From the Executive Summary:
The optimism shown by an increasing number of Minnesota dairy farmers who are grazing their herds indicates that, for some, the outlook for the state's dairy industry is good. Management intensive grazing (MIG) techniques are rapidly being adopted in some regions of Minnesota. This report summarizes in-person interviews conducted in 1994 on 29 Minnesota dairy farms using mig practices. The term MIG in this paper refers to several types of grazing systems including: Rotational grazing, intensive rotational grazing, intensive grazing, strip grazing, voisin grazing, controlled grazing, top grazing and mob grazing. The 29 cooperating farms were located throughout Minnesota with the highest concentration being located in the southeastern region of the state. The29 farms can be considered typical midwestern dairy farms; almost all were single family operations averaging 58 cows and approximately 300 acres of land. Graziers were questioned about the effects of MIG on their quality of life, production strategies, equipment used and business management decisions.

Quick Facts:

• Authors: Brian Loeffler, Helene Murray, Dennis G. Johnson, and Earl I. Fuller.
• Published: 1996 (reviewed 2008), MISA, Univ of Minnesota
• Intended audience: Farmers considering switching to management intensive grazing (MIG)
• Goals / purpose: To summarize the types of production and business management strategies presently used on 29 Minnesota dairy grazing farms, as well as the effects of MIG on quality of life and the types of equipment used.
• Methods - How would someone know they could trust this?
• Dairy graziers, U of M researchers, & the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Soil Conservation Laboratory formed the research team.
  
• An extensive survey was conducted of dairy farmers using MIG systems.
  
• From 1 (not very well)–4 (very well), how well does this source of food knowledge:
• Engage an adequate range of perspectives and types of knowledge? (2)
  
• Translate between diverse perspectives? (2)
  
• Address conflicts across perspectives? (1)
  
• Generate useful information for those affected by the issues addressed? (3)
  
• Include an adequate range of relevant stakeholders throughout the knowledge-creation process? (2)
  
• Help users of this knowledge source learn from each other? (2)
  
• Allow users of this knowledge source to put what they learn into action? (3)
  
• Consider the larger context as necessary? (2)
  
• What is useful, meaningful, surprising, or a problem? Questions?
• The accessibility of this report is a bit problematic, due to its current format online, with various links to the different portions of the report.
  

• What do you think could or should be done with this source of knowledge?
• What has already been done?
• How should we keep track of what this knowledge does as it circulates in the world?
• What connections would you like to see made to other information / people / organizations?

Explore this resource at http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/grazing-systems/knee-deep-in-grass/

(ID# 4015)

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