Cassie LeMaster: 0:01

Welcome back to the Extension Connection Podcast. I'm Cassie LeMaster, the Livestock and Forage agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Polk County. And today I'm going to talk about multi-species grazing. I'll be discussing how putting different livestock species together on the same pasture can lead to healthier, more productive pastures. Simply put, multi-species grazing is just grazing a pasture with more than one type of animal. And the advantages shown in some of the research is pretty compelling. By mixing animals with different dietary preferences and grazing behaviors, you achieve greater plant utilization. This means you can potentially increase your stocking rates and increase overall production from a single unit of land. Plus it helps maintain a better balance among plant species and can even reduce your weed control costs. But before you jump in, it's always wise to first evaluate the current plant species on your farm and identify what plants are not currently being grazed. Then investigate how different animals graze, what they prefer, and any potential obstacles that you might encounter. And that's what we'll cover in this talk today. So first, let's break down our pasture plant types. First we have grass. This is your typical pasture staple and usually in the most abundance in our pastures. Then we have forbs. these are your broadleaf plants. They could be like plantain or dandelion or clovers and other broadleaf plants. Then third, we have browse. Think of our woody stemmed plants in this category. Brush species, briers shrubs. Now for the fascinating part, let's talk about grazing behavior. Cattle are generally less selective and they prefer grass. They're mostly about quantity over quality, and they often eat some of the taller grasses that other animals might ignore. They take their long tongue, wrap it around a big mouthful and pull it up. And they'll, ruminate and chew later sheep have a preference for forbs, followed after by grass. But when they do graze grass, they're more selective and they often seek out the young tender regrowth and they can graze a little closer to the ground than cattle can. Goats are primarily browsers preferring browse first those woody stem species, then forbs, and finally grass. So this creates a really nice dietary overlap where each species essentially targets different parts of the pasture, and this leads to more efficient foraging. So if you have a pasture and you're starting with a herd of horses or cattle, first, those are the two species that prefer grasses the most. So let's talk about the advantages of bringing in small ruminants like sheep or goats to that pasture. For instance, small ruminants are better suited for steep or rocky terrain, or cattle or horses might struggle to graze effectively, or maybe they just don't go in those areas. Adding goats to cattle pastures has been shown by several studies to reduce the brushy and broadleaf weed species that can be more difficult for us to control. So in one four year study by NC State, which took place in western North Carolina, goats were grazed in a pasture that was overrun with vines, multi-floor rose. Blackberry and hardwood sprouts. This led to a significant improvement in grass and clover cover from just 16% in the first year to 63% after the four year period. Then a study in West Virginia compare different brush control methods including grazing goats, sheep. Or both together, as well as mowing herbicide application or a combination of the two. And the results were pretty eye-opening. A goat herd cleared the pasture brush from 45% cover down to just 15% in one year. Sheep alone took three years to achieve this same result. Cutting and herbicide applications did increase the effectiveness of the animals, but they also came with a higher cost, and ultimately all the treatments did reduce the brush to a 2% cover over a five year period. But the goats, of course, they prove to be the most cost effective option. And let's give you an idea of how much each of those cost. So the three year variable cost per hectare and a hectare is about two and a half acres. So the goats were$33 per hectare. That was their cost. Sheep were$262. Mowing was$133 per hectare, and herbicide application was a whopping$593. So goats are excellent at managing specific weed types like those blackberry vines and maples, locust trees, multi-flora rose, honeysuckles and lespedeza. The general rule is that you can add one goat or sheep per cow without negatively impacting your cattle performance. In fact, this can eventually increase the total carrying capacity of your land by about 24%. That's what an Oklahoma State economist estimated. The benefits of multi-species grazing extend even further. Some plants that are poisonous to cattle, such as cherry or milkweed, don't seem to affect sheep or goats. Also, sheep have been observed. Grazing close to cattle, manure piles an area that cows typically avoid. And the parasites that affect sheep and goats cannot survive in a cow's stomach and vice versa. So this can greatly help with your parasite management on your pasture. This is most helpful when sheep and cattle follow each other in a grazing system.'cause the cows can kind of act like a vacuum and suck up the parasites, and then killing those before depositing manure. Goats and sheep, however, do share parasites and therefore grazing them together does not improve your parasite control. For those small ruminants beyond any ecological advantages, there's a strong economic incentive as well. Multi-species grazing can diversify your income sources. The goat market in particular, is one of the fastest growing segments of US agriculture. With half of the goat meat consumed in the US currently being imported, this presents a significant opportunity for domestic producers. Additionally, combining species can lead to a reduced predation of your goat and sheep herds. Of course no system is without its challenges, right? And the system does have a few drawbacks that you should consider. You might encounter bully animals. Often it is a ram or a buck that tries to dominate the larger animals, not the other way around. Culling these problem animals is an option. You can also train them. They can be trained. It's a little more difficult of course, than just getting rid of the problem animals. There's also differences in their trace mineral requirements. For example, sheep are highly sensitive to copper, so they should not have access to cattle mineral. This can be managed by rotating the animals through the paddock separately. And of course there will be an added labor demand as well when you're having two separate herds to rotate through the pastures, or when you have to have separate handling facilities, they're gonna have different requirements as well. Shelter is another consideration while wind breaks or just a grove of trees might suffice for cattle. Goats generally dislike rain, so as soon as you see a little rain, you see the goats running for the barn. And young lambs and kids are gonna be sensitive to that wet and cold conditions that we get in late winter and early spring. So they're gonna need more protection during lambing. And kidding. Season fencing is gonna be a major component, especially for goats. Woven wire with two offset electric wires is kind of considered the gold standard for effectiveness at containing a variety of livestock. So if you're planning a new farm, then you might wanna go with woven wire for just the variety of animals that it can be effective at. Containing small ruminants can be trained to an electrified, high tensile wire, but you're gonna need at least 4,500 volts. And preferably at least five strands of hot wire, but probably more barbed wire is not effective at keeping in small ruminants and of course predator control. So I mentioned earlier that predation is reduced when small ruminants are grazed with the larger species, but guard animals might still be needed. Electric fencing does serve as a deterrent for predators as well. So it's important to note that you might not see huge benefits for multi-species grazing if your pastures are already, a monoculture of grass. So if you're already predominantly grass, then you're not gonna see a big benefit of adding small ruminants that prefer those other plant species. Also if you're overstocked already. So if you have less forage available for the animals that you already have, then adding another is not gonna be helpful. Also, the system works best for grazing animals. So notice I didn't mention anything about pigs. So they're more likely just to root up your pasture than to provide any real benefits if you're considering adding a new species. Always start small and build slowly. This allows for you to adapt to the new species and reduces your risk As a producer, remember that goats are browsers, and if you see them grazing with their heads below their knees, it's likely time to move them to a new area to help prevent parasite problems. Be sure to always select healthy stock and be observant. In conclusion, multi-species grazing may require greater thought, a little more management, and an initial facility investment, but it can lead to significant payoffs. Can you imagine moving your weed control from the expense column to the income? Before you buy, know your goals, investigate your market, and carefully weigh the benefits against any additional fencing or handling facility costs. That's all I have today. Thanks for tuning in, and we hope this episode has given you some valuable insights into the world of multi-species grazing. Come back next month for another livestock or grazing topic. Offered the third Wednesday of each month.