Grassroots of Grazing with Jim Gerrish

In this episode, grazing expert and longtime SGF columnist Jim Gerrish shares decades of experience transforming worn-out cropland into productive pasture using adaptive grazing—not chemicals. The episode explores Jim’s approach to pasture renovation, weed control, and animal performance, emphasizing observation, timing, and biological principles over conventional inputs.

Jim discusses practical strategies for improving pasture health, including managing pH, building soil biology, and introducing species diversity. He also reflects on the importance of listening—to your animals, your forage, and your own common sense.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

1. Converting Cropland to Pasture: Jim outlines how he and his wife improved 260 acres of degraded land without herbicides or reseeding.

2. Biological Weed Control: Learn how livestock pressure and timing can naturally suppress unwanted plants.

3. The Limits of Test Results: Why soil tests and forage tests are useful—but not the final word.

4. The Role of Animals in the System: How different species, like goats, can be used to diversify and manage landscapes.

5. Climate-Specific Management: Lessons from Missouri’s humid pastures and Idaho’s arid rangeland.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

1. Use grazing pressure as a tool for weed suppression and plant community evolution.

2. Observe animal behavior and performance as the ultimate indicator of grazing success.

3. Address pH and biological activity before focusing on fertilizers.

4. Don’t blindly follow test results—use them to inform, not dictate.

5. Think in terms of long-term systems, not short-term fixes.

📌 For more insights and resources—including Jim’s live and recorded schools—be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and discover how grazing with intention can regenerate your land—and your bottom line.