Fencing, watering, and labor inputs are lower for continuous grazing than for controlled grazing. With controlled grazing, the farmer manages and controls the duration and extent of pasture use. Fields are rested between grazings. For example, milking cows usually graze new forage every 12 hours, providing them with fresh forage and minimizing the waste from defecation and trampling. Beef cows and sheep, in contrast, use paddocks for up to a week.
Graziers can maximize profits with properly developed rotational grazing systems.
Table 2 compares advantages and disadvantages of intensive rotational grazing, continuous grazing, and confinement feeding systems. Season-long grazing is best achieved using a combination of permanent and cropland pastures. These grasses produce more forage in the spring than in mid-summer. This uneven production does not meet the nutritional needs of most livestock. One solution lies in diversifying forages in pastures.