Understanding pasture management and supplementing grazing cattle

Managing cattle on pasture is essential to profitable beef cattle production for many operations. Forage is the primary feed­stuff for beef cattle and grazed forage is generally the least ex­pensive source of nutrients. Maximizing use of grazed forage is a top goal for beef cattle operations, but forage does not always meet the nutrient requirements of the animals. Pasture and grazing management are key to maximizing the use of grazed forage. Management practices include agronomic practices to maximize production of forage, though this will not be the topic of this paper, as well as grazing practices to maximize consumption of grazed forage by the animal. However, care must be taken not to overgraze the forage plants as that can be detrimental to future forage production. Additionally, know­ing when, what, and how much supplement to provide cattle at critical times of the production cycle allows rumen microbes to maximize fermentation of the forage material. The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the principles of grazing management and supplementing beef cattle on pasture.