Grazing

Grazing is a way that farmers let animals like sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs eat wild plants and grasses. This helps turn grass into meat, milk, wool, and other useful things. Grazing is often done on land that can't grow crops, so it helps use the land well.

Farmers have many ways to manage grazing. Some let animals graze all year. Others change where the animals eat from time to time to let the land rest. Special methods can even help more plants and animals grow in an area.

Grazing has been used for thousands of years. It started with nomads who raised sheep and goats before farms were built. In places like the Eurasian steppe, grazing was a main way to get food. Today, ranching is a common way to raise grazing animals, sometimes using extra feed like hay when grass is scarce. However, grazing can sometimes hurt the environment.

History

Further information: History of agriculture

Sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs were some of the first animals to be tamed long ago during the early days of history of agriculture. Sheep were tamed first, and goats came soon after. These animals were great for people who moved from place to place. Cattle and pigs were tamed later, around 7000 BC, after people began living in one place.

In America, animals like cows and sheep grazed on public land beginning around the time of the Civil War. Later, the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 was made to help manage how people used public land for grazing after the Great Depression.

Production

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, about 60% of the world's grassland is used for grazing animals. Grazing systems provide some of the world's beef and sheep and goat meat. For many people living in dry areas, raising animals by grazing is their main way of making a living.

Good grazing management has two main goals: keeping the land healthy and making sure the animals stay safe. Farmers work to protect the grass and soil while also keeping animals healthy. By letting the land rest and grow, and using careful planning, grazing can help improve the land. In places like England and Wales, rules help make sure everyone shares the land fairly.

Systems

Ranchers and range science researchers made different grazing systems. These help animals eat grass and plants in a way that is good for the land. These systems are not like intensive animal farming. In intensive animal farming, animals stay inside buildings.

With continuous grazing, animals stay in one place all year. Seasonal grazing lets animals eat in one spot only part of the year. This lets the land rest and grow new plants. Rotational grazing splits the land into sections. Animals move from one section to another. This gives each place time to rest. Other systems, like ley farming, change between growing food for animals and regular crops. Rest rotation keeps one area resting all year. Deferred rotation waits until plants make seeds before animals eat there again. These methods help keep the land healthy and full of food for animals.

Environmental considerations

See also: Environmental impact of agriculture, Environmental impacts of animal agriculture, and Phosphorus cycle § Human influences

Grazing can help or hurt the environment. When animals graze, they can make the soil better by spreading nutrients and letting air in. This helps plants grow. But if there is too much grazing, it can hurt the land. It can cause soil erosion, damage plants, and make it hard for animals to live there. In some places, grazing keeps certain plants from growing too much and helps many animals.

When grazing is done carefully, it can fix damaged land. For example, in some grasslands, grazing stops one plant from taking over and lets many kinds of plants and animals thrive. But in dry places, grazing can hurt areas near rivers and reduce the plants and animals there. Some scientists worry that grazing can add to air pollution by making gases that warm the planet. New ideas, like putting solar panels on grazing land, can give animals shade and use the land in a way that does not harm it.