#149 Overgrazing, the Reason Behind Brush Encroachment in our Pastures

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hello, I hope you feel proud of yourself and know the importance of your work to our environment, land, and country. Your work and cattle are valuable, and this should be recognized.

If it weren’t for cattle, our land would be a huge fire hazard; we can use cattle to minimize fires, and we should tell our story to the public.

Have you noticed brush encroachment on your land? While this is noticeable to everyone, it is not always easy to spot the reduced stocking rate and daily gains it causes. Why? Because it takes time for the brush to take over a pasture completely.

For generations, we’ve been told that brush encroachment is just a natural process—that pastures naturally turn into woodlands over time. But if you look closer, you’ll see that this isn’t just nature running its course. It’s a direct result of overgrazing.

Now, when I say overgrazing, I don’t mean that we’re grazing too many cattle—I mean that we’re grazing at the wrong times and in the wrong way. And the worst part? Most of the grazing advice we’ve been given makes this problem worse, not better.

How Overgrazing Leads to Brush Encroachment

We’ve all seen it—land once covered in thick, productive grass is now dominated by mesquite, juniper, or other woody plants. But why does this happen?

1. Shortened Grass Recovery Time
• When we graze a pasture before the grass fully recovers, we weaken its root system.
• Over time, these weaker grasses struggle to compete, and their density declines.
• Less ground cover means more sunlight reaches the soil—giving woody species a chance to take hold and take over.
2. Selective Grazing
• When cattle are allowed to graze selectively, they eat their favorite grasses first, over and over again.
• This weakens the best species and allows less desirable plants—including brush—to dominate.
• Instead of promoting thick, leafy grasslands, we end up with open, patchy ground where trees and weeds thrive.
3. Loss of Long-Lived Soil Carbon
• Healthy grasslands are built on deep, rich soil containing moisture and nutrients.
• Repeated overgrazing depletes long-lived soil carbon over time, making the soil less productive and more vulnerable to erosion.
• With less grass to hold the soil in place, brush and woody weeds move in.
4. Reduced Competition from Grasses
• Grasses are meant to be dominant in our pastures. But they can’t compete with fast-spreading brush species when they're weakened by repeated overgrazing.
• If the grass doesn’t recover properly, woody plants start to take over, filling in the gaps left behind.

Historical Perspective: How Pastures Have Changed

In the past, natural grazing systems were dictated by large herds of bison and elk moving across the plains, consuming forage in a way that maintained healthy grasslands. These animals grazed intensively, moved on, and allowed full recovery before returning. Today, with fixed fencing and mismanaged grazing patterns, we have interrupted this natural cycle, creating conditions that favor brush encroachment.

Additionally, early settlers and ranchers managed grazing differently than we do today. Before fencing was widespread, cattle and sheep were moved more frequently over vast areas, mimicking the impact of natural herd movements. This resulted in productive pastures, deep-rooted grasses, and substantial soil carbon storage. Once continuous grazing and selective overgrazing became widespread, grasslands lost their resilience and became more vulnerable to brush invasion.

The Hidden Costs of Brush Encroachment

Beyond the obvious loss of grazing land, brush encroachment brings other economic and environmental consequences:

• Increased fire risk: Dry, dense brush increases the likelihood and intensity of wildfires.
• Reduced water retention: Brush-covered areas use more water than grasslands, leading to drier soils and less groundwater recharge.
• Lower forage production: Every acre lost to brush means less forage for livestock, increasing feeding costs.
• Soil degradation: Bare soil between brush patches is prone to erosion, washing away valuable topsoil.

Conventional Advice Has Made This Worse

For years, we’ve been told to “top graze” to maintain our grasses in a vegetative state. But here’s the problem with that:

• When cattle only eat the tops, they remove the most nutritious parts and species while leaving the less desirable species behind.
• This encourages selective grazing, making brush problems even worse.
• Over time, our best grasses disappear, they die, and our pastures become dominated by lower-quality forages and woody plants.

We’ve also been told that “soil armor” or litter is the key to building soil fertility. But what about the role of photosynthesis?

• Green leaves generate energy—they don’t just sit on the ground and decompose.
• When focusing only on litter, we ignore the importance of maximizing leafy regrowth.
• The best way to improve soil fertility isn’t by leaving dead plant material on the ground—it’s by grazing in a way that promotes rapid, healthy, and leafy regrowth.

• Most of the new long-lived soil carbon is created in the stockpiling section, not when grazing in the green season.

How to Stop Overgrazing and Reverse Brush Encroachment

1. Graze Efficiently to Reduce Selective Grazing
• Instead, we need to manage grazing so that cattle harvest evenly. Rather than letting them select the best and leave the rest, we need high-harvest-efficiency grazing. 
• This means grazing down to 1-2 inches to ensure all species are utilized equally, but without cattle losing body condition.
2. Allow Full Grass Recovery Before Regrazing
• Overgrazing isn’t just about how much is eaten—it’s about when we graze again.
• Instead, We should let the grass rebuild its root system before grazing it again.
3. Stockpile Grass for Standing Hay
• A key part of Effortless Planned Grazing is dedicating one-third of the ranch to stockpile forage for winter.
• This maintains high-quality standing hay while reducing brush spread and minimizing hay costs.
• Stockpiling makes soil spongier, leading to better productivity
• Stockpiling grass that has lost its quality as in the green season, we want our cattle in our higher quality grasses for the best performance
4. Focus on Long-Lived Soil Carbon
• We must stop thinking that fertility comes from surface litter and rebuild deep soil carbon. This happens when we graze in a way that encourages deep-rooted grasses to thrive and capture carbon underground by stockpiling.
5. Incorporate Effortless Planned Grazing
   • Instead of relying on fixed schedules, grazing management should be adjusted based on forage growth rates and environmental conditions. Your land should be managed in three sections for best results in profits and soil fertility improvement.
   • This approach helps balance herd impact with grass recovery, ensuring sustainable grazing year-round.

The Bottom Line: Overgrazing is the Cause, Not the Solution

We don’t need more herbicides or bulldozers to control brush. We need better grazing management.

If we change the way we graze, we can: ✅ Reduce brush encroachment naturally ✅ Improve pasture productivity ✅ Run more cattle on the same land ✅ Save money on hay and inputs.

It all starts with Effortless Planned Grazing—a system that allows ranchers to double their herd while improving pasture health.

If you want to learn precisely how to do this, check out my online course, Effortless Planned Grazing, at www.rwranching.com/grazingcourse. 

The land doesn’t need more chemicals or expensive interventions—it requires a better grazing program.

Let’s ranch smarter, not harder.

May God bless you, your land, and your cattle!