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197: Regenerative Grazing: Does It Really Pay? · CattleUSA Daily

• 0:03
  Welcome to the Cattle USA Daily podcast.
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  Your go to source for. The latest livestock markets,
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  industry insights and the updates shaping agriculture
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  today. I'm your host, Lauren Moylan, a
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  passionate advocate for agriculture, here to keep you
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  informed and connected. Now let's dive into today's
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  episode. Regenerative grazing.
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  It is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot lately.
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  Some call it the future of ranching, others call it a fad.
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  But underneath the buzz, there's real research and some operation
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  proving it can work both environmentally and
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  economically. Today we're unpacking what
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  regenerative grazing actually is and how it works on the ground
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  and whether it pencils out for cow calf producers.
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  Regenerative grazing is basically adaptive managed
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  grazing with the goal of building soil health.
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  It's not a one-size-fits-all system.
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  It's a mindset using planned rest, rotation and recovery to
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  keep grass plants vigorous, roots deep and soil microbes
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  alive. Instead of constant continuous
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  grazing, cattle move through smaller paddocks for short
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  grazing windows anywhere from a few days to a few hours, then
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  rest that pasture for 30 to 90 days, depending on rainfall and
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  plant growth. Universities like Texas A&M,
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  Colorado State, and North Dakota State all frame regenerative
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  grazing as matching animal impact to plant recovery time.
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  It's less about rules and it's more about observation and
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  flexibility. So picture this.
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  Instead of 100 cows roaming a 500 acre pasture all summer, you
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  divide that pasture into 10 or more paddocks.
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  Cows hit one section hard for a few days, trample residue,
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  fertilize naturally and then move on.
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  That short grazing burst followed by long rest periods
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  triggers plant regrowth, increases root depth and
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  improves water infiltration. Over time that builds organic
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  matter which is your soils savings account.
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  In a 10 year study out of North Dakota State University,
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  pastures managed with adaptive multi paddock grazing increase
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  their soil organic carbon by 20 to 25% while continuously graze
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  pastures stayed flat. Let's talk money because for all
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  being serious, that's what matters in this.
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  Setting up regenerative systems has upfront cost.
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  You got fencing, which is typically 2 to $4000 for some
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  high tensile or Poly wire systems on a 500 acre layout.
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  Then you have water infrastructure, anywhere from
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  three to 10,000 dollars depending on wells, tanks and
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  distance. That's your investment.
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  Now let's talk about the payoff. You have forage productivity,
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  which often increases about 25 to 40% within three to five
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  years, according to studies from universities like Texas A&M,
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  University of Missouri and so many others.
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  Grazing days go up, meaning fewer hay feeding days.
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  And better forage distribution means less overgrazing and
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  erosion, which translates to lower receding and feed costs
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  later. One Kansas State analysis found
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  that ranchers adopting adaptive grazing improved net returns by
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  60 to $80 per cow annually after three years, mostly from reduced
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  feed and fertilizer costs. There are side effects that
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  don't show up on balance sheets right away, like drought
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  resilience. Pastures with higher organic
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  matter hold more water. Every 1% increase in soil
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  organic matter adds roughly 20,000 gallons of water storage
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  per acre. That doesn't mean you're drought
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  proof, but it means that your grass lasts longer into dry
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  spells. Producers in Nebraska and
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  Oklahoma saw cattle maintain condition two to three weeks
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  longer during flash droughts compared to continuously grazed
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  neighbors. That kind of cushion can mean
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  keeping cows instead of liquidating early.
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  Here's the part social media doesn't show you.
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  Regenerative grazing takes more management, not less.
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  You're moving cows more often, monitoring grass growth, and
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  constantly adapting to rainfall. It's not for every operation.
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  If you're running thousands of acres on native grass with
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  limited labor or water, it might not pencil out or be
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  logistically feasible for you, and that's OK.
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  But if you've got the bandwidth to plan, move, and measure, it
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  can work. The key is starting small and
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  scaling where you can. So how do you start?
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  You start simple. Number one, you need to split
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  one pasture in half and start rotating every two to three
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  weeks. Track growth when the grass is
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  knee high again and bring cattle back.
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  Step 2, you're tracking your regrowth when the grass is knee
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  high again, bring cattle back and then #3 add more paddocks
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  over time. Use what you have.
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  Temporary fence, existing tanks, even portable troughs where you
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  can. You don't need to reinvent your
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  ranch in a year, just improve one pastures rest and recovery
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  cycle. So here's the truth about
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  regenerative grazing. It is not magic, it's management
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  done right and improves soil, extends grazing days and can
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  raise your bottom line. But it takes time, consistency
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  and observation. Whether you call it
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  regenerative, adaptive, or simply manage grazing, the goal
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  is the same. Grow more grass, waste less, and
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  keep your operation resilient in the long haul.
• 6:32
  This is the Cattle USA daily podcast.
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  I'm your host, Lauren Moylan. Thanks for listening to another
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  episode. If you enjoyed today's episode,
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  we will love it. If you would like and subscribe
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  on whatever podcast platform you are listening or watching on, we
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  will see you all on another episode tomorrow.