Transitioning from conventional continuous grazing to planned rest-rotation grazing: A beef cattle case study from central Texas

Debate on the superiority of rotational or continuous grazing continues, but proponents each call for additional research to enhance management decisions. The short-term impact transitioning from an alternative system is not well understood even though transition can require substantial changes in infrastructure and decisions related forage availability, duration livestock movement, planting, supplemental feeding. objective this five-year case study a humid, subtropical environment was evaluate real-world challenges opportunities beef cattle operations conventional planned rest-rotation system. experimental data observations (i.e., production, diet quality, response, economics, soil health) showcased that under had potential increased annual improved health (on cultivated grazed paddocks with multispecies crops, grassland), reduced costs; however, produced higher body condition scores cows revenue. Average profits (~US$5.32 ac−1 [US$2.15 ha−1]) were similar both systems considering all economic factors. Key lessons learned faced include difficulty no-till establishment cool-season importance adequate fertilization crops dietary supplementation cold season.