This document describes Judy Farms' holistic planned grazing system. They use high density grazing to intensively graze livestock for short periods, allowing pastures to fully recover before being grazed again. This builds soil health by increasing litter and microbial activity. Their system requires no chemical inputs, machinery, or much labor. It increases forage quality and quantity year-round while greatly reducing costs. Through careful management and observation, they are able to graze livestock sustainably and profitably.

1. Holistic High Density
Grazing
Judy Farms

2. Mob & Move

3. Microbe Tank

4. Our Operation:
• Microbe Farmers
• Grazing Livestock
• Building Top Soil
• Marketing Solar Energy

5. Former Grazing Practices
• Rotate quickly
• Keep seed head off
• Plants suffered
• Summer slump effect

6. Summer Slump
• Short stressed roots.
• No stockpile.
• Annual Hay Feeding.

7. Cow Needs What To Survive?
• Hint: It is located on the tips
of mature plants!

8. Answer:
•Energy is the most
limiting factor on
farms.

9. Fully Mature Sward

12. Future Litter Bank

13. Planned Grazing
• 2-3 rotations per year.
• 1-2 in growing season.
• Once in dormant season.
• 8 rotations previously.

14. Rule No.1
•Increase stocking
density not
stocking rate!!

15. Recovery Periods
• Combined Herds.
• Grazing mature plant.
• Plant roots re-grown.
• Healthier plants.

16. Creating Open Savannah

17. Before Mob

18. Mob Grazed 12 Hours

19. Farm Inputs?
• No lime
• No fertilizer
• No machinery
• Minimal labor

20. Major Paradigm Broken
• Cattle Walk.
• Major Cost & Labor
Savings.
• Improved Animal Health.

21. Cattle Drive To Next Farm

22. HUGE Cost Savings
• Hauling, Diesel, Labor,
Weight Loss & Sickness.
• Pure Joy watching them
walk!

23. Animals “Walk” To Water
• Using temporary lanes.
• Lane is moved next rotation.
• No dirt cattle trails.

24. HDG Terms
• Animal Performance Mode:
“Concentrate getting
quality forage through the
animal every day”

25. Animal Performance Mode

26. HDG Terms Con’t
• Landscaping Mode:
“Focused on building soil
with low maintenance
requirement animals”

27. March Strip-grazing

28. 90 Days Later

29. • .
Litter Builds New Soil

30. South Poll Herd

31. • “Herd Effect” heals ditches
& riparian areas.
• Excited animals, powerful
land improvement tool.

33. 4“ Rain

34. 90 days later

35. Strip Grazing Cockleburs

36. Eating Cockleburs

37. Cocklebur stems

38. Forage Jungle

39. 1st
Year Planned Grazing
1. More quality forage grown.
2. More drought proof.
3. Better manure distribution.
4. More litter.
5. More worms.

40. 6.Faster mineral recycling.
7. Increased plant diversity.
8. More legumes.
9. Warm Season grasses.
10. More quality wildlife.
11. More peace of mind.
12. More profit.

41. Spring Overgrazing (3 herds)

43. Multi-species

44. Weed Eaters

45. Hogs & Cattle

46. Stocking Rate Judy Farms
• 1 AU = 1000 lb cow.
• 1 A.D.= one animal day of feed.
• 272 AU x 365 days = 99280A.D.
• 99280 AD/600acres=165AD/acre
• 600 acres/272 AU= 2.2 acre/AU.

47. Animal Days: 60 Acre Farm
MIG System
• Rotational Grazing (AU=1000
lb. cow),(AD=Animal Days).
• 36 AU x 180 days = 6480 AD.
• Grazing Period (May-Oct.).
• No Winter Stockpile!

48. HHDG Animal Days:
• 60 Acre Farm.
• 240 AU x 30 days = 7200 A.D.
• Two Grazings Per Year.
• Total = 14400 Animal Days.
• (222% Increase vs. Rotational).
• More Volume,Quality,Diversity.

