Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 103

Introduction to Sustainable Rangeland Management Saskatchewan is well known for its diverse production of crops and livestock. We grow cereals, oilseeds, and pulse crops in both high quantity and high quality. In addition to grain production, there are over six million hectares of rangeland in Saskatchewan. As you learned from the soil stations, not all soils have the same characteristics, such as fertility, nor the capacity to support annual crops.

In some regions sustaining a healthy ecosystem means keeping the soil covered with perennial vegetation (for example, grasses, shrubs, and trees), in order to stabilize the soil and minimize any potential loss of soil or nutrients. This does not mean these areas are not productive. On the contrary, these areas are wonderfully suited to support livestock production while conserving important water, habitat, and biodiversity resources. In Saskatchewan, the production of cattle and other livestock is a key component of maintaining healthy rangelands, supporting the economic needs of families and communities, and providing protein-rich food for a growing population.

Rangelands, a broad category of land comprising more than 40 percent of the earth’s land area, are characterized by plant communities of native and/or introduced plant species (commonly termed “forage”) that support a grazing population. The term “rangeland” also includes forestlands that have grazing resources or seeded lands (i.e. pasture).

Rangeland management seeks to maintain or restore the productivity and ecological balance of the forage/grazer relationship, which is a cornerstone of healthy rangelands.

Managed grazing is a term that describes how ranchers manage their rangelands, with a focus on:

• Direct hands-on management – this means the rancher closely follows the interactions between plant, animal, soil, and water. They determine where, when, and what livestock graze, and control animal distribution and movement.

• Improving the quality of the forage through rotational grazing and making sure invasive plant species do not establish themselves.

• Increasing livestock productivity, meaning more animal weight-gain per unit area of land.

Station 7Rangeland Management

Aerial view of rangeland in southwest Saskatchewan.

Most ranches are family owned and many still use

horses for their work.

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 104

Station 7Rangeland Management

Strategies, Concepts and Tools used in Managed Grazing The ecological benefits of rangeland are not just limited to the forage and the grazers, but also include water and wildlife habitat that supports increased biodiversity. Overall, ranchers rely on a number of strategies, concepts, and tools to care for rangelands:

• Paddocks, or pastures are smaller unit areas of land partitioned off with fencing to ensure the forage is grazed uniformly.

• Rotational grazing is a fundamental practice whereby livestock are moved through the paddocks at a rate varying with plant growth and time required for plant recovery/regrowth. The goal is to evenly distribute livestock use and eliminate re-grazing on individual plants.

• Stocking rate is the number of animals on a pasture during a month or grazing season.

• Carrying capacity describes the average number of animals that can be placed on a pasture for a set time without harming it. In simplified terms, carrying capacity is a function of how much forage is available and the stocking rate.

• Tame pastures include non-native forage varieties that grow well on the prairies and are not invasive. One advantage of tame forage varieties is that they respond well to low-level applications of nitrogen through fertilizer or manure to improve overall growth and forage quality.

• Electric fencing – Modern electric fencing makes managed grazing feasible. The equipment is inexpensive, highly efficient, and can control large groups of livestock on very small paddock units. Livestock must, however, respect electric fencing. They must be trained to accept electric wire before going on to pasture.

• Water sources – Livestock need sufficient high quality water, or their forage intake and production declines dramatically. Keeping water sources fenced, to give only strategic access points, helps eliminate tramping of reservoir banks and prevents the fouling of water sources. Use of water pipelines is an alternative that allows ranchers flexibility within their grazing plans.

With this knowledge, the proper combination of land, time, and number of animals may be chosen to ensure the sustained, long-term productivity of rangeland. The optimum number of animals on the pasture makes efficient use of the forage without waste, but still leaves enough forage to allow quick and complete recovery.

Native grassland is hardy and can be grazed into late fall.

Solar-powered remote water tanks keep cattle out

of clean water sources.

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 105

Station 7Rangeland Management

Importance of Managed GrazingTo better understand how grazing management impacts the rangeland ecosystem, knowing some of the history of European settlement in North America is beneficial. Early ranching practices in North America were unrestricted by fences and property boundaries, and so grazers (e.g. cattle, sheep, bison) moved along as forage supplies depleted, and consequently, rangelands received periods of rest and healthy re-growth (i.e. the forage-grazer relationship as nature intended). However, as fencing use became widespread, season-long, continuous grazing became accepted. This produced many of the problems now associated with poor grazing management, whereby forage is grazed and re-grazed without providing adequate time for re-growth.

From a plant perspective, improper grazing management reduces plant tolerance to stress, cold, drought, and disease.

