflective 

of what is below” is very 

true—the amount of above 

ground leaf material indicates the health and size 

of the roots below ground. 

If plants are repeatedly 

grazed short without the 

opportunity for recovery, 

roots cannot be supplied 

with the nutrients they 

need and begin to shrink. 

As the roots are weakened, 

so too is the plant, reducing the plant’s competitiveness for water and nutrients. This leads to plant 

death. 

Allow for rest and recovery of your grasses and you 

will be rewarded with higher producing pastures and 

healthier, faster-gaining animals.

in the soil profile. This also 

allows the plants to build 

more leaf area (think solar 

panels) to capture more 

sunlight and increase their 

rate of growth.

If early spring grazing is 

unpreventable, supplemental hay may need to be fed 

on the pasture to reduce 

the risks of overgrazing 

young plants. If a pasture 

is grazed early in the 

spring, make sure that the 

following year that same 

pasture is not grazed until 

later in the season. Another strategy for managing 

early spring grazing is to 

rotate animals quickly 

between pastures, utilizing less than 50 percent 

so as to avoid overgrazing. 

Finally, when grazing early 

in the season, always allow 

the pasture additional rest 

(≥40 days) before grazing 

again.

When grazing during the 

dormant season (November through February), 

utilization rates can be 

increased to 65 percent 

with at least 2 to 4 inches of grass remaining on 

average, depending on the 

species composition of 

the pasture. During the 

dormant season, plants are 

no longer actively growing 

and can tolerate heavier 

grazing pressures. However, care should be taken 

to ensure that plants are 

not grazed too severely, as 

doing so can harm plant 

growing points and weaken or kill plants.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 9
High Stock Density 

Grazing

High stock density (HSD) 

grazing is one of the most 

effective methods of 

grazing management. 

HSD grazing takes on 

many forms and names: 

MOB grazing, Management Intensive Grazing 

(MIG), and others. Don’t 

be confused with the 

names, as all of these forms 

of grazing model the same 

general themes of High 

Stock Density grazing 

and many of the points 

previously outlined in this 

document. The important 

thing to remember is that 

to implement any of these 

systems effectively and 

correctly, one must abide 

by the four keys to grazing 

management (stocking 

rate, livestock rotation, 

utilization rates, and rest/

recovery).

Key Points of a High Stock 

Density Grazing System

Utilization Rate:

High Stock Density systems only graze the top 

1/3 to 1/2 of the plants. By 

grazing primarily the top 

growth, animals graze 

only the choicest portions of the plants, which 

leads to improved animal 

performance and increased 

rates of gain. Much of the 

plant material that is left 

is actually trampled and 

laid flat on the soil surface. At first glance, this 

may appear wasteful, but 

this trampling of material 

improves nutrient cycling, 

water retention, and keeps 

the soil surface cooler, 

which reduces evaporation, and allows plants to 

focus on regrowth, instead 

of just basic survival. Soil 

organisms are provided the 

ideal environment, including food in the form of 

manure and grass residue 

that has been trampled. 

These soil organisms are 

an underground livestock 

herd and they are one of 

the key drivers fueling 

pasture recovery. Grazers 

using High Stock Density 

grazing have seen significant increases in yields 

(often doubling or tripling 

production) without the 

use of fertilizers or other 

costly, synthetic inputs.

Controlled Access 

and Improved Forage 

Utilization: 

Livestock are controlled 

to improve utilization of 

plants and reduce both 

overgrazing and spot grazing. By restricting animals’ 

access to the field, only 

portions of the field are 

grazed at any given time, 

allowing all the plants 

(including weeds) to be 

grazed more evenly while 

the remainder of the pastures are allowed to rest 

and recover. With High 

Stock Density grazing, 

animals become more competitive, and their behavior 

begins to change, causing a 

decrease in their selectiveness when grazing. They 

begin grazing all species 

more uniformly, which 

allows the higher yielding and favorable forage 

species to better compete 

and increase in density over weeds and less 

desirable plants. Animal 

performance may go down 

initially, but improve over 

time as animals adapt to 

the change. Grazers using 

High Stock Density grazing have seen significant 

reductions in weeds and an 

increase in desired plant 

species without the use of 

herbicides.

High stock density grazing management involves 

concentrating animals 

into a smaller areas (often 

called paddocks), for a 

shorter amount of time 

(from 1-3 days, for example), and consuming 50 

percent or less of available 

forage. In Montana, high 

stock density grazing is 

more common on irrigated or dryland pastures 

comprised mainly of tame 

grass species. Following 

grazing, long rest periods 

are provided (≥30 days) 

to allow plants to recover 

before being grazed again. 

