Stocking Rates: Don’t Spend Next Year’s Grass

How much grazing pressure is too much? In this episode of Red Dirt and Round Bales, Dave Deken looks at that question with insight from Laura Goodman Ph.D., Oklahoma State University Extension specialist for rangeland ecology. The episode breaks grazing pressure down into practical ranch terms: how much forage is available, how much can safely be used, how long cattle stay, and whether the pasture has enough recovery time. The biggest reminder is that grazing pressure is not just a head count. Cattle distribution, drought, water and shade placement, patch burning, rest periods, bare ground, plant recovery, and harvest efficiency all matter. Goodman explains why stocking rate decisions should protect the plant and the soil, not just feed the cow today. For Oklahoma ranchers, the episode offers a grounded way to look at pastures as living systems where every bite is a withdrawal and every rest period is a deposit. Key takeaways: Grazing pressure is the relationship between mouths, forage, time, and recovery. Cattle do not graze evenly, so overgrazing can happen in specific areas even when the whole pasture looks fine. A practical stocking-rate goal is to use about 25% of available productivity for livestock while leaving enough forage for the plant, soil cover, and natural losses. Drought increases grazing pressure even if cattle numbers stay the same. Bare ground, shorter desirable grasses, weeds, poor regrowth, and runoff are signs the pasture may be under stress. Detailed Timestamped Rundown 00:00–00:09 — Dave Deken opens the episode and frames it around Oklahoma agriculture and rural life.00:12–02:18 — The episode introduces the central question: how much grazing pressure is too much? Dave explains that the real issue is not how many cows can be squeezed into a pasture, but what the pasture can handle right now, given forage, rainfall, cattle numbers, and the time needed for recovery.02:18–02:58 — Laura Goodman Ph.D. explains how patch burning can help balance forage quality and rest. Burning a rested patch draws cattle to higher-quality regrowth and helps move grazing pressure away from other areas.02:58–03:13 — Dave emphasizes that grazing pressure is not only about what cattle consume. What remains behind matters too: leaf area, soil cover, and roots that help catch rainfall.03:14–05:06 — The episode unpacks why “take half, leave half” can be misleading. Producers still need to account for trampling, wildlife and insects, plant needs, soil protection, forage estimates, cattle class, time of year, and rest periods.05:06–05:34 — Goodman explains the stocking-rate goal of using about 25% of available productivity for the cow, losing some to the environment or soil return, and leaving about 50% with the plant.05:34–06:22 — Dave lists pasture warning signs: desirable grasses getting shorter, cattle grazing regrowth too soon, bare ground increasing, water running off instead of soaking in, and pastures greening up after rain without rebuilding strength.06:23–07:59 — The episode closes by tying grazing decisions to Oklahoma weather risk. In dry years, the same number of cattle creates more pressure because there is less forage. Dave ends with the idea that a pasture is a living account: every bite is a withdrawal, and every rest is a deposit. Red Dirt And Round Bales website