By: Brooke Higgins,
Outreach and Resource Development Coordinator
Edmunds and McPherson County Conservation Districts
Adaptability is an important term and no different when it comes to farming and ranching. Adjusting to environmental and industry changes can be a key point to the success of your farming or ranching business. Adjusting your business strategies does have to start with a plan, however. To create a plan, you ‘gotta know what you got.’
Range management is an integral part of success when it comes to grasslands. You must have a plan and be willing to adapt your plan based on a multitude of different factors. Range management comes with 5 major principles: Adaptive Management, Grazing plans, Ecosystem Biodiversity, Residual Forage and Climate Readiness.
Adaptive Management includes the ability to adjust to environmental and industry changes and continuously monitoring changes, adjusting as necessary. The cycle of adaptive management includes 4 parts: the plan, implementation of the plan, evaluation of the strategies, and adjustments if planned strategies did not receive the expected outcome. By following this cycle of adaptive management, producers can execute management decisions and increase their operation’s flexibility.
A grazing plan is a guide to follow throughout the grazing season to maintain properly grazed rangelands. Your grazing plan should include at least these few basic thoughts: graze at the right time, for the correct amount of time, with the appropriate stocking rate and allow for an adequate recovery period. Promoting a native plant community is the goal when adjusting your grazing. An important reminder in your grazing plan is to make sure that you are not grazing the same grasslands at the same time year after year.
Ecosystem biodiversity is the 3rd principle of range management. Rangeland diversity helps keep all parts of the ecosystem functioning and intact, leading to a diverse animal community both above and below ground. Benefits of ecosystem diversity include both
resistance and resilience against external factors. A biodiverse ecosystem can provide numerous ecosystem services including water and nutrient cycling and air filtration, ultimately providing water, food, hunting and fishing services, and even carbon capture.
Residual forage, also known as ‘residue’ or ‘litter’ is critical for the rangeland ecosystem because it helps to protect from water and wind erosion, promotes infiltration of rainfall while reducing the risk of evaporation, helps maintain soil temperature, increases nutrients and organic matter in the soil and helps sequester carbon dioxide in the soil. Adequate live plant residue is vital after grazing to ensure plants regrow between periods of grazing.
Climate readiness is the 5th principle of range management and should be a part of your whole plan. Your operation needs to be ready to deviate from the plan in the event of a ‘what-if’ scenario occuring. Many of these events, like drought, a major winter storm, or fire are not an ‘if’ issue, but a ‘when’ issue and being prepared to adjust your plan can help your business remain successful.
Knowing where to start with your plan is determined by what you have. This is where the phrase ‘you gotta know what you got’ comes in. Knowing your starting point determines how to move forward. The Ipswich Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field office and the Edmunds County Conservation District can provide you with a wealth of knowledge to help you identify ‘what you’ve got’ and determine what you will do to get your rangeland health where you want it to be. Many of our partners, such as the South Dakota Grassland Coalition, also provide a variety of informational workshops, like Grazing Schools, that can provide you with the knowledge needed to improve the health of your rangeland.
Contact the Edmunds County Conservation District at (605)426-6994 or the Ipswich NRCS Field Office at (605)426-6951 ext 3 for any rangeland health assistance or for more information on attending events like Grazing School.
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