In using the methodologies described in this guide to create prescribed grazing management plans, the forage supply (number of acres of pasture required) is calculated to meet the forage demand (total forage requirement) during the midsummer period when forage production is at a minimum. During the spring, when forage growth rates are at their peak, there will be approximately twice as much forage available as can be effectively grazed by the number of livestock planned. To efficiently utilize as much of this forage as possible, part of the planned acreage should be mechanically harvested or, as an alternative, livestock numbers should be doubled for the first 60 days of grazing. However, as pasture growth rates begin to decline, the number of livestock must be reduced in order to achieve the planning objectives.

The plan is primarily designed to facilitate grazing, and at some point all of the acreage required in the plan will be harvested by grazing animals. Enough fencing must be constructed to provide structural and managerial integrity, but not so much that it interferes with the use of equipment for mechanical harvesting of surplus forage, or creates logistical problems when clipping, fertilizing, or attempting other management activities.

Harvesting forages with grazing animals requires a different level and kind of management than harvesting forages with machinery. To facilitate the efficiency of harvest, the grassland should be divided into two separate management units based on the first or primary intended use of each unit (Figure 7).

Management Unit I is designated as primary pastureland because the forage produced in this unit is primarily intended to be harvested by grazing animals. Management Unit II is designated as primary hayland because the forage produced in this unit is in excess of that required for grazing during the spring (unless the double stocking method is used instead of mechanical harvest). Therefore, it generally will not be grazed until after it has first been mechanically harvested. However, as forage growth rates slow in midsummer and the forage supply in Management Unit I is not able to keep up with the forage demand, Management Unit II will then be utilized as pasture.

The main organizational difference between the management units is that the primary subdivisions in Management Unit II are purposefully larger than the primary subdivisions in Management Unit I in order to facilitate machinery harvest. However, if the primary pasture subdivisions are large enough to allow for a reasonable machinery usage, this may not be necessary. Management Unit I should be subdivided into 5 major subdivisions using permanent or semi-permanent wire. Within each of these subdivisions enough forage should be planned to provide three days worth of grazing. Use the planning process outlined to calculate the number of acres required for one day's worth of grazing, and then triple this amount. If the system operates exactly as planned, by the time all five subdivisions have been grazed, approximately 15 days will have passed since the first paddock was grazed.

For a dairy herd, each major subdivision would be further subdivided into three paddocks with either temporary or semi-permanent wire and allocated to the herd one paddock at a time for each of the three days. Should the paddocks be too large (more forage available than the livestock can consume in three days) they can be made smaller. Should the paddocks be too small (not enough forage available for the livestock) they can be made larger (Figure 8).

In using this design for other classes or kinds of livestock, each one of the major subdivisions serves as an individual paddock. They are calculated to contain enough forage to last for three days. If the paddock is too large or too small, it can be grazed for a greater or lesser number of days rather than changing the size of the paddock (which could also be done).

The system can be planned for a dairy herd or some other class or kind of livestock, because each of the major subdivisions in this design is delineated with a structurally sound perimeter fence. Through the use of temporary or semi-permanent wire, there is an unlimited amount of flexibility created to easily change the size of a paddock in response to the actual amount of forage that is available.

Management Unit II, ideally, would be subdivided into three major subdivisions using permanent or semi-permanent wire. Within each subdivision there should be enough forage to provide five days worth of grazing. Because the first intended use of this management unit is for mechanically harvested feed, the subdivision should be large enough to easily accommodate harvesting machinery. However, the subdivision should not be so large that it can't be easily subdivided into paddocks with temporary wire after the first cut of hay or silage is taken (Figure 9).

If the plan operates exactly as predicted, by the time all three major subdivisions have been grazed, approximately 15 days will have passed since the first paddock in the unit was grazed. In other words, a 15 day rotation length, the same as for Management Unit I.

During the spring of the year, Management Unit I is grazed on a maximum rotation length of 15 days. A first cut of hay or silage is taken from Management Unit II. After Management II has been mechanically harvested it will then be subdivided into paddocks with temporary or semi-permanent wire and then grazed as necessary. Once both Management Units are used for grazing, the rotation length increases from a maximum 15 days, when 50% of the planned acreage is utilized, to a maximum of 30 days when the entire system is grazed. Actual rotation lengths will depend on forage growth rates. Therefore the 15 day planned rotation length may vary between 12 and 20 days, and the 30 day planned rotation length may vary between 20 and 40 days.

Although the previous figures all depict pasture on the left, hayland on the right, and a laneway up the middle, each farm represents a unique combination of characteristics. These include, among other things, the kind of grazing animal, forage type, soil type, topography, water supply, and location of the barn in relationship to the pasture. There will be many ways in which to actually implement a grazing plan, however, the most important concerns are the system must fit the lay of the land, provide enough flexibility to allow for efficient forage harvest and management, and must be practically suited to the kind and class of livestock.