Rotational Grazing Plan

[matt walker]

I was going to post this in CJ's thread as a response to our muck conversation, but thought I'd start a new thread to keep things a little more organized. This is a quick sketch of my current fencing plan. Yellow is existing fence, blue is temporary moveable fencing, and pink is yet to be built fencing. I use Premier's electro net for my moveable fencing, the 9/35/12. It's just over $100 for 165' which includes the step in posts. I think it's a great deal, and I hope to have one roll for every "section" paddock I build. In that way I can build temporary lanes, the solid blue lines, to the active paddock and section off each paddock as I rotate, which is represented by the blue dash. I currently have two 165' sections, and hope to add two more this summer.

You can see the muck area, between the barn and garden. That's the only spot that gets any muck, and the animals never stand in it, just pass through. I like feeding in the barn since it's so rainy here, I think the hay goes farther, and the animals hide from the weather in there anyway.

[matt walker]

In that picture you can see the shadows of some taller firs shadowing the back of the house, where my new swales and greenhouse are. That's where I'm going to be planting a grip of fruit trees in the coming weeks, so I'm taking care of those shading trees this week. I've got about 8 of 'em on the ground right now, and have been splitting and stacking each night and bucking most days. Lots of work, lots of fire wood, and LOTS more sun. I'm excited.

[matt walker]

I'm also really glad I didn't hit my house. This one went right where I wanted it, but I have been nervous about taking it down for years. I have cut down many trees, but before I did this one I did a Youtube marathon on proper hinge technique. I knew how to do it, but I'm glad I refreshed my knowledge. I learned some and reinforced what I thought I knew. I've seen some appallingly bad tree felling techniques, and didn't want to be a statistic. I'm sure I've still got a lot to learn on the subject, but I was happy with this one.

[pa_friendly_guy]

I was wondering Matt, there seem to be 2 fairly long sections of existing fence that do not close anything in, but it does not appear from your drawing that you are going to extend the new planned fence out to the end of the old fence to close in a pasture. What is your plan? Will stag 2 be added to meet the old fence? Or is it not in good shape? Or is there some other reason ? Or am I just not reading the drawing correctly, I was a bit confused by the drawing. I liked the blue temporary
potable fence lay out. You have sectioned off several very nice pasture areas with that for your rotations. The new planned fence seemed to close in the ends of several different pastures. It looks like the new set up will really set you up for a nice pasture rotation . How much of your total land will then be in pasture for the live stock once you install the new fence ?

[matt walker]

Guy, the drawing is rough, but you have the idea. The property had a perimeter fence of 4 strand barbed wire when I moved in. It's taken me a decade to figure out that I'm never going to seal the perimeter. The yellow lines that end represent the sections of perimeter that I have fenced with Field Fencing, and are tight. There is fence of some sort around the whole property, but it's not to be trusted, so I just stopped the lines about where it's tight. The photo doesn't show the whole property, it continues up off the photo for another 500' or so. There is good tight fencing all along the drive, and then along the property front as well. I am hoping to get to a point with these paddocks that I don't need to incorporate all of that into my grazing, which is why I stopped drawing the fence there. Not sure if that makes any sense, but this drawing is more to show the areas that I plan to use. I'm not sure how much pasture there is/will be. Maybe 6 acres or so? The property is 15 total, although as you can maybe see quite a bit of the lower property is wetland. That's a big part of why I will never reclaim that perimeter fence. It's in a swamp. I believe at one point it was all giant cedars and fairly dry ground. A century ago the largest Western Red Cedars in the world were growing right here, on my property and the surrounding few square miles. Once they logged that old cedar forest, I believe my property became much wetter. You can see where they logged the wetland the last time, maybe 40 years ago or so. At that time they put in the perimeter fence, and I believe ran horses on it for decades. It's all willow, alder, and cottonwood now.

[pa_friendly_guy]

Thanks Matt, that makes more sense to me now.

[CJ in VT]

Remind me what livestock you have. Sheep I think, anything else?

Do you listen to Jack Spirko's podcast? He did a great one recently about hedgerows/fedges and how they are great set back a bit from the perimeter fence for double protection.

Last summer I started laying dead wood on the outside of some paddock fences, hoping to add soil to plant perennial forage crops. Willow is great for livestock and alder is a nitrogen fixer. Pollard them both for hedgerows. Throw in some productive plants and set back!

[CJ in VT]

Get yourself a color shot to work with:


That one's from google earth but google maps might have one too. Resolution does seems to depend on your location. This pic isn't meant for you to read but you get the idea. 3 of those paddocks don't exist yet...

[GrahamB]

CJ, I am attempting the living fence also. I have had a bucket of Osage Oranges standing outside over winter. Soon I will add some water and let them become a soup. I have a fence at the back of my place that is a combination of new repairs and very old wire. I want to keep the neighbor's cows out more than keep anything in at the moment.
Once the soup is ready I will draw a thin trench along the fence line and pour the soup in. Then when the young seedling appear, I can transplant them more evenly at two foot intervals. This stuff is like blackthorn in that it has long spikes when it is a couple of years old. After the first year I will pull each tip down and tie it to the base of the next one, forming a series of arches. Do this each year with that years shoots and in four years we will have a strong, living stock proof fedge. In addition, I can sell any fruits at the farmer's market. They are excellent insect repellants.
Eventually I would like to replace all wire fence with living fence, but it might take a while.

[CJ in VT]

Osage Orange makes me nervous because it soooo sharp, apparently. Four years isn't really that long (I hope).

I have planted some honey locust which also has a bed rep but I've put it where I don't expect any tires to tread. The pods are good livestock feed.