What is your stocking rate per acre?

[Trinity man]

Our's is a cow per 2-3 acres and calves 1-2 acres.

 

[Anonymous]

My pasture personally is 1 cow/pair for 20 acres for about 8 months grazing- then I move them to the hay meadows and hopefully can graze until Jan. (usually unless the snow comes earlier like it did this year).... But not far away from me in the county- some of the BLM land and Breaks is closer to 30-40-50 acres per cow/pair for 6 months grazing......Some areas more than that.....

 

[PATB]

We have 130 acres of pasture that we run 65 pairs plus or minus, plus 10 to 20 bred heifers from may thru october. If the weather allows for more it is a bonus.

 

[jigs]

my two rented pastures are 125 acres, I put 30 pairs on them from may to october.

the gamma grass that I am getting ready here at home is 40 acres, and there is 20 acres od creek bottom drilled to brome. I plan on splitting the creek into two lots, and the gamma into 4 lots. all lots will be roughly 10 acres.... with rotational grazing, I believe I can run 60 -70 pairs on this acreage. the gamma will be irrigated, and they will run it from May until it goes dormant in the fall, then grub it down

 

[redrobin]

A cow to 3 or 4 acres year around. 2-3 bales of hay per cow in the winter.

 

[Red Barn Angus]

On our Flint Hills native grass we run a cow/calf pair on 7 acres for 6 months from mid April to Mid October. Usually figure about 4 acres per head for feeder cattle. If you have some brome, cool season tame grass, you can begin earlier in the year and also get some fall grazing to extend the grazing season. The brome goes dormant during the summer months. The oldtimers always say to take half the grass and leave half and your pastures will remain in top condition. Grazing dead grass here in the winter provides little more than roughage and exercise.

 

[BRG]

1 cow to 25 acres year round

 

[Doug Thorson]

I figure 1 cow per 20 acres year round, doesn't work in dry years.
Last year with all the moisture I tried 17 acres. It would have worked except for the grasshoppers. They stripped the grass and my calves paid the price.

 

[John SD]

1 cow to 25 acres year round

That would be my answer too.

 

[nortexsook]

1 pair to 12-20 acres depending on the grass. I have some planted OW Bluestem that will handle 1 pair to 10-12 acres but that (and all land here) requires protein supplement through the "winter" which I define as December 15 through March 1st.

Edited to add: We do not feed hay here. Year round grass only with supplemental protein for 2 and 1/2 months.

 

[Denny]

Here I figure 10 acres per cow per year that will cover winter hay stocks as well.

 

[burnt]

2 acres per pair per year. 5 -6 months pasture and hay for the rest of the year.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

We are at 36 to 40 acres/AU for 8 month season.

 

[hopalong]

I have two leases in Az, one is 35 per A.U. the other is 65 per,

 

[RSL]

On tame rotational we are around 75 AUGD per acre. On our native we run between 15 and 30 AUGD. Our swath grazing typically runs around 150 AUGD. We run between 100 and 150 AUGD on our hay crop most years as well.
AUGD = Animal Unit Grazing Day 30 AUGD = 1 AUM

 

[HAY MAKER]

16 per AU average and that is debatable,weather really determines pasture carrying capacity .
good luck

 

[Justin]

ask my neighbors and they'll say 25 acres per cow per year. i'm running about one cow per 15 acres and i think this country is capable of doing better than that with the right management, but i'm not there yet.

 

[PureCountry]

Used to be 20 acres per AU year around, maybe more some years. With 8 years of bale grazing, planned rotational grazing(Holistic Management), and soil management, we've increased soil organic matter and seen the corresponding improvement in "stocking rate". We are now around 12-15 acres per AU and getting better.

That includes stockpiling 20-40% of our total pasture acres every year for winter grazing, growing swath grazing some years and never baling any hay. We have bought it in and fed bales to horses, herd bulls and charity cases at times. All that said, here we are in the midst of a winter that sees us scrambling to find feed, and struggling to get it out to the stock through 3-4' of snow.

All the while, there is 6 quarter sections of untouched pasture under that snow, and another 5 quarters that were untouched from June 10th on. Do I feel like a heel for not putting up some hay this year? Yes. Would I have, if we had equipment to do so? Yes. Do I regret not having equipment on a year like this? Yes, and I keep telling myself this will only be 1 year in 10. That notion and a Captain Morgan potion will hopefully be enough to get me through to spring with my mind intact. :wink:

Off to plow more snow with the neighbour's tractor to get ready for bale grazing. Have a great day all. :wink:

 

[leanin' H]

Between 1000 and 1500 acres per cow from May til November. The desert provides but it takes some country to do it.

 

[N.AZRancher]

We range from 6-9 cows per section. That is grazing year round and almost never dropping a flake of hay.