Benefits of Rotational Grazing
At Cove Creek Farm we use rotational grazing to improve the health and productivity of the pasture.
What is Rotational Grazing?
For many who use rotational grazing, planned frequent movements of livestock on pasture, the goal is to use livestock as a tool to improve the soil and the forage diversity of the farms they manage. Instead of letting animals continuously graze down an entire pasture, the animals are herded into a section of the pasture for a short period of time. Many small farms raising grass-fed, grass-finished beef, lamb, goat, or pastured pigs and chickens, use rotational grazing techniques. The constant movement of animals in tightly packed herds with extended rest between grazings would have been natural for large herding animals. And as was the case in a more natural state, not just the land, but the animals’ health and the quality of meat ultimately produced are winners.
(more…)Pastured Poultry
Raising chickens outdoors on pasture has a multitude of benefits, one of which includes a mouth-watering eating experience. Chickens raised on pasture and rotated daily have access to fresh grasses, legumes, and weeds. In addition to the access to fresh forages, our chickens love to chase and consume bugs. Chickens are omnivores, and foraging for […]
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF GRASS-FED BEEF
At Cove Creek Farm we believe that beef is the most complete single source of nutrition for maximum energy and overall well being (see the paper below). We are proud to raise our cattle completely on lush grass (with hay supplementation in the winter if necessary) in a natural environment. We rotate our cattle daily […]
Converting a monoculture pasture
In December of 2018, we purchased an old dairy farm in Monteagle, TN to be able to expand our herd. The location of the farm is excellent and the soil fertility is in decent shape but we noticed that there were only a few dominate species of forage growing. In particular, fescue dominated most of […]