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Adaptive Grazing / AMP Grazing
Adaptive refers to the adjustment of grazing area or stocking rates, to match forage availability.
Adaptive grazing, also referred to as Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing as highlighted in the film Roots So Deep, is a dynamic approach to managing livestock, that focuses on balancing animal impact with ecosystem needs, and applies a density of animals that mimics the way large herds of roaming ruminants like the Bison and Deer (who stayed close together to protect themselves from predators) made frequent moves, and gave longer periods of rest and recovery.
Adaptive grazing leverages observation-skills and flexibility, for soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and increased productivity, and can be supported by the likes of holistic management or the 6-3-4-method.
Videos
Selected for content and relevance (in no particular order)
Soil Carbon Cowboys
Gabe Brown, Allen Williams and Neil Dennis were forced to try grazing without chemicals because they couldn’t afford them anymore.
Using Cows to Rebuild Soil After a Century of Tillage
Stephen Brass transitioned his 160 acre farm from a chemical intensive, commodity crop operation to a regenerative 100% grass-fed beef.
Herd impact
Husband and wife ranchers moving one herd of 5,000 head (many more cattle per acre than all their neighbours), multiple times a day.
A fence and an owner
Melvin Johnson was extremely resistant to trying AMP grazing, but forced to try during a 15-year drought, and glad he did.
This farm is medicine
Murray Provine changed his 110 acre farm to Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) cattle grazing. He and his land are in much better health.
Time will tell
Dairy and beef renegades in southwest England – figuring out ways to graze their cattle while cutting out fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.
Green Pastures Farm - Agroforestry
Greg Judy is a master of the lease. A huge opportunity for young people wanting to get into farming. He talks about silvopasture, adaptive grazing, and more.
Roots So Deep
An inspiring, positive, data-driven, good humoured film about Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing and its beneficial impacts.
During the Drought
Michael Thompson regenerates his soils with no-till, cover-crops, and adaptive grazing, that gave his farm resilience during the severe 2011 and 2012 droughts.
Luckiest Place on Earth
Steve Apfelbaum's research across four regenerative grazing ranches in Canada. The very first to adopt organic farming and AMP grazing in Canada.
Givers and Takers
Don Jackson transitions to adaptive grazing, and see huge changes in the amount of forage they can produce, improved cattle health and increase in beneficial insects.
Sheep Farm Builds Soil in Only 3 Years
Fort Causeway farm went from no growth to lush pastures in only three years, after implementing regenerative farming practices with sheep.
regenerating-soil-and-farm-profitability-through-grazing
Wellington Lodge are farming, sequestering carbon, improving soil structure, increasing profitability and having fun along the way.
New Zealand Regen Farms
These NZ farms have gone through the trials, made 'mistakes' and firmly established their regenerative agriculture practices.
Research papers
See a full collection of published research from the AMP Grazing Southeast US study. carboncowboys.org/amp-grazing-research/published-research
AMP Grazing
The following definition of AMP grazing makes the following points:
"AMP involves using multiple fenced paddocks, which are grazed for short periods (hours to days, depending on the season), during which plant consumption is monitored (aimed to leave ~50% forage uneaten), followed by an adequate time of recovery after grazing to allow vegetation regrowth (Teague et al., 2013). AMP grazing management adjusts livestock numbers to not exceed available forage and to avoid overstocking and overgrazing. Additionally, AMP practitioners seek to minimise the use of external inputs (i.e., fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides)." ~ Journal of Environmental Management 288 (2021) 112409