Considering managed grazing on your land How managed grazing can help meet multiple goals

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Considering managed grazing on your land How managed grazing can help meet multiple goals SWGSCA Grazing Broker Workshop December 1, 2012 Laura Paine Grazing & Organic

1 Considering managed grazing on your land How managed grazing can help meet multiple goals SWGSCA Grazing Broker Workshop December 1, 2012 Laura Paine Grazing & Organic Agriculture Specialist WI Dept. Agriculture Jean Stramel NRCS Southwest Regional Grazing Specialist , ext 110

How do we define success in agriculture? Leopold talked about Our self-imposed doctrine of ruthless utilitarianism : The farm as a food factory and the criterion of success is salable products.

2 How do we define success in agriculture? Leopold talked about Our self-imposed doctrine of ruthless utilitarianism : The farm as a food factory and the criterion of success is salable products. Leopold s vision: The farm is a place to live. The criterion of success is a harmonious balance between plants, animals, & people; between the domestic & the wild; between utility & beauty. Aldo Leopold Shack on the Wisconsin River

3 Working Landscapes Agricultural Goals: Incorporating habitat value into profitable agricultural systems Management Flexibility Conservation Goals: Utilizing livestock grazing as a tool for habitat restoration

4 Next in importance to the divine profusion of water, light and air, those three great physical facts which render existence possible, may be reckoned the universal beneficence of grass. John James Ingalls, Senator from Kansas 1872

5 Co-Evolution of Ruminants & Grass

6 The Original Rotational Grazers

The North American Tall Grass Prairie Short Grass Evergreen Forest C3 > C4 Grazing Intensity Mixed Grass Tallgrass Prairie Precipitation Variability Fire

7 The North American Tall Grass Prairie Short Grass Evergreen Forest C3 > C4 Grazing Intensity Mixed Grass Tallgrass Prairie Precipitation Variability Fire Frequency C4 > C3 Deciduous Forest Cool Temperature Gradient Dry Shrub Woodland Wet Warm Moisture Gradient Adapted from: Knapp et al., Grassland Dynamics

8 How managed grazing works Maximize pasture productivity and quality by using rotational grazing Maximize utilization of pasture Minimize investment in infrastructure Let the cows do the work!

9 Management intensive grazing 30 days 1 paddock 30 days 30 paddocks Rest-Rotation Continuum Higher quality Higher yield More diversity More flexibility

10 Management is our most important input for productivity and resource conservation Management makes the difference between this..

11 And this.

12 Management makes the difference between this.

13 And this.

14 Managed grazing can meet economic and conservation goals Land Livestock Manager

15 Building a healthy ecosystem Green Plants (173 g/m) from the ground up Residual (69 g/m) Manure (4 g/m) Roots (173 g/m) Below Ground Detritus (319 g/m) Soil Organic Matter (5000 g/m)

17 Frequency of Grazing and how much Residual is left after grazing affect root systems This is the MANAGEMENT Part of Managed Grazing

18 Managed grazing improves pasture quality and quantity by maintaining highly developed root systems. Above ground vegetation allows for photosynthetic activity to replenish roots.

19 So you get pastures like this

20 INSTEAD OF LIKE THIS.

21 Bare Ground Erodes 10 tons/ac June 2004

Soil Erosion Savings WI Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative 2000-2010 110,357 acres of new well-managed pasture ~11,036 acres/year 104,380 acres of improved pasture management ~10,438 acres/year

22 Soil Erosion Savings WI Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative ,357 acres of new well-managed pasture ~11,036 acres/year 104,380 acres of improved pasture management ~10,438 acres/year Soil Erosion Savings: 220,714 tons of soil/year that now stays in place. 55,179 tons of soil that now stays out of WI surface waters. 441,428 pounds of phosphorus that stays out of WI surface waters (~8# P/ton of soil)

5 Measured 2007 Rusle2 computer prediction 2 Dairy cropping system Row

23 tons soil loss/acre Sediment Loss data from Breneman Discovery Farms project 3 Measured Measured 2007 Rusle2 computer prediction 2 Dairy cropping system Row crop system Sediment losses from Breneman outwintering pastures Soil Erosion

24 Habitat Impacts

Percent of Plant Canopy Using Grazing to Control Invasives Grazed sites had more native grasses and sedges and less reed canarygrass, an invasive species in

