Mob Grazing vs. Open Field Grazing: Our Farm's Experiences

We have tried just about every grazing method under the sun: open field grazing, strip grazing, mob grazing, rotational grazing, and the cut-wilt-graze system. Lets take a walk around the fields with the cattle and look at the pros & cons of each. This year, we've been experimenting with a custom type of open field grazing with our 35 head Dexter cattle herd. How does it compare to mob grazing? Which works better for a small farm? I was surprised at the results!
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[@frankdantonio2479]

Morning chores done, coffee brewed, wood stove stoked. Better sit down and watch Pete do the same thing!

[@robreesor5011]

Always more fun watchin someone else do the work...until ya realize you still gotta go do your work😅

[@williamharn9048]

The simple life is the good life!

[@inqwit1]

The lush green fields with the fall color backdrop is brilliantly gorgeous. I know you were sharing about grass and stuff, and that's important, especially to those who watch with an eye toward a possible future for them. For me, it's a trip to a time I will not experience personally and I greatly value this time you share with us.

[@jaybreeden8388]

Lori, I long to be a farmer too...but at 63 now I feel like the time has passed me by. I love morning chores with Pete...and working on tractors.

[@faithkayes3376]

@@jaybreeden8388 Time has not passed you by! I bought my little farm at age 60 😳 and am now a single old lady farmer with a cow, sheep, chickens, garden and grow almost all my own food. Go for it!

[@jaybreeden8388]

@@faithkayes3376 Thank you for the encouraging words! Being named Faith makes it all possible, I am sure. 👩‍🌾 We are looking for a suitable place to land with adequate room for gardening and a few animals. One day our dream will become reality...I have Faith! 👨‍🌾

[@omarfarooq447]

No work jop Italia help me work

[@omarfarooq447]

@@faithkayes3376 You are from

[@wendyjennings1502]

This video should be bound into a text book. Im gonna take notes and replay this often. Fantastic pastures. Fantastic information. You are such a leader in this industry. Thank you!

[@MinnTee]

I'm the farthest thing from a cattle farmer you could get, other than I live rurally, but I loved listening to this. Very interesting and you presented it concisely and informative. Have a great day!

[@camicri4263]

😀 you are not the only one!

[@C.Hawkshaw]

There’s also a system called MIG, Managed Intensive Grazing. It does get much higher yeilds than mob grazing but it takes a certain amount of people per cows who do nothing but take the science of soil fertility, grasses, and grazing, and turn grazing into an art. I’ve never seen it done except on farms that have at most two operations: cattle and sheep. Most graze only cattle. It’s completely understandable that on a multi-species farm, with cattle, chickens, turkeys, vegetables, fruit, etc., that there aren’t enough hours to dedicate to special grazing systems.

[@randymitchell8424]

I like Dr. Allen Williams term "adaptive grazing". You hit the nail on the head. Every farm is different and every situation is different. I graze between 60 and 70 head of angus cross with a rest period of between around 15 days early in the season to around 60 days late summer. Usually 1- 2 day moves. Its working well for me, and that's the thing. Find what you feel is best for your situation.

[@Kristian_Saile]

I like how you are considering stress to the herd… and farmer as well, as I think quality of life is key in livestock. I would have to imagine all things being equal, a herd with lower cumulative level of stress, on essentially the same forage will yield healthier animals and a better quality end product. It also seems to better fit the way that the cattle prefer to live, a bit more space to roam around and express their natural tendencies. I find it really interesting that there ended up being a net benefit to the pastures and definitely your quality of life it sounds like too. 👍

[@wendyjennings1502]

I love how less stress on the cattle was repeatedly mentioned! This farm is blessed im many ways.

[@Stratboy999]

Less is definitely more. Less stress, less labour, less disruption. Really digging your videos I think I have watched 30+ in the last week or so.

[@bay9876]

Thanks, Pete for the breakdown of stat data applied to real farming. An honest appraisal of successes and failures leading toward the holy grail of the balanced farm.

