Pasture Roots

Pasture has its origins in the phrase pastoral farming.

Pastoral farming reflected the nature of tending to livestock, including moving animals to fresh grass so they could continue to eat.

These areas were often open spaces of low growing, grass, forbes and shrub vegetation.

In modern day agriculture pasture is any piece of land containing grass species and numerous other plants and shrubs suitable for the purpose of grazing livestock.

Often the soil is not suitable for growing a strong yield of crops or it is inaccessible for harvest equipment. Yet, it is in these very soils and locations that grasses, forbes and shrubs thrive.

These parcels of land can be referred to as rangeland, prairie or tame seeded grasses.

Rangeland

Much of the Canadian prairie landscape is composed of rangeland, where the natural vegetation is native species of grass, forbes and shrub. Community grazing land in Saskatchewan are almost always rangeland.

Prairie

Prairie is really a type of grassland and the dominant vegetation is grass and shrubs.

Tame seeded grass

Tame seeded grass is a parcel of land that has been seeded by the rancher with either native or introduced species of grass commonly mixed with a legume species such as alfalfa or milk vetch.

Grassland

Grassland is a large area of land dominated by grasses. Pasture is more commonly referred to in context of a smaller area of grazing land for livestock and may include trees and shrubs.

Putting livestock out to graze for a duration of the season is a large component of many ranching systems. It is often the most relaxed time in a livestock production year.

Intensive, feedlot, and factory farming are about the only systems where livestock are raised without the rooted and time honored reliance on grass.

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