- Crystal Mediate
- Aug 17, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 8
What if I told you, by using these three practices, you could double or even triple your homestead's production in just one year. Today you and I will be discussing the three ways our family has improved Red Ridge Farm Homestead's production without buying more land. The answers may surprise you. Let's get growing!
Quick Links
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
Time Stamps
Intro 00:43
Mob Gazing 02:36
Tips and Tricks 11:00
Multi Species Ruminants 13:58
Growing With God 20:22
Adding Birds to the Rotation 23:46
Recap 27:55
3 Ways to Improve your Homestead's Production in One Year ~ revised April 2025
Welcome to the Pray, Just Plant Podcast!
Hey there, and welcome to the Pray, Just Plant podcast! I’m your host, Crystal Mediate, and today, we’re diving into how we’ve improved our homestead production over the past year. And guess what? The key to it all isn’t more animals, more land, or even more equipment—it’s grass. That’s right! Your homestead’s number one product should be grass, because everything depends on it. Your animals thrive on it, and a thriving homestead starts from the ground up.
But what about the garden? How does grass help there? Well, when you manage your pasture wisely, your animals provide natural fertilization (aka poop), which improves soil health and garden production. So today, we’re talking about how to increase your homestead’s productivity by improving your land—without buying more of it. The secret lies in better grazing practices and using multiple species of ruminants. If you want to dive deeper into why grass should be your number one focus, check out my blog post, What Should a Homesteader’s Number One Product Be? Now, let’s get into the three ways we’ve made big improvements in just one year.
Mob Grazing: The Power of Concentrated Grazing
The first strategy we use is mob grazing—a method where animals are kept in smaller areas for short periods before being moved. This is the opposite of traditional grazing, where animals have access to the entire pasture and pick and choose what they want to eat. But here’s the problem with that: animals, like people at a buffet, go straight for their favorites first. Over time, the most desirable grasses get overgrazed, while weeds and less-palatable plants take over, leading to unhealthy, unproductive pastures.
Here in Wyoming, one of our biggest challenges is cheatgrass—a highly invasive plant that animals will eat in early spring but avoid once it hardens. If left unchecked, it spreads rapidly, reducing the quality of your pasture. Worse yet, its seeds have sharp nodules that can lodge in an animal’s cheek, causing painful sores and infections.
Mob grazing solves this by forcing animals to eat a more diverse diet. When kept in a small area, competition kicks in, and they eat what’s available rather than just their favorites. This means a more even graze, less wasted grass, and fewer problem weeds taking over. Plus, with animals concentrated in one area, their manure is evenly distributed, fertilizing the land naturally.
A fantastic resource on this is Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin. He explains that mob grazing helps animals consume a greater percentage of forage, reduces trampling waste, and improves soil health by increasing hoof action and organic matter distribution. The result? Stronger pastures and better feed for your animals.
And here’s the thing—mob size and paddock size depend on your land. You can start small, with just a few animals, and adjust as you see results. The key is moving them frequently, mimicking the natural grazing patterns of wild herds, which improves pasture regrowth and soil health over time. Think of it like mowing your yard evenly instead of in random patches. When done right, mob grazing transforms your land into a lush, productive pasture.
Multi Species Ruminants: Diversify for Better Land Management
The second way we’ve increased production is by raising multiple species of ruminants. Why? Because different animals have different grazing preferences, and together, they balance the ecosystem.
Let’s go back to the buffet analogy. Some foods you love, some you tolerate, and some you wouldn’t touch unless you were paid (for me, that’s yogurt!). Animals are the same way. Even with mob grazing, cows won’t eat certain weeds, and horses will avoid some plants no matter what. That’s where multi-species grazing comes in. By introducing different ruminants, you ensure that more of your pasture gets used efficiently.
On our farm, our grazing hierarchy starts with horses, then cows, then goats. Each species eats different plants, ensuring a more balanced pasture. For example, when we built our home, our disturbed pasture was quickly overrun with weeds. The horses ignored them, leaving us to manage them manually. But when we brought in goats? They devoured those weeds first! Now, instead of us battling invasive plants, the goats do the work for us—improving pasture quality while feeding themselves.
