Custom Grazing Cover Crops
South Carolina farmers Jason Carter and Kenny Mullis partnered with scientist Buz Kloot to determine the benefits of custom grazing cover crops on cropland. Buz joined Soil Health Coalition members in January to share the results from the project. Buz shared the challenges Jason has experienced from managing cattle in addition to over 1,000 acres of cropland and the opportunities livestock integration has brought. The field where the cattle were custom grazed was Jason’s most profitable in 2023.
More information about the project and a video featuring Jason and Kenny can be found here: Watch the Video and Learn More!
Buz shared lessons learned and the opportunities for other farms that want to take advantage of cover crops for custom grazing:
Double cropping cattle - Jason’s most profitable field in 2023 was the field used for custom grazing, even though he experienced his worst corn yields ever due to lack of rain. Income from custom grazing allowed him to profit on that field in 2024 rather than taking a loss from his cotton crop.
Using the right mix - Jason improved his cover crop blend to provide higher quality forage, eliminating cereal rye and focusing on black oats which provide better regrowth. Grazing allows him to terminate black oats prior to planting cash crops, whereas oats are difficult to control otherwise.
Improving soil health - Organic matter has increased since measurements began in 2020. Organic matter increased each year after custom grazing cover crops and decreased following corn and cotton. The greatest increase in organic matter was following the cool season and warm season cover crop plantings.
Finding the right partner - The partnership between Kenny and Jason has been key to making custom grazing successful. They understand each other’s goals, Kenny’s cattle are trained for adaptive grazing, and Jason has adapted his cover crop plantings to allow better gains. Kenny and Jason still used a contract, which can be seen in the video here: Contract Example.
Aligning goals - Kenny has been able to recover and rest his pastures by moving cattle to Jason’s land. Managing forage availability has still been a challenge because the best forage is available at Kenny’s and Jason’s farms at the same time.
Managing time - Jason has been able to reduce the time involved in managing the cattle by using cameras on waterers and being more efficient with paddock divisions and cattle moves. He spends around 20 minutes every three days to check and move the cattle.