25 Percent of Plant Canopy Using Grazing to Control Invasives Grazed sites had more native grasses and sedges and less reed canarygrass, an invasive species in riparian areas and wetlands Grassy Buffer Woody Buffer Managed Grazing Unrestricted Grazing 0 All Grasses Reed Native Grasses Canarygrass

26 Improving Aquatic Habitat Bank Erosion Index: Higher values indicate greater soil loss Aquatic Habitat Index: Higher values indicate greater habitat quality. Unrestricted Grazing Managed Grazing Unrestricted Grazing Managed Grazing Grassy Buffer Woody Buffer Grassy Buffer Woody Buffer

27 Aquatic Habitat & Bank Stability Continuous Grazing Rotational Grazing

28 Acres X 1000 # Birds/Survey Relationship between Forage Acres & Grassland Bird Populations Forages Rowcrops Western Meadowlark

Total # of Birds 1200 1000 800 600 Horned Lark Upland Sandpiper Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Bobolink Henslow's

29 Total # of Birds Horned Lark Upland Sandpiper Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Bobolink Henslow's Sparrow Sedge Wren " 4" - 8" 9" - 12" >12" Idle Grazed Vegetation Height Grazing Modifies Grassland Bird Habitat

30 Making Compromises: Creating a Nesting Refuge Refuge Paddocks Cool Season Paddocks

On-going warm season pasture research Rep 1 Calendar Rep 1 Development Rep 2 Development Rep 2 Calendar Rep 3 Development Rep 3 Calendar Research Questions Improving our chances for successful

31 On-going warm season pasture research Rep 1 Calendar Rep 1 Development Rep 2 Development Rep 2 Calendar Rep 3 Development Rep 3 Calendar Research Questions Improving our chances for successful establishment Are current seeding rates appropriate? Can we improve stand establishment by using named varieties? Maintaining a productive stand Are named varieties or local ecotypes better suited for pasture use? What are the best grazing timings for optimizing yield and quality?

32 Well-managed grazing systems can be part of the solution Control Soil Erosion Protect Water Quality Provide Habitat Delivering Ecosystems Services

33 Managed grazing works economically Two ways to increase profit: PROFIT Income per cow Cost per cow Increase production Reduce cost of production PROFIT Confinement Grazing

34 Custom Heifer Raising on Pasture Feedlot Pasture $/head/day Feed cost $0.73 $0.28 Labor $0.26 $0.08 Machinery $0.33 $0.13 Health costs $0.03 $0.04 Facilities $0.10 n/a Bedding $0.07 n/a Fencing, etc. n/a $0.08 Pasture charge n/a $0.19 Death loss n/a $0.15 Total $1.52 $0.95 Data from M. Rudstrom et. al. U Minnesota

x $1,000 SWGSCA Opportunities: Increasing beef profitability Average herd size is currently 27 cows for MIG, 19 for non-mig $5,000 $4,500 $4,000 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0

35 x $1,000 SWGSCA Opportunities: Increasing beef profitability Average herd size is currently 27 cows for MIG, 19 for non-mig $5,000 $4,500 $4,000 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 $2,000 Total production costs Cost per head $1,800 $1,600 $1,400 $1,200 $1,000 $800 $600 $400 $200 <20 21 to >1000 Herd size category $0 Average cost of production Managed grazing: $1359 Non-managed grazing: $1776

36 Grass-fed Beef Marketing Opportunities Four companies currently soliciting cattle: WI Grass-fed Beef Coop, WI Thousand Hills Cattle Company, MN GrassRun Farms, IA Black Earth Meats, WI

inventory: Landowner & Producer - Develop template contracts, materials, etc - Works with SWGSCA

37 The Broker Concept Landowner Grazing Contract Grazer/Producer Broker - Education - Grazing plan - Estimates value - Find resources - Identify grasslands for grazing - Form relationships - Keep inventory: Landowner & Producer - Develop template contracts, materials, etc - Works with SWGSCA partners - Goal: Increase grazing & maintain grass - Contact point - Landowner Intro. - Manage process - Landowner blocks

38 How should I manage my land? Putting ecological principles to work on your land Forage management goals Landowner conservation goals Management resources: money and time Current habitat qualities and issues Historic character of the landscape

39 The landscape of a farm is the owner s portrait of himself Aldo Leopold

Managing warm-season grasses for pasture and bioenergy in the Prairie Peninsula

Managing warm-season grasses for pasture and bioenergy in the Prairie Peninsula Laura Paine Southwest Badger RC&D 608-732-1202 Laura.paine@swbadger.org Cellulosic bioenergy development is a classic chicken