FIGURE 30. TURF FROM A PASTURE THAT IS GRAZED
UNDER A SYSTEM OF ALTERNATE GRAZING
Right: Condition of herbage when the cattle are turned in the
pasture. The herbage is approximately 4 inches high
Left: Condition of herbage when grazing is completed and a rest
period is commencing. The herbage has been grazed to a height of
about 1/2 inch. Approximately one week of grazing is followed by
a rest period of three or four weeks
required. Mowing should be done while the livestock still occupy the pasture, as the herbage when moved away from the place on which it grew is usually eaten readily. Failure to graze where droppings have been deposited appears to be associated with the odor. Grazing animals seldom consume herbage growing where droppings from their own kind have fallen, but they may graze readily when the droppings are from other kinds of grazing animals. It is largely for this reason that mixed grazing leads to the more efficient use of pasture.
After each field has been closely grazed, and mowed when necessary, the average height of the herbage should be little more than 1/2 inch. When this stage has been reached, the field should "rest" until the herbage has again reached a desirable grazing height; this period is usually from two to four weeks.
The use of a flexible grass harrow at least once during the grazing season is helpful, for it scatters the cattle droppings so that they are beneficial over a large area rather than harmful on a small area. At the same time more even grazing results, and the need for mowing is reduced. Under a system of alternate grazing, droppings may be scattered with advantage after each field has been grazed, but considerations of the
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