Contract Grazing Fact Sheet Series Now Available

AMES, Iowa -- A new four-part series of fact sheets on contract grazing for cattle is now available on the Iowa Beef Center (IBC) website. The resource was developed by a specialized working group within the Green Lands, Blue Water project, including two Iowa State University specialists. Joe Sellers, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist, and Andy Larson, small farms specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, worked with project members from Wisconsin and Minnesota to identify needs and information for those who graze cattle.

“Our group has been working on the fact sheets as a source of assistance to graziers and cattle owners who use custom grazing in their management schemes,” Sellers said. “As cow numbers increase and available pasture acres decrease, we want people to recognize and learn more about options for their operations.”

One such option is the development of working partnerships with other producers to access pasture through contract grazing. Each fact sheet focuses on one topic related to contract grazing: contract grazing basics, evaluating land suitability, rental and lease agreements, and contract grazing rates.

The fact sheets can be viewed, download and printed at no cost from these links:

1. The Basics of Contract Grazing  www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing1Basics.pdf
2. Evaluating Land Suitability for Grazing Cattle www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing2LandEval.pdf
3. Pasture Rental and Lease Agreements www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing3Leases.pdf
4. Rates Charged for Contract Grazing Arrangements www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/ContractGrazing4Rates.pdf

This resource can be used to supplement existing grazing-related information on the IBC website, specifically under “Cattle Grazing Survey 2007.”

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