Grazing for Profit and Biodiversity: Deferred Grazing

Deferring (setting aside) pasture in the summer for grazing in the winter months provides the opportunity to outwinter cattle with significantly reduced winter costs (cost of conserving grass into silage or hay, bedding, handling muck etc). Whilst building rest in the system promotes biodiversity through allowing plants to flower, set seed and create structural diversity in the sward providing habitat and food sources for wildlife.

In this factsheet we take a look at how deferred grazing can be a win-win for both farm profitability and biodiversity and hear how Duncan Miller has incorporated deferred grazing into their cattle wintering system at Tullochgorum in Strathspey with substantial cost savings.

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