In addition, Sexten says dragging pastures also helps reduce selective grazing by minimizing the areas that are left ungrazed due to livestock avoiding grazing near manure piles. Because manure is such an important fertilizer source, dragging pastures can help evenly disperse those nutrients throughout the pasture. Unlike cutting fields for hay, Austin Sexten, a master grazer coordinator at the University of Kentucky, points out that when animals graze, more than 80 percent of the plant nutrients are returned to the soil through the deposition of manure and urine. If you are looking at implementing this practice, or if you are contemplating whether or not you should remove it from your management, Williamson strongly encourages you to look at the benefits and determine if they are worth the cost on your operation. The actual research on the effectiveness and the economics behind dragging pastures is limited to say the least. In a managed grazing system, the nutrients from manure will already be distributed more evenly than in a continuous system.” “It all just depends on your operation, production goals, stocking rates, cost of fuel and the amount of time it takes you away from your other spring ‘to-dos.’ If you have a continuous grazing system, I would venture to say that dragging is going to fit your operation better than in some rotational or more intensively managed grazing systems. “Dragging pasture is one of those ‘it depends’ practices,” explains Jessica Williamson, a forage crop specialist at Pennsylvania State University. It is important to consider the benefits and costs involved in any proposed method.Silage inoculants: Are they worth the money? Using methods to increase uniform grazing and manure distribution is vital to maximize forage production and quality. The best way to achieve these goals may be to adjust stocking rate and time spent in paddocks. The cost of machinery use and fuel as well as the time and labor needed may be more than the benefits of utilizing these methods. Using methods such as mowing and dragging pastures may increase utilization and forage quality although, the expense involved may not be practical economically. Under intensive rotational grazing systems when relatively large numbers of animals are placed in small paddocks for short periods of time, little or no mowing may be needed. Mowing off weed seed heads or keeping weeds from going to seed will decrease weed problems. Keeping plants in a vegetative state not only maximizes forage quality but also keep plants at the highest growth rate which will increase total annual yield. As plants mature to a reproductive stage, they become less palatable to livestock and forage quality quickly decreases. Mowing pastures is a method used to keep forages in a vegetative state, to promote growth, and to control weeds. Dragging pastures also reduces selective grazing by reducing areas that are left un-grazed due to livestock avoiding grazing near manure piles. This benefit is not realized in the early spring or fall when temperatures are cooler. This practice also helps reduce internal parasites by exposing the parasite eggs and larvae in the manure to the sun and heat. Because manure is an important fertilizer source, dragging fields allows for a more even distribution of nutrients. These spots are often concentrated in certain areas and not uniformly dispersed. In comparison to cutting fields for hay, one benefit of grazing is when animals are grazing, more than 80 percent of the plant nutrients are returned to the soil through deposition of manure and urine. Many producers drag pastures to spread manure. Although these practices are useful agronomically, they may not be practical economically. Dragging and mowing pastures are two methods that are often used to attempt to increase forage production and soil fertility. Feeding costs are the greatest expense for livestock producers.
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