Proceedings brand creation for a prescribed fire culture – utilizing key social media parameters. Lars Coleman*1, J. Kelly Hoffman1, Thomas McDaniel1, R. Patrick Bixler2, Urs P. Kreuter1, Morgan Russell3

Tracking collars utilizing GPS data loggers have become popular among cattle and rangeland researchers. These collars can be constructed at much lower cost than commercial collars, and a recent study has shown that metrics like distance traveled, elevation and slope are comparable. However, these lower-cost GPS collars do not come with software to identify and correct bad data. Past attempts to isolate bad data involved time consuming visual observation and removal using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. While this technique works well to find erroneous GPS point outside of pasture boundaries, points nested within the animal’s normal range are undetectable. Single metric, such as distance traveled, sorting on spreadsheet software often results in loss of good data surrounding bad points. In this study, authors characterized differences between commercially available GPS tracking collars (Lotek) and tracking collars made from lower-cost GPS data loggers (Knight), describe methods to isolate and remove bad GPS points from the data set, and looked at times of day when inaccurate data occurred more frequently.  Eleven Lotek and 6 Knight GPS tracking collars were placed on Gund Ranch cattle near Austin, Nevada for 140 d beginning 24 March 2016. Lotek collars had a fix rate of 86.9 %, missing 4.7% of scheduled observations, and inaccurate data points accounted for 0.54% of the observations while Knight collars were 73.1%, 26.4%, and 0.71%, respectively. An algorithm was developed to identify and remove bad data from Knight collar data sets using course change, rate of travel, and distance between points. For both Lotek and Knight collars, error frequency was highest in the morning before 0900 and at night around 2300.  This algorithm allows researchers to readily identify inaccurate positions and remove them from tracking data, which makes the Knight collars more useful for cattle tracking studies.

TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF PRECIPITATION IN THE SOUTHWESTERN US: IMPLICATIONS FOR GRAZING MANAGEMENT.

Annual and seasonal precipitation in the American southwest is highly variable and projected to become more so. Rangeland managers must cope with this variation in their stewardship efforts. The objective of this study was to quantify variation in precipitation at seasonal to annual intervals and relate these fluctuations to herbivore grazing management decisions. Standardized precipitation index (SPI) values were calculated from PRISM data for the Texas A&M Sonora Research Station in the Edwards Plateau region of southwest Texas from 1895 to present. Annual precipitation (55 ± 5.0 cm yr-1) is typically bimodal with peaks in spring and fall. Annual precipitation extremes include a minimum of 20.8 cm in 1951 (SPI = –2.76) and maximum of 93.8 cm in 2007 (SPI = 2.02). Seasonal precipitation extremes range from a minimum of 0.4 cm in winter of 1974 (SPI = –2.60) and a maximum of 42.1 in spring of 1900 (SPI = 2.94). Decadal coefficient of variation (%) in annual SPI values average 28.4 and range from a minimum of 20.4 in the 1960’s to a maximum of 51.4 in the 1950’s. These values for the 1970’s (21.2), 80’s (24.0) and 90’s (21.4) were all below average and have increased in the 2000’s (34.0) and so far in the 2010’s (34.4). In the most recent 50 years, annual SPI was used to create the following categories: > 0.50 = “wet”, 0.49 to – 0.49 = “neutral” and < – 0.50 = “dry”. Using these categories as a proxy for forage production and then determining stocking rate (SR) for the coming year from the previous year’s SPI would have resulted in: 1) maintain SR, 42 %; 2) overestimate SR, 26 %; and 3) underestimate SR 32 %. Determining SR from previous precipitation is often a mismatch. If climate variability increases, probability of mismatch will increase.

FACTORS INFLUENCING HERBAGE YIELDS OF PLANT FUNCTIONAL GROUPS ON SANDHILLS RANGELANDS. Mitchell Stephenson*¹, Walt Schacht², Jerry Volesky³, Nevin Lawrence¹; ¹University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Scottsbluff, NE, ²University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, ³University of Nebraska - Lincoln, North Platte, NE

Botanical composition of grasses, forbs, and shrubs is strongly influenced by topographic position on the dunes on Sandhills rangeland. However, limited research has fully evaluated the influence of weather factors (e.g., spring precipitation and growing degree days) on herbage production of different functional groups at the topographic position scale. From 2000 to 2015, herbage production data, separated by cool- and warm-season grasses, forbs, sedges, and shrubs, were collected from dune top, north-facing slope, south-facing slope, and interdune topographic positions in the eastern Nebraska Sandhills. To evaluate the influence of current and previous year weather factors on herbage production, stepwise regression models were developed for each functional plant group and total plant production at the different topographic positions. Regression models explained a large range of variation in herbage production of different functional groups at different topographic positions (0.04 < r2 < 0.63, P< 0.05). Regression models for total herbage production in August were the most consistent across topographic position and were influenced positively by growing season precipitation events and spring+summer precipitation and negatively by growing degree-days (r2=0.48 to 0.5, P < 0.01). This was likely related to the influence of these weather factors on warm-season grass growth from June to August. While regression models did not explain a large amount of the variation for some functional groups, they did identify the major factors that influenced herbage production at different topographic positions and identified the most important weather-related factors that can be used to estimate annual herbage production on mixed-grass, Sandhills rangelands.

