8 minute read
Good For Grasslands
Molly Meister
Molly Meister is a publications supervisor in the DNR’s Office of Communications.
Diverse interests team up for this important natural resource
From the Northwoods to the Driftless Area, Wisconsin's abundant natural resources are downright postcard-worthy. We treasure our plentiful lakes, rivers and streams, lush forests, unique geology and so much more.
But one of our most essential resources often goes unnoticed and underappreciated — Wisconsin's grasslands. Also known as prairies, grasslands once were everywhere across the Midwest. But their footprint keeps getting smaller and smaller, giving way to urban and suburban development and row-crop agriculture.
Today, agriculture covers about 14 million of the state's 35 million acres. In contrast, there are about 500,000 acres of undeveloped and uncultivated prairie, down from an estimated 1 million acres 30 years ago and 2.1 million acres before Europeans arrived.
Both farmlands and grasslands are giving way to development, said Mary C. Anderson, DNR grassland and conservation agriculture specialist.
"We're in a fierce competition for places for people to live, and it's easier and more cost-effective to clear farmland and put up a subdivision than it is to knock down a whole forest," Anderson said. "This demand for urban expansion, coupled with the mass extinction of small- and medium-sized dairy farms, is causing a major prairie shortage."
BENEFITS OF GRASSLANDS
Why do grasslands matter? Grasslands are dominated by nonwoody plants. When landscapes have a few scattered trees, they're called savannas. Grasslands are found in areas with enough water to support vegetation (not deserts) but where periodic drought limits plants from investing in stems (not forests).
Periodic defoliation by fires or grazing animals further shapes grasslands, which tolerate these conditions by allocating much of their growth below ground for regrowth and persistence when environmental conditions are more favorable.
"Grasslands cover about 40% of Earth's land mass and are the main place we humans do agriculture," said Randy Jackson, professor of grassland ecology at UW-Madison.
The benefits of grasslands are many, added Scott Stipetich, senior precision agriculture and conservation specialist for Pheasants Forever, including:
• Habitat. Grasslands are essential for declining species such as Karner blue butterflies, bobolinks, meadowlarks, greater prairie chickens and many plants that require light levels not found in dense forests, along with the pollinators and other species these plants support.
• Clean water. If managed well, grasslands have perennial cover and deep, fibrous root systems that promote water interception and infiltration, reducing surface runoff and aiding water storage and nutrient retention.
• Carbon storage. Healthy grassland root systems also can boost the drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide, potentially helping to stabilize the climate.
• Recreation. Well-managed grasslands make a scenic backdrop for hiking, camping, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, photography and other recreational pursuits.
• Rural economies. Grasslands planted near crop fields may increase crop production, boost livestock grazing production and reduce the loading of phosphorus on wastewater treatment facilities and stormwater systems, which decreases tax burdens.
• Biodiversity. Grasslands can be managed to support a wide variety of species that build more resilient ecosystems.
SOIL HEALTH 101
Grasslands can build up soil organic matter, supporting a diverse community of bacteria and fungi that improve soil fertility and plant growth. This can help offset chemical treatments and maintain healthier soil.
"There are about 7.5 billion organisms in a tablespoon of soil," said Randy Zogbaum, soil health specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. "By putting chemicals on the soil, you change the makeup of soil organisms, affecting the functions of the soil, making it more like concrete, which doesn't let water or roots pass through it.
"That can lead to problems of erosion, drought intolerance and poor water quality."
Incorporating the five principles of soil health promotes the capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans, Zogbaum added. Those principles are maximizing soil cover, maximizing living roots, maximizing crop diversity, minimizing disturbance (think of plowing) and integrating livestock.
CONSERVATION GRAZING
One way farmers and conservationists are teaming up for grasslands is conservation grazing, also known as managed grazing.
The concept is simple: Bring in farm animals such as cattle, sheep, horses or goats to graze on an area of grassland to provide feed for the animals while allowing their foot traffic and browsing to trample and consume undesirable plant species. This keeps grasslands healthy and prevents them from transitioning into woody habitat.
Since 2014, the DNR has partnered with farmers across Wisconsin to offer certain state-owned grasslands for livestock grazing. Grazing now occurs on 52 DNR sites comprising about 6,000 acres.
"When we use biology to change biology, my phrase is, 'The ox is slow, but the earth is patient,'" said the DNR's Anderson, quoting a classic proverb.
"It does take time, but we are not spraying chemicals to kill invasive species. And we're not spending DNR staff time or money to go out and do strategic clipping or mowing. We're actually having producers and livestock do that for us."
Although grazing may not be the best option on every site, it's a way to maintain grasslands to promote healthy ecosystem function, reminiscent of the days when bison roamed the prairie. Herd movement after grazing allowed plants time to regrow, while the bison's periodic soil disturbance and nutrient-rich excrement encouraged a diversity of plants to thrive.
Well-managed grazing of livestock mimics much of these dynamics.
"Fresh vegetation that is constantly regrowing attracts wildlife back to the prairie because it's like having fresh bread all the time versus the end piece of the bag that's been left on the shelf for a week," Anderson said.
POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP
Jerry Huth and Josh Scharf are beef cattle farmers in Oakfield. Huth has been farming since the 1960s and helms Huth Polled Herefords while also working with Scharf to run S&H Livestock Enterprises.
They have a combined 170 cows, each eating 50 to 60 pounds of wet grass daily. That's a lot of mouths to feed, so they connected with the DNR in 2016 to expand their pasture into an adjacent property under the DNR's Glacial Habitat Restoration Area program.
"Partnering with the DNR allows us to add a few more cows to our herd, which ultimately increases our profitability, keeps us going and puts food on our tables," Scharf said. "We also want to provide a nutritious product that's sustainable and environmentally sound.
"So it's a win-win for us and the DNR."
GRASSLAND 2.0
A dedicated group of food producers, researchers and public and private sector folks are taking a grassroots approach to restoring much of the function of the original prairie.
Jackson, of UW-Madison, heads up Grassland 2.0, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that works to transform livestock agriculture in the upper Midwest from grain-fed to grassland-fed production.
"It's really about trying to get folks to come together and collectivize their voices, so political and corporate organizations can't ignore the demand for a different kind of agriculture," Jackson said.
Grassland agriculture can be as profitable as grain-fed agriculture, or more so, though perhaps not as productive. But as societal demand for stable soil and climate, clean water and thriving biodiversity grows, grassland agriculture can be incentivized and rewarded with markets and policies to support these outcomes.
FULFILLING WORK
All of these experts agree on how essential it is to move toward a food system that finds ways to provide for ourselves today while building the capacity for future generations to do the same — and look out for the ecosystem in the process.
Well-managed perennial grasslands provide a way to realize those goals.
"My entire family sees the benefits for wildlife on our grazing pastures," Scharf said. "If you come through here in June, you would be bowled over with the number of monarch butterflies and bees flying around, as well as bobolinks, turkeys and geese.
"It’s incredibly fulfilling to be able to make a living while at the same time having these amazing views outside our window.”
LEARN MORE
The federal government offers financial incentives to farmers and landowners to plant grasses through its Conservation Reserve Program; find out more at dnr.wi.gov/tiny/2676. For details on the Grassland 2.0 project, visit grasslandag.org.
