OK Terry,
That's enough information to at least get me started. Keep in mind the way I originally intended to run this project, I wasn't going to tackle a section size or larger until phase three. I originally intended to tackle details small scale first, then move to around 10-25 acres, then 100 acres+ Basically a start small at the bottom and work my way up. However, with that kind of acreage and already in beef production, I would start at the top and work down. Still many variables, but I can give you an idea of the materials you will need and a very basic plan of action.
The VERY first thing we do is find out the current average yearly cow days per acre for the property as it is being run now. Second thing we do is establish a baseline by sampling the soil and vegetation. This is what we will monitor.
Next step is a topographical map to determine
keylines.
Then we use keyline design to establish paddocks of the size needed to allow forage for 1-3 days. Those paddocks will be established with portable electric fencing and water supply. Cost is about 50-100 dollars per acre if we can gravity feed all the better, and will allow a
Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing system to be established. Right off the bat first year that means an average of 50%-100% increase in forage availability. IE Doubling the average yearly cow days per acre. This is primarily due to the "second bite" principle. ie, the herds are not allowed a second bite on the same grass plant, allowing it to recover before the paddock is grazed again. This sparks very vigorous growth.
Read more about the specifics here:
"Pastures for profit: A guide to rotational grazing"
As you can see by the charts, the time to make hay is at the peak growing season when the cattle can't keep up, and then the hay is used to supplement during low growth periods to avoid over grazing. One of the many benefits of this type of grazing system is that the quality of the forage (and thus the hay too) gradually and naturally increases over time due to the "mob mowing effect" causing higher level successional species of grass and high quality
forbs to thrive and dominate.
This part is well proven, there are university guides published like the one I linked earlier. And I even have contacts in Texas using it now that can help me establish that portion of the management plan.
Next step is incorporating multiple species into the livestock plan. One certain to be needed is chickens, specifically hens for egg production. They are highly important to the grazing plan as clean-up and pest control. They follow the cattle paddocks 3 days after the herds move and eat fly larvae and ticks etc. plus many other insects like grasshoppers that can harm pasture, and spreading the cow manure as they scratch for bugs. They also provide a second revenue stream on the same land actually improving productivity of the pasture for cattle. Other possibilities are sheep and goats to clear brushy areas and/or areas taken over by invasives, allowing them to return to good pasture, hogs if there are wooded areas, possibly turkeys if we can find a market.
Materials needed for that is feathernet electric fencing, a portable "egg mobile" (for poultry only), feeders for grain supplements and water. If there are wooded areas, we can probably make an "egg mobile" on site with native materials pretty cheap with a mobile band saw mill.
This part is also well proven. Polyface Farms developed and perfected this technique in a scale-able way to any size business model. Read more here:
Polyface Farms
Next is integrating vegetable and grain production into the plan. I would start with one paddock established by the above plan. Year 1 use the techniques I am working on in a small scale this year. ie The no till mulch and hay and start with a good market crop for the area. Tomatoes will need stakes for a Florida weave, other crops not so much. The spacing of course depends on the vegetable crop. The paddock will be grazed like any other paddock with the exception of just prior to preparation for veggies. Then we use the "second bite" principle the opposite way. After it is grazed, and followed by chickens, when the strips we intend to use for veggie production are using their reserves for regrowth at at their weakest, we mow the strips very low then paper and mulch. (leaving taller unmolested pasture between rows). Those pasture strips will be used to raise broilers in "chicken tractors". Also can be used for grass clippings for mulch, compost etc. With feather net fencing can raise egg layers too, even potentially smaller grazers like meat rabbits. You can get an idea how that works from Polyface too.
I would start with just chickens though. And make my rows 4 feet wide and the pasture between them 12 feet wide, and 350 feet long. So each 10X12 chicken tractor will travel 10 feet a day times 35 days (the days on pasture for a broiler to make market weight) This allows the animals to be out of the paddock when veggies are being picked.
When the paddock is finished with it's crop, the paddock can be used whole again to allow the animals to clean up.
The following year, we use 2 paddocks. Think of a rotational cropping system. What grew tomatoes this year can grow corn the next. Then beans the following year and 3 paddocks in crop production. The new one in tomatoes, next one corn and third beans. Next year four used tomatoes, corn, beans, wheat....and so on and so on until you put the first back into pasture (fallow except for grazing)....and then start the rotation over again. This should help prevent diseases and pest buildups.
That's how I see this working on acreage the size of a section or more. Nothing proven yet. Sure to be many rough edges to work out. But, that's the basic plan. There may also be areas we could look at establishing perennials, orchards or a "food forest" if applicable to the land. Every area would be slightly different that way. The idea is to use
biomimicry, substituting food crops of domestic species for what naturally would be growing in the area. This way we are working with nature instead of fighting against nature, which requires much less effort and yields far more productivity on average.
PS I would still need to talk with the person managing this land before attempting to get more specific than this. You never sent me a private message with his number.