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 608-224-5120 Laura.paine@wi.gov Jean Stramel NRCS Southwest Regional Grazing Specialist 608-647-8874, ext 110 Jean.stramel@wi.usda.gov
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
Working Landscapes Agricultural Goals: Incorporating habitat value into profitable agricultural systems Management Flexibility Conservation Goals: Utilizing livestock grazing as a tool for habitat restoration
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
Co-Evolution of Ruminants & Grass
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 Frequency C4 > C3 Deciduous Forest Cool Temperature Gradient Dry Shrub Woodland Wet Warm Moisture Gradient Adapted from: Knapp et al., 1998. Grassland Dynamics
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!
Management intensive grazing 30 days 1 paddock 30 days 30 paddocks Rest-Rotation Continuum Higher quality Higher yield More diversity More flexibility
Management is our most important input for productivity and resource conservation Management makes the difference between this..
And this.
Management makes the difference between this.
And this.
Managed grazing can meet economic and conservation goals Land Livestock Manager
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)
Frequency of Grazing and how much Residual is left after grazing affect root systems This is the MANAGEMENT Part of Managed Grazing
Managed grazing improves pasture quality and quantity by maintaining highly developed root systems. Above ground vegetation allows for photosynthetic activity to replenish roots.
So you get pastures like this
INSTEAD OF LIKE THIS.
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 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)
tons soil loss/acre Sediment Loss data from Breneman Discovery Farms project 3 Measured 2006 2.79 2.5 Measured 2007 Rusle2 computer prediction 2 Dairy cropping system Row crop system Sediment losses from Breneman outwintering pastures 1.5 1 0.86 0.5 0 0.0009 0.029 0.04 Soil Erosion
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 riparian areas and wetlands. 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Grassy Buffer Woody Buffer Managed Grazing Unrestricted Grazing 0 All Grasses Reed Native Grasses Canarygrass
Improving Aquatic Habitat 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Bank Erosion Index: Higher values indicate greater soil loss. 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 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
Aquatic Habitat & Bank Stability Continuous Grazing Rotational Grazing
Acres X 1000 # Birds/Survey Relationship between Forage Acres & Grassland Bird Populations 80000 40 70000 35 60000 30 50000 25 40000 20 30000 20000 10000 0 Forages Rowcrops Western Meadowlark 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 15 10 5 0
Total # of Birds 1200 1000 800 600 Horned Lark Upland Sandpiper Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Bobolink Henslow's Sparrow Sedge Wren 400 200 0 0-4" 4" - 8" 9" - 12" >12" Idle Grazed Vegetation Height Grazing Modifies Grassland Bird Habitat
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 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?
Well-managed grazing systems can be part of the solution Control Soil Erosion Protect Water Quality Provide Habitat Delivering Ecosystems Services
Managed grazing works economically Two ways to increase profit: 3000 2500 PROFIT Income per cow Cost per cow Increase production Reduce cost of production 2000 1500 PROFIT 1000 500 0 Confinement Grazing
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 $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 50 51-100 101-200 201-500 501-1000 >1000 Herd size category $0 Average cost of production Managed grazing: $1359 Non-managed grazing: $1776
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
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
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
The landscape of a farm is the owner s portrait of himself Aldo Leopold