Paddock Move at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

The Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Zimmerman, MN spans 30,700 acres on the Anoka Sandplain, and is largely oak savanna. The refuge is home to a wealth of wildlife diversity, including the sandhill crane, Blanding’s turtles, and wild turkeys. And, since 2013, sometimes cattle.

For nearly three years, University of Minnesota researcher Austin Yantes, seasoned graziers Kent Solberg and Doug Voss, and an assortment of other partners have been studying the impact of targeted grazing on vegetation management and restoration of oak savanna at the Refuge.

We hosted a Silvopasture, Oak Savanna, and Adaptive Grazing Field Day on June 2, 2022 at the Refuge with a cohort of UMN researchers and Refuge staff to share the results of this research. Below, you can watch a video of the herd moving to a new paddock.