Increased Grazing Rates Lead to Decline in Forage, Potential Winter Shortage.
Short-duration grazing was tested to see if it could support more animals without reducing the amount of grass available. Different stocking rates were tried in a grazing system with eight pastures. The study found that as stocking rates increased, the amount of grass available decreased. However, the decrease was not as much as expected during the growing season. By fall, the amount of grass was directly related to the stocking rate, meaning more animals led to less grass. This suggests that at higher stocking rates, there may not be enough grass for the animals in the winter.