Backes Lake Subwatershed Prescribed Grazing

A Stearns County beef farmer requested technical and financial assistance to improve his existing grazing system by grazing annual forages and cover crops on crop land. A Conservation Planner from the Stearns Conservation District developed a prescribed grazing plan for their 20 cow/calf pairs. The plan included additional grazing on wooded pasture, warm season pasture, cool season pasture, interseeded pasture/hay fields, and annual forage from cover crops as well as crop residues. To accomplish this, several supporting practices were needed including perimeter fencing around cropland, watering facilities, heavy use protection areas, livestock pipeline, pasture planting, and a trail and walkway through a wet area to facilitate cattle access to crop land.  

Financial assistance was provided through the All Acres For Our Water Program (AAFOW) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for prescribed grazing and annual forage grazing, as well as 75% cost share for the supporting grazing practices. 

The trail and walkway will give this landowner’s cattle access to cropland which will allow them to add hay to the crop rotation and more cover crops for grazing. Integrating livestock to the cropping system is one of the soil health principles and the landowner is looking forward to the long-term improvements in soil organic matter, water infiltration, reduce soil erosion and compaction, and overall soil health improvements. 

A 59.5 tons/acre/year reduction in sediment loss is estimated from the implementation of all these practices.   

Components:

• Prescribed Grazing

• Annual Forage Grazing

• Pasture Planting

• Fence

• Watering Facility

• Livestock Pipeline

• Heavy Use Protection Area

• Trails and Walkways

Benefits:

• Reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss by adding perennials and cover crops that will be grazed to the crop rotation

Pollution Reduction Estimates:

• Sediment: 59.5 tons/acre

Partners on this project included the Stearns Conservation District, All Acres for Our Water, and the Nature Conservancy.