Grazing For Soil Health

Few ranchers would envy Michael Williams. His Diamond W Cattle Co. operates under some of the harshest environmental conditions at the outskirts of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. That combination of challenges makes Williams’ grazing strategies crucial. But, grazing management, regardless of environment, is critical to the success of any ranch. “Grazing is often the most overlooked aspect of ranching,” says Ken Tate, professor and rangeland watershed specialist at the University of California, Davis. “Every ranch should have a grazing management plan that works for them,” he says. “If you’re not doing that, it doesn’t matter how good your cattle genetics are or how good your health program is. If you’re not sufficiently harvesting forage and maximizing livestock’s capacities to use what that land is equipped to grow, those other investments are not going to be optimized.” Williams’ Diamond W consists of 12,000 acres in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles. With elevations ranging from 3,000' to 5,000', the rangeland typically only receives 10" to 15" of rainfall each year...MORE