Pitchfork Pulpit
MOB MOB MOB
GRAZINGGRAZINGGRAZING
The Pitchfork Pulpit By Joel Salatin
FOTOLIA/MERC67; TOP: TERESA SALATINT
oo often, homesteaders with small
acreage and only a few animals
feel left out of the intensive-man-
agement, or “mob grazing,” discussion.
Listening to commercial farmers and
ranchers talk about moving 200 cows
around an intricate grazing mosaic may be
exciting, but is such a thing practical for
someone with only 1 or 2 acres?
Rest assured, you folks with humble
homesteads, the only thing about mob
grazing that would be problematic for youis the higher cost per acre of infrastruc-
ture improvements. These expenses are
unavoidable. Yes, stopping and starting a
fence or water line is expensive — think
insulators, energizers, valves, pipe clamps,
and more — but the principles of small-
scale and large-scale mob grazing are close
to identical.
Let’s start with the basics. My cows,
pigs, and poultry need three things from
me: water, shelter, and proximate con-
trol. The neighbors don’t want our ani-mals roaming all over their property, and
our gardens don’t need sheep and goats
munching down the beet tops. Keeping
animals where they’re supposed to be (and
eating what they’re supposed to be eating )
is perhaps the first ingredient in the recipe
for controlled grazing.Managing Movement
Animals are supposed to move, and
movement is required for proper sanita-
tion, vegetation pruning, and defecation
spreading. Methods of managing their
movement can take many different forms
depending on species, size of area, and
number of animals.
Few people are bigger fans of electric
fencing than I, but with small livestock
and poultry, a completely portable hous-
ing situation is often easier to work with
than electric fencing. Control and pro-
tection requirements for poultry are quiteGot a modest homestead? You can still practice
rotational grazing — just keep those animals moving.
AMANDA NAGENGAST (2)p 72-75 Pitchfork.indd 72 10/11/16 3:32 PM