Tebenevka

the grazing of farm animals on ground covered with snow. The tebenevka method of grazing is used in regions of transhumant livestock raising, where the animals are driven out to pasture for the whole year. It is effective for deer, horses, and sheep and less so for cattle. The animals dig out the feed from under the snow. Horses can obtain food from under a cover of snow of up to 50 cm deep; sheep, up to 25 cm deep; and cattle, up to 10 cm deep. Tebenevka is best endured by animals of local hardy breeds and their hybrids. The best winter pastures are steppes with perennial compact tufted grasses (feathergrass, fescue grass), wormwood, and saltworts. In some regions with limited natural pastures for winter grazing, sections are set aside and sown with oats, Sudan grass, and sorghum.

In case of inclement weather, for example, snowstorms or glaze ice, extra stores of fodder are held in reserve. Methods of dealing with frozen pasture include the use of heavy harrows and tractor snowplows.