Management-intensive Grazing (MiG)
What is Management-intensive Grazing?
Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) is a method for organizing grazing animals while mimicking natural herd behavior and contributing to a healthy ecosystem. Animals graze on small paddocks for short periods of time before being moved to the next.
Here at Red Rock Family Farm, we have started practicing MiG after dedicating significant time to irrigation improvements, pasture fencing, paddock layout, and water access.
Each day we move a strand of poly wire to allow cattle onto fresh pasture. It's a quick chore, the herd looks forward to their move, and a mutual respect and appreciation has developed.
What are the benefits of MiG?
The benefits of MiG include...
- Encourages non-selective eating
- Emphasizes adequate pasture/forage rest, recovery, and replenishment
- The animals work for the rancher/farmer and develop a relationship
- Distributes natural fertilizer -- manure -- more evenly
- Reduces need for supplemental feed or nutrients
- Increases animal density per acre, and thus profitability
- Improves overall soil health