[@PatricesProjects]

Considering the low rainfall during the summer, your pastures held up amazingly. The lush growth from the fall rains is so dense. Thank you for sharing all of this information on the various systems that you have tried on your farm. Also for mentioning that the area that a person farms in will determine what type of methods will work best for them.

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

It's called management and having a drought plan. He does a nice job. I don't agree with everything he does but he only has so many hours in day.

[@dirtroadfarm.4024]

Always a great day when you upload.

[@elmerfud44]

Wow Pete you did all that talking without a drink. My ears are ringing and i myself need a drink. Keep up the great content. Something for everyone. Absolutely brilliant 👏

[@hschultz123]

A truly intelligent, openminded and articulate analysis of grazing for your farm. And well paced with just the right amount of speculation. Very enjoyable to watch. Maybe your best video. Thanks

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks Howard.

[@stevensaxon8888]

@@JustaFewAcresFarm what name brand of hooded jacket are you wearing?

[@big-d7756]

I've watched this video a couple times over the past couple months. I'm new to grazing cattle. We're very small and I've been doing a lot of similar things this year. I keep getting new information and options on this video every time I watch it. Like layers in a cake. Thanks.

[@liamg2063]

Good afternoon Pete thanks for uploading this, my day hasn’t been the best I have a stomach ache and when you upload it always makes my day better and since you uploaded it is already making my day better. Thanks Pete!!

[@davidf.7782]

You made my day!!! Able to watch some livestock!!!

[@chakra4735]

Building soil organic matter takes a long time. That's an overlooked insight. One percentage point of organic matter on an acre is 20,000 pounds. Since soil organic matter is 5 percent nitrogen, building one percentage point of soil organic matter requires 1000 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Building soil organic matter takes a long time. Adding carbon to soil is the easy part. Adding nitrogen is a bigger challenge. Keep explaining things, Pete!

[@charliepinger3246]

You always remind me of my grandfather, he used to own a farm like yours except he didn't own chickens and raised angus cows instead. Your mannerisms and the way you talk remind me of him and you remind me of his care for the animals. I'm going hunting with him this winter and he is still going on strong. Tt was sad when he sold the farm, my parents didn't want the farm, so it went to someone else. This is why I hate factory farms and when I have enough money, I think I'm going to start my own. Your videos make me happy and help me relive memories from when I was a kid. It's nice to see your farm above water and I hope it's going well.

[@karenw9996]

Nice that, after having to feed hay for a while over summer, you now get to "make that up" by grazing later this fall. The grasses look fantastic! I hope this keeps working for you - less work with a better outcome is what everyone works toward.

[@graysonsfarminglifeaustral2778]

Hi Pete, I 'am from Australia Queensland and ever nice i watched your videos about mob grazing i can see a big change in pasture health Thanks mate for the great videos.👍🦘

[@lizhaydon2250]

Work smarter not harder. You have it nailed this year.

[@pacomaciasarrate6809]

A very enjoyable video from an actual farmer. It's never crossed my mind that this man is trying to sell anyone a method/book/classes, and that allows for the sincerest enjoyment of the videos.

[@marka6719]

Yes Pete. We got to do what works in our area and set up. Just because (insert experts name here) does it one way doesn’t mean it’ll work on our farms. Thank You for sharing buddy.

[@Winterascent]

The best part was at 25:02 Love it.

[@miguelavelasquez8056]

Always good to see you work with your animals pete

[@pdrphil8159]

I watch a yt farmer in S Dakota & they have hundreds of acres & hundreds of cattle.. He uses feedlots in fhe winter , but they graze their cattle on grass through the summer . But his rotation methods allows him to cut hay from alternate fields year to year.. In the fall , he turns them out on corn stubble . This extends his feeding time & allows his hay/pasture to recover before winter sets in.. Then come spring he can turn his cattle out earlier because the grass didnt go dormant cropped to the ground. He also spreads tons of manure on the fields that need it the most . His feed lots are partially concrete , so he captures the manure & composts it. His area is much more arid , but the soil is black . As I understand it , glaciers & enormous roaming buffalo herds greatly benefited the soil.

[@robingivens8276]

Your fields do look amazing! You have obviously done your homework.Appreciate the sharing.

