What Mob Grazing is and how it can work even on a smallholding

Well known to Archers fans on BBC radio 4, this system is gaining momentum. Wade Muggleton finds out why

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Mob grazing is surging in popularity and is often a key tool in regenerative farming. A style of farming that seeks to heal the land and be more sustainable. So, what exactly is mob grazing?

Well in simple terms it is the idea that grazing animals are kept on a given section of pasture for a very short time and then moved on to fresh grazing for another very short time and then moved again and so on. As a result, even when they leave a section, the grass is still comparatively long, what some traditionalists might see as wasting grass. But the rule of thumb is to put your stock onto the long grass, let them eat a third, trample a third of it and then leave a third of it when they come off. By only eating a third they are not over grazing it; by trampling in a third they are adding organic matter to the soil, creating a thatch on top of the soil and sequestering carbon back into the soil. By leaving a third it will grow back far quicker and more vigorously than if it were eaten down short. By growing back quicker, you will get more grass as the recovery time is shortened. When it comes to grass growth what is above ground is reflected in what is below the ground in terms of roots, and you will have a far bigger root system to take up water and nutrients to drive that new growth.