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Tips for reclaiming weedy rangelandsBy D. Bruce Bosley CSU Extension agent, cropping systems Colorado Many sandhills native ranges that I've had the opportunity to visit have had a history of being grazed continuously during the summer months. As a consequence, they are in poor shape for summer grazing. Cheat grass (or Downey Brome), six week fescue are two of the weedy grasses that plague overgrazed pastures. A heavy population of sandsage, western ragwort, cactus, and yucca are also signs of a history for grazing for too long during the summer months. In most cases overgrazing isn't the problem; rather it is leaving livestock on the range for too long a time that causes the decline of useful forage. Reclaiming weedy rangelands takes skill with using grazing and judicious use of herbicides for controlling the weedy annual grasses. Sandhills rangelands can have the highest forage production and the best potential land for high cattle production among all range soils. However, it is also the most fragile and takes the longest to recover to its full production potential. The best remedy for using these ranges and bringing them back into their productive potential is to use a fast and intensive grazing system during the early spring and limit or restrict summer grazing until the warm season grasses have been re-established. There may be enough productive and nutritious native warm season remnant grasses or forbs in the protected clumps of sandsage to serve as a source for reestablishment. Otherwise it may be necessary to seed these species, which is an expensive and long term process. Livestock managers can make the best use of this spring growth by starting grazing earlier, increasing the stocking numbers put into smaller grazing cell units, and moving them from one cell to the next in rapid succession. Concentrating livestock in a grazing cell forces each animal to become less selective in the plants that they consume. Stocking rates of 4 to 6 animal units per acre in each cell will harvest the useable forage in a day or two. Having several grazing cells at this time will allow the manager to move livestock from one cell to the next to best utilize the quick spring growth. As the season warms and the cool season grasses slow in their growth rate, stocking rates should be reduced and the time allotted for grazing each cell should be increased to allow good plant recovery and regrowth. Avoid summer grazing when re-establishing warm season grasses on sandhills ranges. The increased costs and management effort of establishing rotational cell grazing on native and seeded pastures is normally offset by increased livestock performance. Contact me Bruce Bosley about this or other cropping systems or natural resource topics at 970-522-3200 extension 285 at Sterling or 970-542-3540 at Fort Morgan. 4/21/08 Date: 4/16/08 Advertisement
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