[@dwighthires3163]

Great to hear your impressions on how things worked out this year. I am so happy that it worked so well especially after watching the tension near the end of first cutting where hay needed to be given to get thru that dry spell. I have been listening attentively to the mob grazing folks so much that I could not imagine another system working better than the mob grazing model. Glad to see that it is not just a one method only that can treat land with dignity and protect against soil depletion thru organic methods. If we are to win over more farmers to greater land care, we will need multiple good answers. Thank you for being part of the solution.

[@Dan-qy1rg]

They sure do like to let us farmers know that things aren't exactly what they want, a change is at hand for them, mine are like yours. I didn't do all of those, the mob grazing wasn't something I wanted to try, at least at this point. I like you started with open field grazing and tried the strip and modified small paddocks like a pin wheel grazing. I went back to open field with a central water source with two small fields and two larger ones, less work and more beneficial grass growth and less compaction. Great video, liked it a lot, thanks for the findings, have a nice day and week ahead.

[@ethanford4402]

Thank you Pete for the look behind the curtain on the thought process needed to run a farm. It really helps eliminate the stereotype of the "dumb" farmer by showing all the math and logistics required to make a farm successful.

[@wd9dau]

Love my shirt! My grandson recognized it. Because I told him about your videos.

[@bryanwoodward1822]

You hit the nail on the head with your comments, the way you're doing it now is less stress on the cows and yourself and less work. And the condition of the grass is great. I'm impressed with your ability to analyze and problem-solve along with your great practical and mechanical skills. That's a rarity these days. I live in Japan and far from the farm life but love watching your videos which are more interesting than most of the crap on the news and the internet.

[@lanettelewis8647]

I love how Titus said “Moo” when you greeted him at the beginning of the video. He’s so beautiful!

[@joebuchanan3808]

Just love your videos. As a former FFA member, I had a Hereford cow & calf as a project and I would record the time on pasture and on feed. We used ground corn and hay to supplement their diet. Back then (early 60's) and even now, everyone wanted corn fed beef. I learned later that the quality of the meat and the health of the animal go hand in hand. If we'd had the acreage to do so, we'd have pastured a lot more...Keep up the good work Pete and we'll all follow along.

[@mariayelruh]

Having tried various systems and various stocking density you now have a wealth of information going forward to make decisions. Sounds like a wealth of education you've gotten over the years.

[@karlbogrand1239]

This is what I needed to hear what an awesome share of knowledge

[@VhudziJena]

Don't have a single cow but this channel is always fascinating

[@TheKat1959]

Green as a Southerner, I am use to seeing. Change of Colours has me mesmerized indeed. We usually only have this splendor via print, newscast, documentaries or the videos on KZbin. I promise I am listening Pete. Uh, there’s not a quiz at end? 👍🐂👏 🌎❤️😊

[@choirmom78]

Thankful that we're back to seeing the animals. I don't mind the mechanics once in a while but I'm an old woman and would never touch a motor. Thanks for the good videos whatever you show.

[@pamelamercado6902]

Do what's right for the animals and yourself is the best. I don't think following everyone else is always the best way to do things if so there would be no need to learn or try new ways. Those trees in the background are gorgeous considering I'm in the desert there's not a tree like them here I'd love to have that luscious grass.

[@anthonyhengst2908]

I think all depends on what works for you. All my 55 years of life we always mob grazed our 45 cows until the end of October and sometimes into November on about 40 acres pasture land. It's what seems to work best for us. By the way, there's a new tower so I won't have to sit in the field on a hill behind the barn anymore. I can visit you in the northeast corner of the house on the second floor. ☺️🎉

[@joshk.6246]

Awesome, access to good broadband is rough in many rural areas. Maybe someday you will get Fiber.

[@Kristian_Saile]

We had been experiencing this on our farm in northern Michigan and recently got Star Link, wow, did that make things easier!

[@anthonyhengst2908]

@@Kristian_Saile I'm in Northern Wisconsin.... It's being talked about but nothing has come to fruition in Taylor County that I am aware of just yet.