Excessive grazing (often called overgrazing) occurs when forage plants are continually being grazed without a rest period. This may be due to too many animals (excessive stocking rate) in one area, or for too long a time period, or both. Excessive grazing places significant stress on forage plants, reducing their growth and resulting in increased amounts of bare ground and risk of soil erosion. Consequently, the forage species of high grazing quality are slowly overtaken and replaced by less desirable plants (usually this means less grass and more invasive weeds), which further decreases the mulch layer on the soil surface and thus exasperating the situation. The water and mineral cycles cease to function efficiently, and overall range and pasture productivity declines.

Currently, western Canadian ranchers are experiencing a re-birth, in terms of their grazing practices, having adapted their grazing management plans to mimic the original relationship between forage and grazers.

Bison are the original large grazers of the Prairies.

An example of an over-grazed pasture.

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 106

Activity 1Rangelands … Spatially Speaking

1. Refer to the laminated map SOIL CLIMATIC ZONES OF SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN, found in the soil kit.

2. Read the definition of the Soil Climatic Zone (backside of map) and its purpose in helping determine how the climate of one’s region will influence the amount of nitrogen fertilizer typically applied. Remember that adequate soil moisture is a prerequisite for fertilizer to become soluble and be taken up by the plant. As such, relatively drier areas would typically apply less fertilizer than relatively more moist areas.

3. Answer the following questions:

Q1: In your own words, what does the “Soil Climatic Zone” indicate? How is this map helpful for farmers and ranchers?

Q2: Which soil climatic zones are driest? What types of agriculture is practiced in these zones?

4. Cross reference this data with the Figure 1 depicting the percentage of rangeland on the Prairie provinces.

5. Answer the following question.

Q3. Referring to Figure 1, where is the majority of rangeland found in Saskatchewan? How would you describe the relationship between soil climatic zones and the use of agricultural land for crop or livestock production?

Station 7Rangeland Management

Figure 1. Percent of Rangeland on the Canadian Prairies

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 107

Station 7Rangeland Management

Activity 2Be the Rancher! Photo Interpretation to Help Make Better Grazing Management Decisions

So now that you’ve had a crash course in Rangeland Management, you get to Be the Rancher!!

You own a ranch with 650 head of cattle and must utilize your knowledge to respond to the questions given within each scenario. Complete each scenario as time permits.

Scenario 1:

The people who ranch next to your land send you a text inviting you to supper at their place – they want to ask you some questions about why their forage (as seen on the right side of the fence of the photo “Fenceline”) doesn’t look like yours (as seen on the left). After the steak and mashed potatoes have all been eaten, what are you going to tell them?

Note: this scenario could be completed as a short role-play.

“Fenceline” - Photo Credit: Don Fontaine, Saskatchewan Agriculture

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 108

Scenario 2:

A call from your Grandpa jogs your memory to when your family’s ranch was in financial trouble in the 1980’s. You look once again at the photos that made you think differently about grass and cattle. The photo entitled “Makwa 87” is your pasture in NW Saskatchewan in 1987, trimmed like a golf green. You simply ‘left them out to pasture’ for the season but, year after year, your land deteriorated. Then, in 1988 you were given a research photo (entitled “Roots”) by a university scientist after her presentation at the town hall. It opened your eyes to what was going on in the soil! Nowadays, you are familiar with the story of these photos through your practice of getting out on your land and checking the plants, its roots, and the tilth of the soil.

In your own common terms, why do these photos prove the benefits of rotational grazing in comparison to ‘letting them out to pasture for the season’?

Station 7Rangeland Management

“Makwa 87” - Photo Credit: Don Fontaine, Saskatchewan Agriculture

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 109

Station 7Rangeland Management

“Roots” - Photo Credit: Don Fontaine, Saskatchewan Agriculture

Presented by:

The Agri-Environment • Page 110

Station 7Rangeland Management

Scenario 3:

Getting together with friends and family, at Agribition in Regina, is a highlight every year. Many pictures are shared and compared from the event, checking out each other’s cattle and grazing plans, like those from your uncle and aunt’s farm (see photos “Cattle” and “Grazing Plan”). When you get home, you begin to create your grazing plan for a new area that you have just leased – you even have a digital elevation map (entitled “St. Denis”) that shows all the details of the land.

How might you divide up this land into paddocks? What is your plan for access to water? What other concerns or limitations do you perceive?

“Cattle” Photo Credit: Don Fontaine, Saskatchewan Agriculture

“Grazing Plan” Image Credit: http://onpasture.com/2013/11/11