Forage Management

1. Do you monitor (either measure, photograph, map or write down) the abundance of desired grasses and forbs (broadleaf plants) on your ranch(s)?

2. Do you use grazing practices that allow beneficial non-forage plants (e.g., oaks, wildflowers) to regenerate?

3. Do you leave an appropriate amount of last year’s forage (Residual Dry Matter, aka RDM) to protect new grass from frost, heat, and moisture loss?

4. Do you use managed grazing practices to control the density, timing, and intensity of grazing to reduce negative impacts on forage?

5. Do you use practices such as herding, interior fencing, or strategic location of water troughs and supplements to improve the distribution of grazing across your operation?

6a. In an annual grass system, do you leave enough plants after grazing that can mature and produce seeds for the next year’s forage growth?

6b. In a perennial grass system, do you leave enough recovery time after grazing for your plants to recover?

7. Do you maintain the proper stocking capacity for your ranch in order to avoid impacts that are detrimental to conserving your rangeland?

8. Do you know how to avoid grazing impacts (such as overgrazing) that are detrimental to conserving your rangeland?

9. Do you use range improvement practices such as prescribed burning, seeding, fertilization, brush control, or herbicide application to maintain or improve rangelands?

10. Do you maintain and budget for ranch infrastructure that can support successful forage management (such as fences, roads, water troughs, etc.)?