Mixed grazing systems of small ruminants and cattle: An alternative to improve animal performance at pasture

Mixed grazing of sheep or goats with cattle offers an agroecological strategy to increase individual daily weight gain by around 14–15 g per animal and achieve up to 29 % higher gain per hectare compared to single-species grazing. A meta-analysis for sheep and a two-year tropical pasture trial for goats demonstrated significant growth improvements, while cattle gains matched or exceeded those in sole systems. Mixed grazing dilutes gastrointestinal nematode loads, promotes pasture biomass turnover, reduces production costs, and minimizes conventional anthelmintic use, resulting in high-quality meat without chemical residues.