Most years I really like the month of February. The weather is usually pretty decent for a winter month and it is a good time to do some catch up work before all the spring rush starts. If I'm going to be building much fence, it is usually February when I do it–or at least that is my preferred time. I usually drive posts instead of digging, just makes the job go faster and you have a good firm post to hang wire on, especially high tensile wire. Soil conditions are usually almost ideal, adequate moisture making driving a breeze and a heck of a lot faster . . . just a few hits with a driver instead of multiple pounding. No mud from digging either.

More divisional fences are normally a good thing, but I think any new fence needs to be seriously thought over. You don't want to have to move it later. I tell a lot of people, if time allows, put up a temporary or semi-permanent fence for a year or two to make sure it is exactly where you want it and also so you know it will work with the system you are after. I personally prefer long linear fences. I use a lot of temporary fence; long linear fences provide a lot of options. If you want an easier way to allocate forages that will, and should, vary some over the season, then consider using what I call variable grazing. Dividing a large field into long and reasonably wide divisions does a couple things. First, it allows for shorter temporary fences, which helps keep them "hotter", i.e. more voltage or less leakage that you have sometimes with really long runs. And maybe I'm getting a little lazy, but if you are racing to beat the sun going down to move the animals, shorter runs certainly move quicker. It's also certainly easier to get a novice grazer to move short sections of temporary fence than long sections, and it's a lot easier to carry all the posts needed in one trip.

Now, with these shorter distances and unrestricted long sections, you can allocate forages to better meet the nutritional needs of the grazing livestock as well as manage the forage and cover in response to changes in the season, the forage, and the needs of the livestock.

A fixed, or set number paddock type system, is certainly much better than not rotating at all, and the more paddocks you have, the better the system. With a variable grazing system, the number or size of the paddocks is not limited at all, but you will have to use temporary fence on a regular basis and not just open a gate–but your efficiency will be certainly higher. Now, if you have a set number of existing paddocks you are rotating though, that does not mean you have to go and rip those out. You can still do variable grazing on those paddocks too, just use temporary fence to allocate it as needed to meet your management goals. It is just more challenging to do sometimes because of the topography or distance.

Water can also be more challenging with a variable system because you need it to be very portable. Water should be available within the allocated allotment and this can usually be accomplished by using portable tanks and some hoses. You can also allow the livestock to go back to a watering site if it is not too far, usually less than 800 feet, by not back fencing, but the forages will get more rest if you do back fence and keep the water moving with them. If the water is close, you can water a good size herd with a surprisingly small water tank. Keep good water pressure, keep the tank visible from where they are grazing and close and they will go more individually or in smaller groups to get a drink. When they can't see it or the distance starts getting over 1000-1200 feet, they will make more of a social event out of it and the majority or the whole herd will go . . . now you need a big tank. Longer distances also lend to more trailing in the pasture, which is never a good thing. Got trailing? Add more water sites.

I personally don't like for animals to back graze. They are much more likely to graze new regrowth that will be needed later and is critical to build new roots. Maintaining that solar panel should always be a high priority right along with maintaining good soil cover and forage density.

It is always a good idea to be thinking about where you will start your grazing system this spring. It is usually a good thing to not start in the same field each year. If the pasture was grazed fairly close or hard the previous fall it could ideally use more rest to build up reserves. Using the same field year after year will sometimes really thin down those early pastures. I really like to rotate which field is used first and, if at all possible, leave some stockpiled forage on it. That dry forage provides some good fiber to go along with that fresh, high water, high nitrogen forage we have early in the year that makes you not want to walk too close behind the cows . . . it is also a great place to calve.

Don't forget to get clover seeded in the near future if the pasture needs it; we are still in a good seeding time frame.

As always, keep on grazing!

Source: Victor Shelton, NRCS Grazing Specialist