Movement is Everything - Short Video of Moving Cows

Imagine a herd of bison staying in one place indefinitely. Ridiculous! you say. Right. So, why do we as ranchers think we can keep our cows, sheep or whatever other species of animals on the same pasture year in and year out?

The answer is simple: because it’s easy. Does that make it the right thing to do or the best for the land and animals? No. 

At New Grass Farms we’re committed to movement. Why is movement important and what does it do for the land and the animals? Those are very good questions and I’ll answer them briefly.

It’s good for the land. If left to themselves, cattle or sheep will keep returning to their favorite patch of grass and eat it into the dirt. This seriously weakens the plant and can lead to a thin stand of grass leaving exposed soil and the damaging effects of wind and rain. By moving the animal on after only a day or less, it gives the plants time to regrow and recover their energy stores before the cattle come back to graze again.


Movement leads to greatly reduced parasite and fly pressure. Here at New Grass Farms, we use no chemical wormers, fly sprays or other pesticides. This is only possible because of daily moves. Our grass-fed beef and sheep are always moving away from their excrement and away from the resulting pests.


By concentrating the cows and sheep in a small area for a short amount of time and then moving them on, we get a much better distribution of the manure and urine which are invaluable sources of organic fertilizer.


I hope you’ll enjoy this short video of one of our cattle moves.

Craig