Programming Bale Grazing 2020-2021

Bale Grazing is a winter feeding practice originally developed in the western Canadian provinces and portions of the northern US.  Done correctly, it can reduce equipment and labor (no tractor is required for feeding) and dramatically increase pasture fertility.  However, it had to be adapted to work well in the Upper South as our soils aren’t frozen over for months at a time during winter.  I started bale grazing on one of my personal farms nine years ago to figure out it can be adopted here, and have been working with other farms to help them implement bale grazing the last five years.  

In 2018 I obtained a small grant to start on-farm demonstrations related to bale grazing (SARE On-Farm Research Grant, $12K), and have been able to leverage it with five demonstration farms in Kentucky, one in Missouri, and two in Virginia.  I’m now in collaboration with a soil ecologist many claim is the best in the country (Alan Franzluebbers USDA-ARS and NCSU) who is analyzing duplicate soil samples at no cost at his laboratory in NC (he is interested with the potential changes in soil biological activity due to bale grazing).  I have worked closely with the current ANR agent in Anderson County (Alex Butler) as well as the retired ANR agent (Tommy Yankey) who was retained on this grant.

The seed grant also led to a multi-state NRCS $2.6 million grant proposal that I was the PI on in spring 2020.  We did not get funding that year, but strengthened our proposal applied again this June for $2.9 million.  As part of the strategy for getting the grant in 2021, I led a bale grazing tour with the NRCS Chief Conservationist in Kentucky along with his key state-level personnel this February, as well as presented at the NRCS monthly national webinar on bale grazing in April 2021.  

There has been increasing interest the last two years from other states to both help them start bale grazing with on-farm demonstrations, as well as present at state-level extension meetings in these states.  I had two out-of-state presentations and four regional / national-level webinars on bale grazing in 2020-21.  I’m also working with Purdue and Virginia Tech to implement bale grazing on their research farms (also Kentucky State University in KY).

Through these on-farm research and experiences, I have turned this into one of my signature extension programs.  In 2020-21, I had 24 farm visits to help guide on-farm implementation. I had fewer extension presentations on bale grazing given the pandemic, but the four regional / national level webinars had more reach.  As an indication of program impact, at the AgrEcon Cow-Calf Profitability Online Conferences held in March 2021, my bale grazing presentation had the highest rating (4.6 out of 5) our of seven presentations, and that was with some other incredibly good presentations and presenters.  

Below are qualitative indication of program impact at two of the other webinars: 

National-Level NRCS Webinar in April 2021: 

“I’ve watched, re-watched, and read the transcripts on that Bale Grazing webinar several times now...  we are trying to put it into practice!”

Connecticut NRCS State Grazing Specialist, Jim Hyde

“Rockstar presentation Greg!  Let's connect later this week”

EPA SE Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist, Bryan Hummel:

Virginia Forage and Grassland Council Webinar Broadcast to a National Audience in January 2021: 

"I had an opportunity to listen to the VFGC virtual conference a few weeks ago. Excellent presentations!!"

Tennessee NRCS State Grazing Specialist, Tammy Swihart

“I participated in the recent virtual conference and found your presentations to be interesting and thought provoking. I retired from NRCS and always thought the construction of hay feeding sheds and most of the pads were ineffective for a number of reasons. Probably just a little less effective than the miles of fence and waterlines installed where the gates are never closed.”

Retired NRCS, Michael Hall

A film crew from VFGC came to my farm last October to produce a video that was used as an advertisement for the webinar and in the future for educational purposes.  It can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/TLjGFP5EBds