January Pasture Management at Big Rock

We drag the pastures to break apart manure and evenly disperse it across the grass. This is full of minerals and organisms vital for healthy pastures

Dragging the North Pasture

Dragging pastures on a beautiful January day, very typical weather for January here... The summer before the record-breaking February snowstorm.

The minerals, organisms, and organic fiber matter of manure will slowly breakdown and seep into the soil and pasture roots where it will be put to use as wonderful fertilizer for the grasses and legumes growing in our north pasture. This is part of the beautiful, symbiotic relationship of flora and fauna in the natural world’s lifecycle.

Some hard-core Regenerative folks would say this is too early to drag, that all the good stuff in the manure will be washed right through the dormant pasture roots but I think that's taking a pretty black and white perspective. Last year I was fretting about not disturbing any of the manure until springtime. Delaying work that would be hard-pressed to get done during the busier and sometimes more volatile spring months.

It is silly to be so harsh and to have such a stark view. It is also rather stressful to hold oneself to such a high moral standard. Every area is different, with varying needs at varying times. We can try to simplify the actual for easier personal perception but in reality, very little is so cut and dry.

So, on this fine January day, we take to the pasture to get the first drag of the year in for many reasons and we disparage not over the perfect timing of one small but mighty act.

High Desert Pasture Traits

We get so little precipitation that we'll be hard-pressed to get enough to really even break down what manure we've drug today. When a plant goes dormant in the Fall, its roots aren’t taking up nutrients in the soil. This is why leaving manure intact until the spring rains can be incredible fertilizer. Store it until the plant is woke, the roots are thirsty, and the rain is ready to wash the nutrients right into their thirsty little suckers.

We don’t always have wet springs so this isn’t an option we can plan on. Many regenerative farms are in areas that can expect inches of rain week after week. It is easy to imagine the root system getting saturated and a loss of nutrients occurring in a wetter climate. We don’t get that. Our average rainfall is 10 inches for the ENTIRE year, the nation’s average is nearly four times that. Also, there are some plants that aren't in full dormancy year-round here that can take advantage and be good early season forage thanks to the manure fertilizer.

Livestock pack the earth so tightly and the desert is so dry that water penetration is not automatic here. Having a nice layer of extra organic matter to catch and hold onto every last drop of precipitation will be incredibly valuable!

Pasture Management Equals Animal Health

The most valuable kicker for us is probably this last bonus.

We have hardly had any really quality HARD frosts. Breaking up the manure will expose parasites to light, oxygen, and cold which will help end their life cycles. When the cows come back to this pasture, after a nice rest, they won't be exposed to as high of a parasite load as they could which will result in

This is one of those, get it done jobs, and don't succumb to analysis paralysis!

Also, there will ALWAYS be MORE manure. Like ALWAYS.