40 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN March 2025 A good grazing plan has a few essential components: pasture or grazing goals, pasture maps, a list of existing infrastructure, a list of existing forage types and production, the number of grazeable acres, potential stocking rates and any additional equipment or infrastructure needs. “The overall goal for the grazing plan is to manage grazing to allow for adequate recovery of plants,” says Joe Pokay, general manager of Noble Research Institute (NRI) ranches. “We want to eliminate overgrazing, and overgrazing is a function of time, not necessarily stocking rate or stock density. “Our goal is to be able to have our animals perform and, through our management of grazing, to improve the land and improve the soil,” he adds. “Done successfully, this improves grazeable acres, improves the quality of forage and improves animal health, as well.” Still, a grazing plan is just that – a plan. Expect to pivot when conditions or circumstances change. Pokay likes to call what Noble does “the art of grazing” because you have to take in and consider everything. “It doesn’t work to just say ‘this is how you do it’ and blindly follow a strict plan,” he says. “There’s no ‘one thing’ to watch and then do ‘X.’ It matters if it’s hot or windy or humid. And it matters what the animals are telling you.” A grazing management plan is one of the easiest ways to promote soil health, but it’s only a piece of the puzzle on most ranches. A M F D The most cost-effective way to increase soil health and plant diversity is resting pastures until there is full plant recovery and allowing native forages to establish on their own. However, planting the right cover crops can speed up the results. To track progress toward your land health goals, you need a baseline assessment. The first step is to evaluate your soil. TO IMPROVE LAND, MANAGE FOR SOIL HEALTH FIRST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38 CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
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