Cell Grazing – The First 10 Years in Australia ⋆ Savory Institute

Science Article

Cell Grazing – The First 10 Years in Australia

McCosker, T. 2000. “Cell Grazing – The First 10 Years in Australia,” Tropical Grasslands. 34: 207-218.

Key Takeaways

"Cell grazing," an early iteration of what eventually evolved into Holistic Planned Grazing, was first introduced to Australia by Allan Savory and former business partner Stan Parsons in May 1989.
This paper highlights many of the common misconceptions surrounding cell-grazing, while additionally providing detailed case studies from various practitioners who experienced decreases in use of inputs and overhead costs, and increased carrying capacity, gross margins, and rainfall effectiveness.

Summary

This paper tracks the progress of Cell Grazing in Australia from 1990 when it was first taught, to 1999, from 2 perspectives. The first, a model of an industry paradigm shift, follows the classic pattern outlined by Kuhn (1970) in which the principles of Cell Grazing will be considered ‘normal science’ within another 10 years. The second perspective is industry-oriented, where results obtained from properties throughout eastern Australia are presented. Cell Grazing was found to boost business profitability and improve soil as well as to increase rainfall use efficiency and, usually, biodiversity. Described as a high-level, time-control grazing method, Cell Grazing differs from a variety of rotational grazing systems. Comprehensive definitions of the different grazing approaches are used to illustrate why results presented in the scientific literature differ from results reported by industry.