How to start mob grazing

It might seem like there's a lot to think about when you want to start mob grazing, from setting up infrastructure like fencing and water, to how to fit moving your animals into your day.

Farmers across Scotland have told us that by starting small, it's much easier to get started than you might think - and that there's no one right way to do it.​

Mob grazing in Scotland

The question everyone wants to know is - can it work in Scotland? All the farmers in the Mob Grazing group say “yes it can!” but you need to find what works for you, for your farming business, for your land and to meet your goals.

Filmed back in 2018, our Tall Grass Grazing film followed Mossgiel Farm in Ayrshire, Balcaskie Estate in Fife, Lynbreck Croft in Grantown on Spey and The Sailean Project in Lismore at an earlier stage in their holistic management and mob grazing journey.

Setting up your system

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Water, fencing and kit

What kit do I need to invest in? How do I manage water? Is putting up fences lots of work? Farmers in this group have found some brilliant solutions that work for their system, are labour efficient, and aren’t too costly to set up.
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Making a grazing plan

Recording what you are doing really helps with future decision making when it comes to mob grazing. Farmers in the group share what's worked for them.
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Assessing forage

A regular question we're asked is how to assess your forage to know when to move your livestock. The mob grazers have been filming their animal moves so you can see how different farms across Scotland make this work for their land.
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Training & other resources

We've put together a list of places to go for training courses, resources and further support.
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Managing your animals

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Outwintering

The mob grazers have been sharing short videos on how they manage outwintering their sheep and cattle within a mob grazing system. Take a look at their videos to find out more about how this works in different areas of Scotland.
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Breeding

Members of the mob grazing group share how they manage bulling, breeding and genetics in their mob grazing systems.
A long row of dark brown cows eating a field of green leafy grass.

Animal health and nutrition

Animal health and nutrition is a top priority for mob grazers. One of the benefits of daily moves is being able to assess the condition of animals, looking at dung, and identifying any problems quickly.
Four brown and white cows look over a wire fence.

Extending the grazing season

The first step towards fully outwintering (if that's one of your goals) is to extend the grazing season. See how other farmers have made this happen.

Join the mob grazing community

Meet the mob grazers

Transitioning to nature-friendly, regenerative, agroecological farming practices is a vital part of how farmers can help restore our climate, nature and health. But trying new things is best done together.
Learn more