49. March 23rd
, Still Grazing
Stockpile

50. April 15th
, stockpile left to
graze.

51. Winter Grazing Value?
• 1200 lb cow @ 3% BW
• 36 lbs forage per day
• Judy farms, 200 head =
7200 lbs per day required
• 7200/1200 lb bale= 6 bales

52. Winter Cost’s Con’t
• 6 bales x $30 = $180/day
• Missouri dormant season
Nov 15th-April 15th
. (150
days)
• 150 days x $180 = $27,000
• $27,000/ 200 hd = $135

53. 24 Hour Re-growth

54. New 30 Foot Deep Lake

55. • Stopped frost seeding.
• $5000 yearly savings.
• Fall Legume seedset, best.

56. Stocker Quality Forage

57. Mature Sward = Weed
Pressure
• Mature grass sward
shades out weeds.
• Baby weed seedlings
have competition.

58. Ignore The Weeds
• Don’t target the weeds.
• Graze half the leaf of good
plants.
• Ignore weeds, they are litter.

59. Persimmon Sprouts Mobbed

60. • Focus on no inputs.
• Focus on building “Your
Mob”.
• Planned Grazing will heal
your soil, plants and
pocketbook.

61. Rainy Period, ½ Day Moves

62. • Strip graze 365 days a year.
• Fresh re-covered plants
every day.
• Key to animal performance.

63. • When Is A Plant Recovered?
• When It Has Four Leaves.
• Fully Mature, Graze it.

64. • Full Recovered Plants Shine
In A Drought.
• Preserves Moisture And
Holds Dew.

65. Limited Water Access

66. One Big Water Tank

67. Water Tank Predator

68. 60 Gallon Tank=160 Cows

69. Native Warm Season Perennials
• Indian Grass.
• Big Bluestem.
• Gama Grass.

70. Gama Grass

71. Big Bluestem

72. Turning Weeds Into Lamb

73. Twin Lambs

74. Sheep Paddock Move

75. Guard Dog

76. Dung Beetles
• Dung beetle activity
exploded.
• Dung Beetle castles!

77. Dung Beetle
Castles

78. Dung
Beetle
Hole

79. Ground Litter
• Microbial food.
• Increased soil moisture.
• More earthworms .
• Your farms future !

80. • Recovered sward,
opportunity for litter.
• Don’t let cattle eat litter.
• “Focus On Litter”

81. Mature Sward

82. Mature Sward,12 Hr Graze
Period, 100,000 lbs

83. Fresh
ground
litter

84. 4 weeks later

85. 4 weeks rest new clover

86. New
Soil

87. Microbe, earthworm habitat

88. New
Seedlings

89. Chopped Ground Litter

90. Perfect Cow Pie

91. Giant Ragweed

92. Three Hours High Density!

93. Microbial Action
• Green season = microbes
active.
• Opportunity for soil growth.
• Optimize microbe food each
grazing.

97. • Planned Grazing Tools:
1. Obrien geared reels 3:1
ratio.
2. White poly wire.
3. Obrien tread-in posts.

98. The
Tools

100. Temporary Cornerposts
• Red Obrien Pig tail Post.
• 30” tall, low cantilever pull.
• Used as corners.

102. Powered
Up!

103. Early spring
landscaping
mode

104. Gama Grass Grazing
• Mob grazed in Fall.
• Mob grazed in May.
• I didn’t Kill It !!

105. 90 days later

106. Lespedeza /Gama Grass

107. Herd Health
• Health issues caused by
limiting animal intake.
• Pneumonia, foot rot, pinkeye
show up 30-60 days later.

108. Grass
Finished
Steers

109. 1100 lb steer on 50% red clover

110. Grass-finished Steer, 3 lbs/day

111. Steers Grazing Gama Grass, July

112. South Poll Bull

113. 2008 Mob Grazing School

114. Here’s The Proof!

115. Closing Thoughts
• You will make mistakes.
• Push the outer limits.
• THIS IS EXCITING STUFF
GO HAVE FUN !!

116. 3 Day Mob Grazing School
With Ian Mitchell Innes
April 27-29th, 2011
Held At Judy Farms

117. Our Website:
greenpasturesfarm.net