By following a High Stock 

Density grazing system, 

the quality and amount of 

grass grown can increase 

substantially over time.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 10
Smaller Paddocks: 

Concentrating animals 

into smaller paddocks results in manure piles closer 

together and more evenly 

distributed. Manure is free 

and valuable fertilizer. In a 

large, undivided field, manure piles tend to concentrate in select areas such as 

near water or loafing areas. 

In a field that is subdivided, 

manure is evenly distributed 

and the entire field 

benefits from the free 

fertilizer. 

Manure serves as natural fertilizer that helps 

feed the soil and improve 

fertility. Most High Stock 

Density grazers have eliminated the use of fertilizer 

from their pastures, while 

at the same time benefiting 

from an increase in forage 

production.

Longer Rest Periods: 

Longer rest periods of 

30+ days allow palatable, 

tall-statured grasses and 

legumes the opportunity 

to recover and increase in 

abundance. These plants 

increase in density because 

their root systems are 

able to access water and 

nutrients deeper in the soil 

profile and outcompete 

lower producing plants. 

Re-grazing of previously 

grazed pastures should not 

occur until the majority 

of the tall-statured grass 

species (orchard grass, tall 

fescue, meadow brome, 

etc.) have reached the fourleaf stage; normally about 

8 inches tall. Grazers using 

High Stock Density grazing have seen the condition 

of their pastures improve 

over time as taller statured forage species have 

increased in abundance 

while short growing plants 

and undesirable weeds 

have decreased.

High Stock Density 

grazing may not be 

right for everyone, 

but for most grazing 

operations, there are 

areas where they can 

make meaningful 

improvement. 

Perhaps you can try High 

Stock Density grazing in a 

small area or for a certain 

time of the year? Perhaps 

some of your pastures 

could benefit from some 

additional cross-fencing 

to improve rotations? 

Are there ways that 

you could make simple 

changes to your rotations 

that could allow you to 

better accommodate 

the Four Keys to Grazing 

Management?

The end goal of grazing 

management should 

be to improve animal 

performance, increase 

plant productivity and 

associated soil health, 

reduce winter feeding 

and other input costs, and 

ultimately, to be more 

profitable. There are 

many methods that can be 

used to improve grazing 

management, and the 

key is to find a suitable 

method that works for you 

and improves the quality 

of life for you and/or your 

family.

When making 

improvements to grazing 

management, always 

consult the Four Keys to 

Grazing Management, as 

they are the cornerstone 

to effective grazing. If 

you are interested in High 

Stock Density grazing, 

NRCS can assist you with 

sizing your paddocks and 

managing your rotation, 

and hopefully reduce 

some of the risks of trying 

a new system of grazing.

Extended Grazing 

Season:

Grazers using High Stock 

Density are able to improve 

efficiency of forage utilization across their entire 

grazing operation. This 

allows grazers to plan and 

allocate forages more accurately throughout the year. 

Some areas may be left ungrazed later in the growing season (often called 

stockpiling forage), to be 

grazed during the dormant 

season, thus allowing for a 

reduction in the amount of 

hay that needs to be fed.

In addition, when using High Stock Density 

systems, more forage can 

be produced, which helps 

extend the grazing season 

even longer. With a continual focus on improving 

pasture productivity long 

term, feeding areas and 

mineral supplements are 

rotated during the winter 

within and between pastures to spread nutrients, 

feed the soil, and better 

distribute animal impacts. 

Most High Stock Density 

grazers have cut weeks to 

months off of their winter feeding requirements. 

Reducing hay feeding time 

and costs can quickly improve financial gains.

Grazing Management and Soil Health page 11
Grazing Management and Soil Health page 12

Definitions

Aggregate - Soil 

aggregates are groups 

of soil particles that 

bind to each other more 

strongly than to adjacent 

particles. Aggregate 

stability refers to the 

ability of soil aggregates 

to resist disintegration 

when disruptive forces 

associated with tillage and 

water or wind erosion are 

applied.

Decreaser - Plant species 

of the original vegetation 

that will decrease in 

relative amount with 

continued overuse.

Increaser - Plant species 

of the original vegetation 

that increase in relative 

amount, at least for a time, 

under overuse.

Invader - Plant species 

that were absent in 

undisturbed portions of 

the original vegetation 

and will invade under 

disturbance or continued 

overuse.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and 

policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from 

a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines 

vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at 

(202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, 

program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Lichen - A composite 

organism that emerges 

from algae or cyanobacteria 

(or both) living among 

filaments of a fungus 

in a mutually beneficial 

(symbiotic) relationship.

Litter - A layer of slightly 

decomposed organic 

material on the surface of 

the soil.

Organic Matter - A 

reservoir of nutrients 

and water in the soil, 

which aids in reducing 

compaction and increasing 

water infiltration.

MT 02/16