Goats are also fantastic for controlling scrub brush, which was taking over rocky areas of our land. Horses avoided these spots, but the goats happily climbed over the terrain and stripped the brush. The result? More usable pasture and better grass growth.
If you want to explore multi-species grazing further, check out The Independent Farmstead—a great book that discusses biodiversity, soil health, and pasture management with multiple ruminants. One of the biggest takeaways? Don’t choose an animal just because you like it—choose based on what your land needs. When we first started, we prioritized horses because my husband loved them. But if we had focused on our land’s needs first, we might have started with a different species to restore our soil more effectively.
By strategically selecting ruminants suited to your property, you create a balanced ecosystem where each animal plays a role in pasture maintenance and regeneration.
But what happens after the larger animals have moved through? This is where birds come in.
Birds: The Sanitizers of Your Pasture
By adding birds—whether chickens, turkeys, or guinea fowl—you introduce natural cleaners that enhance the land in multiple ways:
Pest Control – Birds consume insects, including fly larvae that develop in manure, reducing parasite problems.
Seed Management – They eat seeds that would otherwise sprout unwanted weeds, helping maintain a balanced pasture.
Soil Disturbance & Fertility – Birds, especially chickens, scratch and aerate the soil, promoting healthier plant regrowth. Their manure is also an excellent natural fertilizer, even richer in nitrogen than that of cows or horses.
A Great Resource: Pastured Poultry Profits
For a deep dive into integrating poultry into your system, I highly recommend Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin. He outlines multiple methods for raising birds, from chicken tractors for meat birds to free-ranging layers that actively contribute to pasture health. His book details how to feed, house, and manage poultry for maximum efficiency and land regeneration.
Year-Round Grazing Strategies
The third improvement we made was thinking beyond the growing season when it comes to grazing. Many homesteaders focus on pasture management in the spring and summer, but what about fall and winter?
We’ve learned to use grazing as a year-round tool. One of our best examples is our “rock pasture” project. Instead of feeding our goats in a static pen, we spread their hay across the pasture. This does two things:
It forces them to move and graze naturally, rather than standing in one place.
Any uneaten hay becomes organic matter, enriching the soil for future growth.
Over time, this method has transformed rocky, poor-quality land into thriving pasture. So even in the off-season, we’re improving our land, rather than just feeding animals in one spot.
Why Does This Matter?
If you haven’t caught on yet—better pasture means better production.
By improving forage quality without purchasing more land, we naturally increase the health and output of our animals. For my dairy goats, for example, better forage means more milk production. A once-barren patch of rock and poor soil can become a thriving, nutrient-dense pasture in just a year by implementing these practices.
Through mob grazing, multi-species grazing, and year-round grazing strategies, we've expanded our usable grazing land from just four acres to four and a half—without buying an inch more.
But here’s the thing—good pasture management isn’t a one-time fix. It’s about making small, intentional changes over time and adjusting as your land and livestock needs shift.
Whether you’re just getting started with rotational grazing or want to fine-tune your current system, the Rotational Grazing Guide will help you track what’s working, spot issues early, and create a stronger, more resilient pasture.
On to You
Keep moving forward and remember it starts with the first step.
1) Grab the Rotational Grazing Guide- You’ll find a simple tracking system inside to help you keep an eye on your grazing areas and make sure your pasture stays healthy year-round.
2) Listen to the Pray, Just Plant Podcast- come and listen as we dive into every stage of the growing journey and find the steps you need to take to build the best homestead for you and your family.
3) Join the Purposeful Growing Membership Waiting List, where I hope to coach and encourage growers, homesteaders, and more on how to provide the best food for their families. To build a homestead, grow more abundantly, and create a lifestyle you will love.
Don't let the World Hold You Back,
Pray, Just Plant.
Have a blessed day,
Crystal
.jpg)
Comments