[@joshk.6246]

If you have a local or rural Broadband Provider, I hope residents are pushing them to apply for every grant and planning Fiber. I work for my local co-op and have a bitbof passion on it, the difference it can make in just not wasting time is amazing but also opens up remote work and can bring people back to their small towns.

[@tonyshaw7420]

Pete is just a brilliant farmer. I wish our farmers market had people like him. ❤️🇨🇦

[@lawrenceb.3349]

Pete, you're a model of responsible stewardship, and the cattle seem to appreciate it.

[@sgrvtl7183]

Pete’s cattle LOVE Pete! 💜

[@KathyAllensworth]

You what they say about opinions....You have obviously given a huge amount of time and thought to your grazing method and are going to do what works best for you. It's your farm, your hard work and your livelihood. Keep On!

[@BigBucks191]

Great video. Your humility and transparency are greatly appreciated. I learned a lot.

[@karenparr4312]

Look at all the beautiful Fall foliage behind you !! My favorite time of the year. Love time with the animals and your info on them.

[@coracobb3917]

Always love your videos no matter what the topic but must admit I understand the tractor rebuild better that field utilization. Still a very informative video. Love seeing the cows.

[@HisWayHomestead]

love seeing the cows Pete!!! thanks for sharing

[@richardwilkens4577]

I have between 12 to25 cows and I have 10 acres split into 2 5 acres pastures and I rotate them once a week and have been doing that for 3 years and it's worked real well

[@lawrencecaile]

Pete I thoroughly enjoy everything you put out, I've no intensions of being a farmer seems like to much hard work, thanks for your output.

[@delprice3007]

A full explanation of why I see civilization when admiring a well managed hayfield. Thanks Pete!

[@christinalemke6780]

Omg I love that I found this channel. My grandparents lived in Lansing my whole life joe and Della Joseph. I’m Christina “Chrissy” Joseph. To see someone to do this from that little community is absolutely great.

[@christinalemke6780]

Absolutely ❤️🥰

[@christinalemke6780]

Also my grandfather is Joe ‘Ditty’ Joseph each year the fire department gives a scholarship out in his name.

[@laurielacomb2765]

I’ve never seen cattle love their human like yours love you!

[@FloridaJack]

Well, from my recliner, I say; have seen all of the videos and regardless of what you do, I'm gonna watch. Your tendencies are calculated, mulled over, measured, weighed and acted on. Seems to be a wise man's path.

[@bmanferlife]

You are a very wise man! Far wiser than any of us 🤘🏿

[@geekbabe100]

The Fall trees are gorgeous ❤

[@marcycibu8277]

Your property is GORGEOUS right now!

[@stillwatersfarm8499]

I have goats. I only have one pasture. I just turn them out for a few hours then bring them back in to dry lot. Goats like tall grass. In the spring when it is very lush we only give them an hour. Then we slowly increase the time. Here in Indiana the grass grows faster than they can keep up with through the spring, so they have a lot of forage to work through during the drier days. Around mid-July it needs a rest, and that corresponds with the county fair, so we keep them in for a couple weeks. Then they can graze a few hours a day through the fall as long as we get some rain. I have about 45 head on an acre and a half. We also feed hay that we cut on 3-4 acres. We would like to have more grazing land, but this has worked fine, and the land is in good shape. We graze our bucks in our horse pasture and they take care of the imbalances that horses inevitably create.

[@nicklewis7291]

Maybe you should try that same method next year and compare the 2 years. I'm all about less labor and less stress. Low maintenance when possible.

[@danschneider7369]

You make all this information SO darn interesting Pete. You are a natural born teacher....with a darn good sense of humor, I might add!

[@terryhayes54]

Good morning Pete

[@RatdogDRB]

I think in all walks of life, there are those who thrive on dreaming up "busy work" for others, and they're just not happy unless they're trying to make someone else feel they need to work harder. I've always ascribed to the theme of working smarter, not harder. And, a LOT of it boils down to one thing. Common sense. If what you do makes sense, do that. You're a good steward of your animals Pete, and you have a wonderful help meet in Hilarie. You're a blessed man.

