Grazing your new pasture for the first time is an important exercise: graze too early and you risk pulling the plant out of the ground, graze too late and the grasses may not be able to compete with the clover. A simple pluck test is a good way to ensure your plant is fi rmly rooted and will not pull out of the ground on first grazing. A light grazing will encourage the plants to tiller and prevent shading out of your clovers.
Once your pasture is established the importance of correct grazing management is paramount. Any form of rotational grazing is preferable to set stocking. Most improved pastures will struggle to persist with the constant pressure of set stocking as stock will continue to graze the fresh regrowth while leaving other areas to go rank. If you can tailor a rotational grazing system on your property you will find the plants will recover faster, produce more feed of better quality and persist for longer.
