As commonly practiced, the continuous stocking method can be described as a minimum management practice. A set number of animals are turned out on a given number of acres of pasture and allowed to graze for as long as the forage supply lasts. Although development costs for water and fencing are low with this method, it is extremely difficult to control the grazing events, and thus, it is nearly impossible to maintain an effective balance between forage demand and forage supply. When stocking rates are set too high, animal nutritional requirements are not met and individual animal performance is reduced. When stocking rates are set too low, forage is wasted and production per acre is reduced. In either case, the result is often a highly variable forage quality and an inefficient conversion of forage into a saleable product.

Generally, grazing management plans which feature the use of the continuous stocking method are not as productive, in terms of liveweight gains per acre or in maximizing the length of grazing season, as grazing management plans which use the rotational stocking method. However, when grazing is prescribed so that there is an adequate supply of forage available to meet or exceed the dry matter requirements of the planned number of animals, gains per animal are often equal to or greater that those obtained with the rotational stocking method. This is primarily the result of selective grazing.

When provided with a surplus of forage from which to choose, grazing animals have the ability to select a diet that is higher in overall quality than the average quality of the pasture. In other words, they select the best and leave the rest. Unfortunately, the forage that is left behind is wasted, and it is this non-utilized feed that accounts for the reductions in liveweight gains per acre and length of grazing season.

Another problem with continuous stocking is that over time it can weaken or eliminate many of the more productive plant species. Forages such as birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, alfalfa, bromegrass, timothy, and orchardgrass do not survive well under close continuous grazing. As a result, pasture yields are often reduced along with a loss of quality.