Grazing Sheep and Cattle Together Has Multiple Advantages By Greg Judy

In this episode, Greg Judy shares practical, field-tested insight into successfully grazing sheep and cattle together. Drawing from his experience managing South Poll cattle and parasite-resistant hair sheep across owned and leased farms in Clark, Missouri, Greg explains how multi-species grazing increases profitability, improves pasture health, and simplifies parasite management.

Rather than promoting sheep as a standalone enterprise, this episode demonstrates how integrating species creates biological synergy. Greg walks through sourcing adaptable breeding stock, training sheep to respect electric fence, rotational strategies, and even how combining bulls and sheep into a “flerd” can streamline winter management.

This conversation is packed with actionable lessons for cattle producers considering adding sheep to diversify income and strengthen pasture performance.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

1. Start with Adaptable, Hardy Sheep
   Avoid sale barn shortcuts. Purchase forage-adapted, parasite-resistant breeding stock from reputable graziers. Breed your best, sell the rest, and cull sheep that fail to adapt.

2. Fence Training Over Heavy Infrastructure
   Instead of overbuilding permanent paddocks, train sheep to respect a single poly-braid electric wire. Flexibility in paddock size improves grazing management and reduces labor and expense.

3. Parasite Cycle Disruption
   Sheep parasites ingested by cattle are dead-end hosts — and vice versa. Each species helps “vacuum up” parasites, reducing overall pressure naturally.

4. Weed Control as Profit
   Sheep prefer broadleaf plants and thorny species such as multiflora rose, honey locust, and autumn olive. They convert weeds cattle avoid into marketable lamb.

5. Seasonal Advantages
   Sheep require no hay and often no water below 32°F when grazing stockpiled forage, reducing winter inputs.

6. Sequential Grazing System
   Greg typically grazes cattle first, followed by sheep. At certain times of year, bulls are combined with the sheep flock to simplify winter rotation and management.

7. The “Flerd” Concept
   Combining bulls and sheep reduces labor and improves efficiency during the non-breeding season. With proper training, even a single poly-wire can safely contain large bulls.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

1. Start small — add 8–10 forage-adapted ewes and a ram before scaling up.

2. Focus on parasite-resistant genetics suited to your region.

3. Train livestock to respect electric fence early to avoid costly infrastructure.

4. Use sheep to convert nuisance plants into revenue.

5. Evaluate grazing order — cattle first, sheep second — to maximize forage utilization.

6. Be patient. Selection and culling over time build a resilient, profitable flock.

Greg emphasizes that the ultimate grazing system brings species together as many days of the year as possible. The biological benefits extend beyond livestock — pastures improve, weed pressure declines, and soil health builds.

📌 For more grazing insights, click here for books by Greg Judy, and access to the Multi-Species Grazing School, and much more

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast for practical lessons straight from experienced graziers building profitable regenerative operations.