Grazing in Michiana
As the calendar turns to a new year, many livestock producers take time to reflect on what worked well and where improvements can be made. For those of us caring for pastures and grazing livestock, the coming year is the perfect time to commit to stronger pasture-management practices.
Inspired by guidelines from retired Purdue forage specialist Keith Johnson, here are a set of resolutions meant to help build healthier soil, more robust forage, and improved livestock performance on your farm—starting today.
1. Test Soils Regularly. One of the most fundamental steps toward healthy pastures is understanding what's beneath your livestock's hooves. Resolve to soil test at least every third year, and apply lime or fertilizer based on the results. Adequate soil fertility and proper pH encourage vigorous forage growth, maximize nutrient uptake, and avoid inefficient fertilization. In short: healthy soil is the foundation of healthy pastures.
2. Know Your Soils. Beyond testing, make it a goal to learn the major soil types across your farm. Know where drainage is poor, where compaction occurs, which soils dry out first, and which hold moisture well. Such knowledge helps you match management practices and grazing plans to soil assets and restrictions. Whether deciding where to rotate stock, where to apply lime, or where to seed new forage, soil-type awareness can guide smarter, site-specific decisions.
3. Know Your Forages. Pastures are rarely uniform. Different cool-season grasses and legumes come and go, and what you see when spring arrives may not be what remains by summer or fall. Resolve to confidently identify the major forages in each paddock—whether it's fescue, orchardgrass, clover or other species. Understand their growth habits, nutritional strengths, and limitations (e.g., drought tolerance or winter hardiness). That knowledge helps you make better grazing decisions, maintenance plans, or renovation strategies to strengthen your forage base for the long term.
4. Remove Livestock Before Overgrazing. One of Johnson's core recommendations is to avoid overgrazing—the "greatest curse" to yield and persistence of perennial forages. As a resolution, vow to remove livestock from a paddock when cool-season grass or legume forage grazing reaches no lower than 4 inches in height. This ensures plants have enough leaf area to continue photosynthesis and build reserves, encouraging regrowth and long-term vigor.
5. Stockpile Pasture For Late-Season Grazing. Late summer and early fall present an excellent opportunity to rest select pastures and allow them to accumulate growth. By stockpiling perennial pastures during these times, producers can build a reserve of forage for late-season or winter grazing. Grazing stockpiled forage reduces reliance on stored hay, cuts feed costs, and makes efficient use of pasture acreage. Make it a resolution to set aside acreage for stockpiling each year.
6. Scout Pastures Weekly. Pasture management requires more than "set it and forget it." Make a pledge to walk or ride through your pastures every week, checking forage growth, density, signs of weeds, insect pressure, or disease. Early detection of issues allows timely intervention—whether it's resting a depleted paddock longer, spot-treating problem weeds, or adjusting stocking rates before damage becomes serious. Consistent evaluation is key to keeping pastures healthy, resilient and productive.
7. Keep Grazing Records. Good management is built on good records. One important resolution is to document when livestock are moved between paddocks. These records help you monitor grazing history, evaluate pasture response, and plan future rotations. Over time, patterns and trends will emerge—helping you make more informed decisions about rest periods, stocking rates, and pasture renovation.
8. Maximize All Forage Resources. If you grow crops in addition to raising livestock, resolve to use crop residues and to double-crop forages when it makes sense. Grazing residues after harvest or establishing a fall forage crop can extend the grazing season, boost feed availability, and make full use of available acreage. This practice not only improves overall farm efficiency, but also reduces reliance on stored hay.
9. Build a Team. Even the most experienced farmer can benefit from expert input. One final resolution: ensure you have a knowledgeable agronomist or forage specialist on your "go-to list." As Johnson suggests, having outside professionals with a passion for forage crops can provide technical guidance, help interpret soil test results, assist with pasture renovation plans, and offer advice on fertilizer or grazing strategies. A strong support team makes a strong pasture system.
As you set goals for the year ahead, consider adding a few of these resolutions to your list. Small, thoughtful changes in pasture management can pay off all year long—improving forage productivity, animal performance, and the resilience of your farming operation. Here's to a greener, more productive grazing season in the year to come!