More fence, less hay, better water

摘要

The Carrolls' ranch makeover shaved two months and thousands of dollars off their winter hay feeding program. It was with the idea of bumping up forage productivity on their Ozark, AL, commercial cattle operation that had Chris and Monica Carroll first start kicking around the idea of a controlled grazing system. It did that, and more. With help from USDA, specifically the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Administration (FSA), the Carrolls, including Chris's fatherand partner, Heyward, embarked on a production and conservation makeover for 4C Land & Cattle Co. They shaved weeks off their winter hay feeding, cleaned up the creek running through the farm and provided a wildlife haven for deer, turkeys and quail. Atrip to the fall '98 grazing school at the University of Missouri's Forage Systems Research Center at Linneus set the events in motion. Monica, then an NRCS employee, wanted to become more proficient at developing grazing plans for the producers in her county. Husband Chris, interested in the idea of a management-intensive grazing system on their ranch, joined her.