NRCS - Natural Resources Conservation Service

07/09/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/09/2025 14:13

New NRCS Brochure Highlights Practices to Support Healthy Pastures

By Jason Johnson, State Public Affairs Specialist, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Des Moines, Iowa

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently developed a brochure highlighting popular practices to create healthy pastures in Iowa. The featured practices showcase ways to better manage forage, provide livestock water, improve the forage base, and protect sensitive areas.

NRCS is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Formed out of the Dust Bowl, the NRCS focused on helping farmers reduce soil erosion for decades. However, the federal agency now assists private landowners with many other natural resource concerns including water quality, energy efficiency, wildlife habitat, and soil health.

To complement its broader efforts, Iowa NRCS has developed a practical new resource called "Conservation Choices for Healthy Pastures," a 12-page guide for NRCS conservation planners to help Iowa graziers implement the best practices for their livestock grazing system.

From a resource conservation perspective, growing diverse perennial forages is one of the best ways a landowner can keep soil in place, sequester carbon, and maintain living roots in the soil throughout the year.

Adding annual forages for grazing is another viable option when the forage base is limited. "The foundation for healthy pasture is healthy soil," said Jeff Matthias, grazing specialist for NRCS in Iowa. "Healthy soil leads to healthy plants, leading to healthy animals."

The new NRCS brochure provides information about 24 core and complementary practices. Grazing Management, formerly referred to as Prescribed Grazing, is highlighted as the primary practice for creating healthier pastures.

Matthias said an excellent rule of thumb for grazing forages is take half-leave half. "When about one-half the weight of the desirable plants in a field are grazed, it is time to move livestock to a new grazing unit to let the area recover," he said. "The worst problem on pasture is continued overgrazing. Allowing livestock to re-graze plants before they properly recover weakens the desired forages. Eventually, they die and are replaced by less desired forages or non-grazeable plants."

There are many variables that go into designing Grazing Management Systems, said Matthias, so it takes planning and cooperation with the producer. "Once implemented, the grazing plan can help producers achieve ecological, management, and economic goals," he said.

Producer input for a grazing plan is critical to develop an effective grazing system. "Understanding the producer's limitations in labor and management are vital," Matthias explained. "For example, if the development of the grazing plan requires more labor than a producer has time for, the plan will be unsuccessful."

Grazing Management can be progressively implemented. "A producer can work in one existing pasture or with one herd to intensify their system to see the response and benefits before making the changes for their entire operation," said Matthias.

Other popular practices to support Grazing Management in the brochure include:

  • Fence
  • Watering Facility
  • Livestock Pipeline
  • Pond
  • Pasture and Hay Planting
  • Access Control
  • Heavy Use Protection Area

To access alphabetically listed Iowa conservation practice standards, go to: efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/state/IA/documents.

Conservation Choices for Healthy Pastures (2.41 MB)
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