Factors Associated with Adoption of Grazing Management Plans and Management Intensive Grazing Patterns on U.S. Cow-Calf Operations

A key principle of the United States Roundtable for Sustainable Beef framework is striving for continuous improvement in grazing management operations, which includes a goal of having 385 million acres covered by written grazing management plans by 2050. However, the adoption of written grazing management plans (GMPs) is lagging behind expectations. The objectives of this analysis are to examine indicators of the adoption of GMPs and grazing patterns. Additionally, we examine the economic benefits associated with the adoption of GMPs and intensive grazing patterns. A National Grazing Management Survey was conducted during the summer of 2024, distributed electronically to cow-calf producers through cooperation with state membership associations. Producers were asked about operational demographics and grazing management. Respondents were provided definitions for the GMP hierarchy (no GMP, mental GMP, written GMP, written GMP with annual evaluation) and grazing patterns (continuous, rotational, adaptive multi-paddock). Respondents were also asked to rank GMP objectives, categorized as “economic” or “environmental”, in order of importance. Binary logit models were employed to examine the indicators of adoption of written GMPs and intensive grazing patterns. Findings indicate that producers utilizing intensive grazing patterns are more likely to adopt a written GMP, and producers with larger herd sizes are more likely to prioritize economic objectives. Results also indicate that producers who adopt a written GMP are more likely to earn positive returns over off-farm feed costs than those who do not adopt a GMP, providing evidence of the potential economic benefits associated with GMPs.