TAMU – Capstone Course in Grazingland Planning : An Overview

Wayne Hamilton, Doug Tolleson and Richard Conner

Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementTexas A&M University

Context of Class

• Senior capstone course

• 15 weeks content with major field trip and use of DSS

• Teams which work as consulting company

• All teams use one property as their client’s ranch

• Each Team has a unique client with different ownership desires and goals

Students are assigned a specialist role to play for their company• Rangeland resource assessmentRangeland resource assessment

• Livestock and grazing managementLivestock and grazing management

• Nature-based enterprises & wildlife Nature-based enterprises & wildlife managementmanagement

• Integrated vegetation manipulation & Integrated vegetation manipulation & restorationrestoration

• Economics and financeEconomics and finance

Student Student performance

• In person meeting with client to introduce team members In person meeting with client to introduce team members and explain proposed study to client including cost and explain proposed study to client including cost estimateestimate

• Oral presentation of preliminary findings to client by each Oral presentation of preliminary findings to client by each specialistspecialist

• Written presentation of each company’s report to clientWritten presentation of each company’s report to client

• Peer assessment of fellow team members contributionPeer assessment of fellow team members contribution

Identifying Goals and Objective

• Who are the landowners ?

• Goals – what do they want to do and what is important to them

• Hierarchy of Needs – financial, family and legal constraints

• Landscape Vision – what do they want this land to look like in x years

• What do they want you to help them do?

• Assessment of educational needs of landowner in early stages of planning

Setting Modality of Relationships With Client

• Points of contact, who speaks for who

• Nature of deliverables

• Time allowed to complete plan

• Developing cost estimates for the client hours, $/hr, estimated expenses

• Agreement with landowners on costs, timing and deliverables

• Keeping the client in the planning loopObtaining sensitive informationAssessing goals/capabilities/educational needsProgress reports/obtaining feedback

Resource AssessmentAssembling Necessary Tools:

GPS

ARCVIEW

Mr. Sid Viewer, Arcpad Scripting for cutting DOQQ to worldfiles

NUTBAL

Pestman

Spreadsheet, Word processor

Gathering of Spatial Data

• DOQQ or other aerial digital photographs

• DEM – elevation

• Long/Lat of Water, Fence Corners, Gates, Roads

• Soils, Ecological Site, Suitability Group Data

Determine Need for Plant Community Transects

Will stocking rate assessments require a forage inventory?If so, what technique will be used in the timeframe?

• Production transects

• Estimated usable forage production – rapid appraisal

• Preference based stocking

• Modeling plant growth

Will brush / weed management be required?

• If so determine the problem species …and

• How to measure those (density, size, cover)

Will wildlife habitat measurements be required?If so, what species will be targeted

• Endangered species

• Diversity of species

• Huntable, revenue generating species

Wildlife Population Assessments Required?

• Determine need for population counts – what methods, when, who and how?

• Communicating the error in the data and need for timing of data collection

What facilities will be required in the project plan ?

• Home location /septic systems

• Outbuilding locations

• Well or water pond development

• Electric utility service

• Roads

• Current fences and other facilities -functionality? repair? replace?

Animal Husbandry Plan (if landowners are operating livestock)

• Breeding, replacement and culling program

- Breeds and product to be produced

- Retain/purchase policy

- Age at breeding

• Health Program

- Vaccination program- Parasite program- Pregnancy testing- Male semen testing and soundness- Biosecurity practices

Nutritional Management Plan (if landowners are operating livestock)

• Establish and recommend performance goals of each major class of animals on the ranch

• Provide recommendations for practices to insure performance goals are met

Grazing Management Plan

• Determine whether landowners will operate livestock enterprises or will lease out grazing rights.

• Review stocking rates with land owner

• Explore potential grazing systems-pasture arrangements-management skills-desired speed of range improvement-conflicts with other enterprises.

• Determine where support animals will be grazed

• What changes you recommend in pasture configurations – link to economics

• Design a upper and lower rotation days in each pasture for the system

Livestock Marketing Plan (if landowners are operating livestock)

• Method of sales (local auction, private treaty, forward contract, video)

• Setting performance goals and slides for stockers

Nature-based Enterprise AssessmentNature-based Enterprise Assessment

• Review potential for resources to support Review potential for resources to support alternative nature based enterprises with alternative nature based enterprises with landowners and assess interestlandowners and assess interest

• Lease hunting –Species?Lease hunting –Species?• Other - Hiking, camping, wildlife Other - Hiking, camping, wildlife

viewing/photography, etc.viewing/photography, etc.

Wildlife Hunting Management Plan Wildlife Hunting Management Plan (if desired by landowners)(if desired by landowners)

• Lease agreementsLease agreements• Legal/liability arrangements/access limitationsLegal/liability arrangements/access limitations• Marketing and pricing considerationsMarketing and pricing considerations• Harvest goals/limitsHarvest goals/limits• Hunter education programHunter education program• Hunter facilities maintenance and services to Hunter facilities maintenance and services to

be providedbe provided• Habitat maintenance requirementsHabitat maintenance requirements• Population monitoring - Methods, Population monitoring - Methods,

frequency,etc.frequency,etc.

Other Nature-based Enterprise Other Nature-based Enterprise Management Plan Management Plan

(if desired by landowners(if desired by landowners))

• Topics as required by nature of the selected Topics as required by nature of the selected enterprise(s)enterprise(s)

Vegetation manipulation/rangeland restoration

• Recommend goals within a systems approach

• Allow time for biological processes and economic results to manifest (5-15 years)

• Recommend objectives consistent with resource inventory

• Use ecological site descriptions (S/T models.)

Identify appropriate improvement technologies to cause the desired changes.

Keep focused on objectives and base technology selection on the strategic plan.

Evaluate treatment sets that offer synergistic benefits.

Use DSS (Pestman) to select control technologies.

Include grazing management strategies and expected response magnitudes and timing.

Determine how well the system will accommodate other improvement plans.

Identify appropriate improvement technologies to cause the desired changes (Continued)

• Identify technologies that provide unique requirements (eg. VRP)

• Recognize landscape differences that contribute to internal rates of return on investments.

• Consider technologies that will provide greatest flexibility for future decisions.

Economic/financial Considerations and Economic/financial Considerations and

DeliverablesDeliverables

• Determine desired annual cash flow Determine desired annual cash flow requirements and investment limits – requirements and investment limits – sequence investments over timesequence investments over time

• Develop/adapt enterprise budgets for all Develop/adapt enterprise budgets for all relevant enterprisesrelevant enterprises

• Develop annual cash flow estimates for each Develop annual cash flow estimates for each year during which improvements are year during which improvements are being implementedbeing implemented

• Develop proforma income statement relevant Develop proforma income statement relevant to first year after planned improvements to first year after planned improvements are implementedare implemented

Investment Analysis for Resource Investment Analysis for Resource ImprovementsImprovements

(brush control, facilities, etc)(brush control, facilities, etc)

• Create ReportsCreate Reports– Annual revenue and variable costs byAnnual revenue and variable costs by

enterprise with/without improvementsenterprise with/without improvements– Annual net cash flow with and without Annual net cash flow with and without

improvementsimprovements– Improvement investment summaryImprovement investment summary

• Net present value, internal rate of return,Net present value, internal rate of return, years to breakeven, etc.years to breakeven, etc.