Capturing Sunlight, Book 1: Skills & Ideas for Intensive Grazing, Sustainable Pastures, Healthy Soils, & Grassfed Livestock

There is magic in forages! The magic of sunlight and green leaves and the miracle of photosynthesis. The magic of legumes that pull nitrogen from the air to make proteins, of roots interacting with the soil, of plants capturing and storing carbon, and of the vast array of forages that contain the protein, fiber, and starch upon which livestock depend. This book describes this magic. But making this magic work for us is a challenge. To meet this challenge, we need skills and knowledge. In this book, youll learn these skills and knowledge: how to look at a pasture and know when to open the gate and what happens to forages during grazing. Youll learn about renovating pastures, designing grazing systems, and making sound business decisions in grazing operations. Youll learn practical science about forages: the dark and hidden qualities of soil, plant chemistry and physiology, forage nutritional value, modern methods for describing fiber, the principles of storing hay and silage. These no-nonsense topics apply to any species of grazing livestock: beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, bison, and horses. Theres even a chapter on the forage nutrition of dinosaurs, should that ever become necessary. The last section of this book is a special treat: A practical, in-depth handbook on intensive grazing systems. I systematically outline the skills of Management Intensive Grazingone of the most intelligent and efficient ways ever devised for managing improved pastures. These pages might not be filled with the chants and bubbling cauldrons of mystical wizards, but they will open doors to a wizardly world of forage skills. This is not a dry textbook or a collection of homey anecdotes. Rather, youll find down-to-earth essays on practical skills and underlying science. Short, easy-to-read chapters. With a bit of humor now and then. This book will give you knowledge -- it will enrich your days and help you make good decisions. Even if youre not a grazier, this book will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Youll never again drive past a pasture without seeing it in a different light.