 There is a basic equation that must be applied when you graze animals on range lands and it isn't rocket science. The total food that the plant produces must be greater than or equal to the food needed by the plants for their own health and vigor, plus the food eaten by the animals, or the whole system goes kaput. Here is an example. Once there were plants on both sides of this fence that could produce about 1,000 pounds of food that could be eaten by animals per acre per year. Unfortunately, the animals grazing on this side of the fence needed many times that much food in just a few days. The result, no more good plants, just weeds and bare dirt. By the way, that is not good for the animals either. So remember, if you want to graze animals on your property, you should begin with a realistic assessment of how much forage the pasture can produce and how much the animals need to eat. It's the only way to keep both your pasture and your animals healthy. I'm Gene Gade of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.