Leviticus and Land Management

Necessity is the father of invention and good timely rain makes lazy producers. When rain is plentiful, it's easy to have lush pastures that look great from the road. However, there is a season for everything, and drought is one of them. When this summer's rain stopped how long did your grass last until you started feeding hay? How many weeks can you go without rain?

Questions like this led to the invention "Regenerative Agriculture". But is this really a new way of thinking? Or is it a chance to return to what is prescribed by our Creator? Take a look at the Old Testament, more specifically Leviticus Chapter 25:1-7. (NOTE: If you just pulled out your Bible, please realize that I am NOT telling you to stop all production every seven years!) This gives a prescription for a sabbath for the land every 7 years. Sure, you can consider that this is for tillable acres based on description. However, I see a strong link to pasture management. This rest period can help in many areas: no tillage will help the soil retain more moisture, microbiomes would not be disrupted, and you would see an increase in plant biodiversity. Sounds a lot like regenerative ag right?

Again, I am NOT suggesting you take your land out of production for a full year. However, it is very possible to rest 1/7th of your land every year or even for a growing season to stockpile forage. As an example: 100 acres divided by 7 is roughly only 14.25 acres. To go a step further with dashboard math: 2,000 pounds of forage produced (assumed normal to dry year), multiplied by 14 acres gives you 28,000 pounds total forage. Let's then plan for 70% grazing efficiency (if you strip graze) gives you 19,600 pounds of consumed forage. For refence, that is roughly 19 round bales (1,000 pound bale weight). That may not sound like much...unless you count on a dry year with hay prices near $100/bale, it quickly adds up. As an alternative, you can consider how much organic matter you could return to the soil. Depending on how you use this extra forage, it could be a difference maker for your herd.

This was a strategy that we have used in the past with quite a bit of success. The point of all this is not to tell you how to rest your pastures but rather get you thinking about how you could implement rest periods for your ground. If you read Leviticus Chapter 26:2-5 you will read the Blessings for Obedience. (Note: please read these verses yourself, and I do NOT wish for any Bible refences to be taken out of context!) This describes plentiful crops, timely rains, and flourishing life. This pursuit of flourishing life should be our goal in production agriculture.

"The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me." - Leviticus 25:23