Knowledgebase

Rotational Grazing #877844

Asked July 18, 2024, 7:12 PM EDT

My husband and I just purchased some land in Eddyville Oregon. We have 2.5 acres that is our pasture space. We have 1 cow and 1 steer. We are going to butcher our steer. Our goal is healthy soil, healthy pastures, and mostly healthy and happy cattle. We also have chickens and have been looking into multi-species rotational grazing. Long story, but my question ideally is how often should we rotate? How big should paddocks be for the size of our small farm? We are looking for any and all information we can get. Thank you so much!

Lincoln County Oregon

Expert Response


Hi Aimee,

Welcome to Lincoln County! I’m Evie Smith, the Small Farms Extension Agent with OSU in Lincoln County.

Our publication Introduction to Pasture and Grazing Management in Western Oregon contains a lot of information about how to manage healthy soils, pastures, and livestock, and will be a good starting point for you as you’re thinking about management for your small farm.

There are a number of different ways to set up a rotational grazing system, so the answers to your questions about paddock size and rotation frequency will depend on your management goals for your pasture as well as the productivity of your pasture. I think would be easiest for us to set up a phone call to chat about your pasture– feel free to email me at <personal data hidden>, and we can find a time to talk!

On another note, as it sounds like you’re new to farming in our area, I wanted to let you know about two resources I have available for farmers in Lincoln County in case you’re interested- \

  • Newsletter- I and my colleagues on the north coast send out a monthly newsletter for coastal small farmers. It contains information about upcoming workshops and educational events, funding opportunities, and other resources relevant to coastal farmers. You can find previous issues at our site for coastal small farmers. If you’d like to sign up to receive it (it goes out once a month via email), you can do that here: http://eepurl.com/hQwvvj

  • Network for farmers in Lincoln County- I facilitate a network for farmers in Lincoln County via a listserv (email group). The listserv is used to share timely, relevant resources and updates with the Small Farms community in Lincoln County. Farmers in our area also use it to connect with each other (to sell equipment, share information, etc). If you’re interested in signing up for that, you can do that here: https://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/lcsmallfarmnews/


Looking forward to talking more soon!

Best,

Evie Smith

Small Farms & Community Horticulture Extension Agent

OSU Extension-Lincoln County



An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 25, 2024, 11:33 AM EDT

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