Do your pastures make the cut?

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Pasture condition scoring is a systematic way to assess how well a pasture is being managed.

“A wise man once said you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Victor Shelton, Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service agronomist and grazing specialist, during the Bi-State Forage Program. “A well-managed pasture is one that’s productivity is optimized, and both the plants and animals are going to appreciate and gain from that.”

The way a pasture is managed should have positive effects on soil, water, plant growth and weed control.

A scorecard can help farmers monitor their fields.

“The Pasture Condition Score Sheet involves the visual evaluation of 10 indicators,” Shelton explained. “Each is given a score of 1 to 5 according to what is seen in the field at that time. Each condition ranges from poor to excellent, 1 is poor and 5 is excellent.”

Ideally, farmers would score individual fields just before allowing livestock to graze.

Rating pastures annually will show trends in pasture condition.

“Pasture indicators may rank low initially, but improve as management changes over time,” Shelton said.

The 10 Pasture Condition Score Sheet indicators are: percentage of desirable plants, percent legumes, live plant cover, plant diversity, plant residue and litter as soil cover, grazing utilization and severity, livestock concentration areas, soil compaction and soil regenerative features, plant vigor, and erosion.

For the best results, farmers should evaluate the pastures the same time each year to note changes in pasture conditions.

Results can be useful in deciding when to move livestock or making other management decisions.

More information about the Pasture Condition Score Sheet is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/16/nrcs143_023873.pdf.