Improve Forage Health in Pastures with the USDA-NRCS Pennsylvania Grazing Stick

The Pennsylvania NRCS Grazing Stick is a simple, yet powerful tool developed to estimate pasture allocation in a rotational grazing system.  The basic, simple formula makes it a great place to start when estimating pasture sizes.

This video part of a series of videos showcasing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Upper Genesee River Demonstration Farm Network in Potter County, Pennsylvania.  This network consists of three landowners within the Genesee Watershed who maintain the shared goal of reducing the flow of nonpoint source pollution from agricultural operations into the watershed.  The landowners participating in this project consist of a livestock producer, a cropland producer, and a forest landowner.  

Demonstration Farm Participant Mike Thompson has converted a continuous grazing system to rotational grazing as part of the program.  The Pennsylvania NRCS Grazing Stick has been an invaluable tool throughout the process.
In this video, J.B. Harrold, Grazing Specialist with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service demonstrates how to use each of the four sides of the Pennsylvania NRCS Grazing Stick.  

The functions of the four sides of the grazing stick are as follow:

1. Measures grass height
2. Measures tall grass pastures such as orchard grass, reed canary grass, and tall fescue
3. Measures blue grass and clover pastures
4. Warm season grasses

The GLRI Upper Genesee River Demonstration Farm Network is made possible through a cooperative agreement between Headwaters Resource Conservation & Development Council and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service with the support of several other generous partners.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
https://www.glri.us/

Headwater RC&D Council GLRI Upper Genesee River, PA
http://www.headwaterspa.org/great-lak...

United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/...

Southwest Project Grass
http://www.swprojectgrass.com/index.html