[@mcchupka9718]

Thanks Pete, but to be candid, this makes me think twice about the effort I can sustain versus the size of my herd for the pasture I have available. The science you speak of makes my head hurt.

[@terripackard9292]

Your trees in their fall colors are gorgeous!

[@hipsterdoofus52]

I agree 100% with your current grazing philosophy. Growing up, we did all of what you expanded on in this video. Less stress, I have found, is a wonderful thing for cattle. The extra time you have to do other things on the farm and with your family is great. Keep it simple is my thoughts on a lot of this kind of thing. God bless Pete and keep on keepin on.

[@jamesrobinson9304]

Hi Pete, It makes sense to me.. Less stress has got to be good for the cows, you and Hillary and also the pastures. Keep up the good work.

[@joeb6864]

Pete, Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate content like this from you. Sharing your thoughts, rationale and personal experience (as well as describing the cattle's experience) is very helpful. I’m a first-gen, small acreage cattle rancher/farmer on a similar journey to yours albeit about a decade behind you. Lots of good feedback and information in what you shared today that will help us improve our operation. Our experience with open field grazing was a bit more informal than yours this year. But like you, I did notice positive results over alternatives (in our application) and I think that’s how we’re going to run for the next couple years.

[@Tom-Carraher-Fla]

Very informative Pete,yes.

[@anthonydolezal6627]

Thanks Pete for the info. It proves what works on your farm works for you and what works on someone else's farm works for them. It's all good. We work with what we have. Time and labor are limited. Have a safe fall. Keep Smilin!!!!

[@lynnclark3495]

Good morning Pete.

[@danw6014]

Mob grazing is a lot of work. I run Suffolk sheep on this pasture system. I can maintain my ewes and in the early part of summer, the lambs. I have to have the next paddock set up or they jumb the fences. I use polynet fencing. I think they figured out the fence isn't hot during the time I move them. I'm only using an acre and a half for 30 head of ewes. I find the ewes eat more evenly in the small paddocks including eating weed they may pass by otherwise. They strip the burdock which is one thing you don't want in sheep pasture. As time goes by I plan to breed out the Suffolks in favor of a white face breed like Romneys that have higher quality wool and requires less if any grain.

[@krystynahincman6873]

Pete - my husband and I don’t agree much on what we watch on tv. We both look forward seeing what you and Hillary are up to. We have a small veggie garden, and have had backyard chickens - it is so amazing to see how passionate and thoughtful your family is about what you do. I personally really love the relationship you have with your animals. My husband often calls our two golden retrieves into the house by calling “Come on cows!” - and it makes us both smile. Thanks for all you do ❤

[@CountryViewAcres]

Another video packed full of good information. 👍

[@DocTheElder]

Evan, I truly respect how you receive mentoring from Pete and how you let us know about Pete. I enjoy both your channel and Pete's tremendously as you continue to adapt and innovate with similar farm sizes with different goals and purposes, while sharing similar visions.

[@bonniedunkin-brady9358]

Good morning. I just love love love your videos. You are so down to earth and the videos remind me of how I grew up.

[@XYuneeX99]

when you found the nice cow pattie and were so satisfied with it, that was funny! I really enjoy seeing you with the cattle. They like you, and you obviously care a lot about them feeling well. It´s great that this year´s experience has been so well and that the cows feel great with the now old method! :)

[@GOCA_YORUK]

Hello, I'm watching you from Turkey, the animals are very nice, you take good care of them, I wish you success. 😊🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

[@simbonay]

Really enjoying your videos. We take a similar approach to our grazing. I have found the most important consideration is recovery time. Ensuring cattle are kept off our recovering paddocks until our pasture is fully recovered. When I have more available time, we decrease the size of the paddocks and move stock more regularly.

[@joerodrigues3816]

Great to see you back mate thanks and all the best wishes to you and your family Joe

[@tommys_trucks_trains_tractors]

My fields are small early 19th century and surrounded by stone walls so my only real option is to rotate fields . I sometimes run a hot wire to create a lane, but it’s mostly a herding job down and back morning and night. I counted 9 pastures on about 30 acres of fields. Like you, it’s kind of a trial and error until you find something that works. My fields were grown over 10 years ago and I mostly used the mow method, but some places, I plowed and harrowed under them out down a hood pasture mix. Thank You Pete

[@StewartFarmApiary]

This is great. I have been struggling with mob grazing with my sheep. I agree about the stress levels of the animals and the farmer. many times I would get home late from work and up moving sheep with a headlamp on and it is stressful. Drought didn't help either. Thanks again.

