What should my stocking rate be?

One of the most common questions I get is what kind of stocking rate is appropriate for my property. When we consider stocking rates for beef cattle we have to remember that one lactating, thousand pound cow will consume 2.5% to 3% of her body weight or roughly 25 to 30 pounds of air dry forage daily. 1 cow/calf pair is an animal unit (AU). A good rule of thumb is to “take half and leave half” but we have to account for another quarter of the forage that will get trampled, wasted, decompose, etc. So estimate based on 25% of forage production for a conservative stocking rate in an average rainfall year. So a thousand pound cow with a calf at her side will eat approximately 26 pounds of forage daily or 9,490 pounds per year.

Improved pasture differs greatly than native rangeland in terms of stocking rate due to management of fertility, weeds, etc. General stocking rates for Navarro County are 1 AU per 3-5 acres of fertilized improved pasture and 1 AU per 10-12 acres of rangeland BUT depend on location and management.

The only way to truly know what your appropriate stocking rate, is to quantify your forage production (clip and weigh grass or forage plots) and then base a stocking rate on the traditional range management principles and allow for variations in rainfall. A good stocking rate is the first step to good range management and sustainable agriculture. For more information go to the following web address: http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/beef/beef-rdmt-stocking-rate.pdf