My buddy runs short on cows and on good rain years(like this year) he will take on stockers from other ranchers.

Guy across the street from me is on about 750 acres of irrigated clover.... he can run 1.5-2 cows per acre but he is constantly moving them.... the place is broke up into about 10 pastures..... he gets free water from the tomato cannery in town and the ph is too high to grow much else.... he actually gets too much water and has to do things like aerate and mow a lot to handle it. He also buys a bunch of silage corn and hay to feed in the winter but he could probably run less head ??? I do know he also farms about 3000 acres of almonds and isn't a dummy so whatever he's doing, he's got it figured out.

Most guys turn out on non irrigated/native pasture in the winter when the rains start and will stay on it until the grass is done about may-June then bring them home to irrigated pasture.This is In the Sierra foothills here .....I've heard guys say anywhere from 15-40 acres per cow depending on the rain and the just the ranch in general.... it varies a bunch. We don't get ANY snow here and it rarely gets below freezing in the winter..... super long growing season.