[@jamielandis4606]

I’ve never seen your cattle so quiet. Your land is gorgeous right now.

[@Ralph94967]

If the grounds dry open grazing is the way forwards If needed you can top one section while they graze the other. Keeps the young grass coming through

[@StinkyPony34]

Great info Pete! Hope you have a great day too

[@dvatp]

I really like the way you edit your videos, particularly ones with lots of technical information. The short interludes chatting with the cattle are a nice "breather" and make the video move along well. Good job editing!

[@louisel.sinniger2057]

I absolutely agree with your current approach. You are allowing natural flow, considering the stress on the animals! Managing the land. I really enjoy your talks of explanation and willingness to experiment and tract everything. To me that is paramount to raising healthy cattle and therefore reduces your stress as a farmer. You are just so sensible. You guys are a joy to watch. Thank you very much

[@MAM-cy3yy]

Pete you're a great example of work smarter, not harder.

[@dlmsarge8329]

I'm a city guy in my 50s. I've never owned livestock and never will, but I sure enjoy your videos about farm life and your market days too!!

[@ryangrider9607]

There’s no way to know for sure but the very reason you have such nice grass and clover coverage with little to no weeds may be a result of the three years of cut, wilt, graze. For as much work as it is, it does seem like the single best way to absolutely get a handle on weeds!

[@lesotwell3561]

Proof is right there. Those pastures look amazing

[@billroberts3864]

Pete, thanks for your thoughts on stress reduction, field grazing and cow patties which all combine to make another great video.

[@faithkayes3376]

So useful!!! I graze one jersey cow and about 10 sheep on my small farm. Only have time to move them once a week, and was feeling guilty about not moving them every day 😂 Haven't been clipping the overmature "leftovers," but after watching your video will start doing that. Thanks!

[@regjames1839]

Pete, your farm looks terrific mate our grass out here never seems match the colour of yours whatever your doing mate keep at it, your stock are always in prime condition, thanks again for a well thought out and explanatory video Down under

[@jamielandis4606]

I didn’t know I was interested in this, but, there you go! I am!

[@marknoble4081]

Tree fall colors are fantastic in your area.

[@gordonstevenson797]

Excellent review Pete. Weather is the uncontrollable variable but you've reduced stress on herd, land and labor. Major win. Cheers.

[@threeriversforge1997]

Glad to see more folks thinking these things through, and, as you said, trying to work with the nature of the animals. One thing that's seeing something of a resurgence is the use of hedge rows instead of barbed-wire fencing. I know the fencing became popular because it was "easier" in a lot of ways, but folks are starting to see the greater benefits of a "living fence" like used to be commonplace throughout Europe. Every time you talked about shade for the cattle, I kept seeing the wide open fence lines that don't provide any protection from sun or wind. Of course, hedge rows take a long time to develop. While they might be cheaper than wire fencing in the long term, it's one of those trade-offs you have to think about and isn't the right answer for everyone. Anyhow, time to take the trash up to the road and get my day started. Keep up the great work!

[@jeffreyshier9021]

Excellent talk.

[@davebowman2409]

Wow Pete! I feel I ought to be awarded a diploma. What an education in under 30 minutes. I just love your ability to make any subject interesting and understandable. And the fall colors as a backdrop are a real treat for a Michigan boy who has spent the last 40 years in Florida. Thank you for sharing your day to day with us.

[@larrydavidson3402]

Very interesting. Love the fall colors.

[@eofolk7754]

Hi Pete, this video reflects my experience so closely that it was kind of strange watching it. I have tried the same grazing systems and have come to the same place you are at, and my reasons as regards labour, resources and animal well-being have been the same. It's nice to hear others out there are thinking along similar lines. Thanks for all your work putting these videos out.