create a fi rebreak, maintain prime fawning cover for pronghorn or mule deer, or create favorable conditions for songbirds or prairie chickens.
Other benefi ts of grazing Besides the signifi cant wildlife benefi ts described
above, grazing provides several other natural benefi ts. Every gardener knows the benefi ts of manure. A full- grown cow deposits about 7 or 8 pounds of manure (dry weight basis) on the pasture each day. This is part of nature’s way of giving back and perpetuating soil quality. Cattle are large powerful animals and can be used to
open up dense brush and weed areas for better access. Cattle, sheep and goats can be used for weed control
in some cases. More than a few ranchers have noticed their cattle walking right past green grass to graze on weeds. In fact, some innovative small-scale cattle pro- ducers are actually training their animals to consume weeds that are normally considered undesirable. This not only provides additional nutrition, but also reduces the need for costly herbicides. Cattle are also effective at promoting seed dispersal.
As cattle walk, graze and rest, they pick up and move a large amount of seed in their hair coat and hooves. Many of the better grasses such as little bluestem, big
bluestem and indian grass have bent awns attached to the seeds, which helps them get attached to passing ani- mals where they are then transported to new locations. It is no surprise that cattle can trample the ground
and produce soil disturbance. This can be done for ben- efi cial purposes to prepare a seedbed for planting grass or to promote the growth of certain desirable forbs for wildlife.
By rotating the placement of salt, mineral, hay,
tubs and cubes, ranchers can manage the degree and location of disturbed areas. Some ranchers have even added seed such as alfalfa, sweet clover, bristle grass, switchgrass and other hard seed to their loose mineral to reseed pastures. Much of this seed passes through intact and is deposited wherever the cattle roam.
Learning from cattlemen When a wildlife biologist or conservation agent goes
out to a ranch, it is usually for the purpose of trying to help the rancher with some aspect of management. This is what we are paid to do and we should strive
to do it well. We have a great deal to learn from ranchers. They
have spent decades, if not a lifetime, on the ranch and they have learned a lot that they are usually willing to share. They see (and understand) things that we will
never see regarding land, water, wildlife and livestock management. For rangelands to continue to produce beef, wild-
life habitat and healthy watersheds, and do so on a long-term sustainable and economical basis, today’s wildlife biologists and conservationists would do well to appreciate the remarkable cow and the folks who raise them.
Editor’s note: Steve Nelle worked for USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service for 35 years in central, South and West Texas. He resides in San Angelo and is involved in private range and wildlife consulting, and watershed conservation activities.
78 The Cattleman July 2015
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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