When grazing perennial forages, it is critical to leave a certain amount of forage to help the plant regrow after grazing and ensure a robust root mass. The minimum amount of forage to maintain will vary depending on forage species and rainfall.

In higher rainfall areas, it may be appropriate to let cattle consume 65-70% of the forage produced from introduced species like bermudagrass and bahiagrass.

Native species like little bluestem, big bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, blue grama, side oats grama, buffalograss, etc. are more sensitive to overgrazing. A good approach is to allow cattle to only consume 25% of the forage produced.