Pete Berscheit has wanted to farm since he was five. But with three brothers interested in farming, he didn’t think the fourth-generation family farm in Todd County, Minn. would be large enough to support everyone.
So instead of farming, Berscheit joined the Army at 17, where he served for 20 years. Toward the end of his Army career, repeated deployments were starting to take a toll on his young family, and in 2008, he and his wife, Rosemary, decided to return to their roots.
Berscheit and his family bought a place to support a small herd of 40 Black Angus cow and calf pairs, fulfilling his nearly lifelong dream of becoming a farmer. The farm is about three miles from where he grew up in central Minnesota. The farm was a good location and was a good fit for raising a family and starting his ranch.
A family friend and neighbor, Jim Anderson, spiked Berscheit’s interest in rotational grazing. Anderson had used rotational grazing for years and touted the benefits of the conservation practice. The practice improves the herd’s health and leads to other benefits for the ranch and the environment. Berscheit was convinced rotational grazing was right for his land.
He turned to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for help installing a rotational grazing system. Russell Kleinschmidt, a district conservationist with NRCS, helped him plan and implement one.
Rotational grazing improves forage health and production by resting pastures and leaving adequate forage stubble height to allow for grass to recover and grow faster. The practice also encourages more diversity in the grasses and legumes that grow. With rotational grazing, the grass keeps the soil covered, preventing erosion and allowing the plant matter to improve soil health.
To implement a rotational grazing system, Berscheit divided his one large pasture into separate paddocks, or pastures, with fencing. He also added a watering system to each new paddock and seeded a variety of grasses and legumes on his land.
“I truly appreciated the technical assistance of NRCS’ employees,” Berscheit said. “It’s easy to say I think I am going to put a fence here and there to subdivide the pasture, but NRCS was able to strategically plan out my system to ensure proper fence placement to size the paddocks properly, avoid creating trailing and erosion, managing the stream and wetlands to avoid degrading water quality, and help me improve my farm operation.”
In addition to the technical assistance from NRCS, Berscheit also applied and received financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help pay for the fencing, watering facilities and seeding. The purpose of this Farm Bill program is to solve natural resource concerns while improving agricultural production.
Because of the area’s steep slopes and sandy soil, his conservation work also helps curb erosion, keeping healthy soil where it’s needed and out of the stream that cuts across his land.
“Working with NRCS was invaluable,” Berscheit said, recommending rotational grazing and other agency conservation practices to other farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.