Excerpts From: Pasture Management Guide for Livestock Producers, Iowa State University Extension
Once the decision has been made to
develop a rotational grazing system,
you are committed to maintaining a 3”
stubble height minimum at all times, and
the preliminary calculations are made,
you should have some idea of the basic
plan- how many paddocks or pastures
will be needed and their approximate
size. The challenge now is how to best
fit the basic plan to the conditions of the
specific site. There are few hard rules
for paddock layout, but there are some
good guidelines. The most important
consideration in layout and design is to
design with flexibility in mind.
One guideline often suggested to
maximize flexibility in your start-up
year of a system is “don’t build or install
anything that can’t be easily moved or
shifted.” If the site has no preexisting
fences or water sites, this ultra-flexible
approach may be feasible. But many
sites already have some preexisting
permanent fencing, water sites, and
handling facilities that may be suitable
to include in the layout design. There is
always the risk however, that too much
of the existing fencing will be kept in an
effort to economize at the sacrifice of a
more flexible or efficient layout. Don’t
be afraid to invest in some temporary
fencing and water distribution materials
in the early years of a rotational grazing
system. Many producers are not really
satisfied with their first design and are
generally glad they did not install it
permanently.
Other possibilities for flexibility that
should be considered include laying
out a few paddocks initially with the
intent of further divisions in the future;
installing some main fence lines and
lanes with permanent fencing materials
but using temporary or semi-permanent
fencing for all other internal divisions to
allow for more efficient hay harvest and
fertilization; or using temporary fencing
to create variable-sized paddocks as
the season and regrowth characteristics
dictate, an example being the daily or
half-day strip grazing practiced by dairy graziers.
For every site there will likely be several
good and workable layouts. Get a
good to-scale map of the site, and walk
across the site to get a good sense
of the general lay-of-the-land, paying
special attention to ditches, drainage
areas, trees, existing livestock trails,
and other features of the site that may
influence or interfere with movement
of livestock. Consider paddock and
lane arrangements by using the list of
guidelines.
In order to assist with implementing your new grazing plan, PCD has temporary electric fencing kits available for short-term loan. Contact us to inquire about obtaining a kit.
Guidelines for Paddocks
- Paddocks should be as square as
possible (no more than 3:1 length:width).
- To lessen erosion, avoid aligning
paddocks from the top of a hill to
the bottom. If possible, make hilltop
paddocks, side hill paddocks, and
bottomland paddocks.
- If pasture forage types vary across the
pasture, attempt to confine the different
forage types to separate paddocks.
- It is more important that paddocks
be as equal as possible in forage
productivity, than equal in area.
- Forage on south-facing slopes grows
at a different rate than that on northfacing
slopes. If possible, fence slope
orientations separately.
Guidelines for Lanes
- Avoid orienting lanes up and down
slopes. If possible, orient lanes on the
contour.
• Avoid directing lanes through wet or
low areas.
- Place paddock gates in the corner
of the paddock and nearest the water
source.
- Make lanes wide enough for free
movement of vehicular traffic and easy
access to paddocks.
- Make paddock gate widths equal
to the width of the lane, so the open
paddock gate can be used to block
animals from unneeded parts of the
lane.
It will not be possible to accommodate
all of these guidelines in every design.
Draw several alternative layouts on
paper and select the two or three that
require the least amount of fencing.
View these in regard to their potential
to add additional water sites in the
paddocks. A goal should be to have a
water site within 800 feet of all areas
of the system; a water point in each
paddock is considered the best.
Take two or three best designs to the
field and view the areas again with
the alternative designs in mind. Use
flags or stakes on proposed fence
lines. Have grazing advisors from the
Pierce Conservation District (PCD)
visit the pasture to provide additional
suggestions or comments. Visit other
grazing systems for guidance about
mistakes made, precautions, and
features that others feel are desirable.
Once a design is chosen, begin
assessing the suitability of existing
fencing. Use what is still useful, but
seriously consider the costs and
benefits of new construction. There
are many new fencing technologies
available, whether permanent, semipermanent,
or temporary. All can be
adapted to electrification. Begin to
acquire fencing and water distribution
materials and begin installing the layout.