POINT BLUE CONSERVATION SCIENCE&RSQUO;S RANGELAND WATERSHED INITIATIVE: REWATERING CALIFORNIA, ONE RANCH AT A TIME. Wendell C. Gilgert*¹, Geoff Geupel², Elizabeth Porzig², Bre Owens³, Kelly Garbach²; ¹Point Blue Conservation Science, Chico, CA, ²Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, ³Point Blue Conservation Science, Los Molinas, CA

Point Blue Conservation Science is collaborating with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), cooperating ranchers, Resource Conservation Districts (RCD’s) and several other conservation partners to improve foothill rangeland watersheds in California’s Great Valley, Sierra Meadows, and Modoc Plateau that have experienced surface soil compaction, increased bare ground, and a shift in plant communities that is now dominated by annual vegetation.  Point Blue Partner Biologists are partnering with NRCS and RCD Conservationists and are working closely with ranchers, land trusts, and some public lands to plan, design, and implement prescribed rangeland grazing and management practices.  With financial support from NRCS Farm Bill programs, cooperating ranchers utilize technical assistance from Point Blue Partner Biologists, NRCS conservationists, RCD’s and other conservation partners to increase soil water retention in foothill watersheds, increase livestock forage, improve water supply reliability both on-site and downstream, enhance ranching productivity, and expand riparian corridors and wetland habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.  In addition, we are partnering with and mentoring ranchers and other land managers as Leopoldian Land Stewards to ensure long-term stewardship of ecological and production benefits on their land.

EFFECTS OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND CORE-BODY TEMPERATURE ON PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY OF GRASS FINISH CATTLE

Forage nutrient quality and consumption have major impacts on ruminant production.  Energy requirements of the grazing animal are influenced by several factors such as increased foraging activity, frame size and physiological status, but is superseded by the requirement to maintain a homothermic balance. Therefore, we hypothesized that changes in grazing behavior activities would affect core-body temperature (CBT) and animal performance measures. A two-year study was conducted on 24 grass-finished cattle at the University of Hawaii, Mealani Agricultural Experiment Station. Animal behavior, CBT, weather variables, and forage quality were assessed during three daily observation periods (AM, NOON, PM) for the fall 2013, and summer and fall 2014 seasons. Over all seasons, active grazing (63.0%), standing (15.6%) and laying while chewing (10.4%) were the predominant behaviors observed.  Grazing activity across daily periods were highest during the AM period, a time when mean CBT (38.3±0.01°C) was lowest. The CBT varied for all animals across seasons and periods, and averaged 38.6 (±0.03)°C in 2013 and 38.4 (±0.04)°C in 2014.  We did not find any significant relationship between CBT and grazing behavior.  Forage quality varied seasonally, however crude protein (CP), relative feed value (RFV) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were higher in summer 2014 compared to the fall seasons. Diurnal differences were observed in water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC), which were higher in the PM across all seasons.  Average Daily Gain (ADG) was not significantly greater (P=0.78) between the years 2013 (0.58±0.06kg/d) and 2014 (0.56±0.05kg/d).  Animals were slaughtered at approximately 21(± 0.15) months of age and an average live body weight of 527.1 (±8.98) kg in both years. In 2013, 75% of the animals graded Choice or higher compared with 90% in 2014. The higher quality of forage in 2014 may have influenced beef quality. 

COULD INSECT ACTIVITIES REDUCES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM DUNG PATS ON NATIVE PASTURE? Xiying Hao*¹, Ben W. Thomas², Jessica Stoekli², Kelvin Floate², Newton Lupwayi²; ¹Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, ²Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB

The feeding and tunneling activities by insects alters the physical and chemical properties of cattle dung and potentially affect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To determine the magnitude of these effects on semiarid pastures, we quantified GHG emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O) from beef cattle dung pats with or without insect activity (e.g., dung beetles) and with or without ivermectin. Ivermectin is a commonly used parasiticide to treat cattle and was added to the dung to reduce insect activity. Exclusion of insect activity was achieved by covering the chambers with a nylon mesh to prevent insects from interacting with the dung pats. The mesh did not affect gas exchange between the chamber and atmosphere. The GHG fluxes were measured over one year at weekly intervals in the grazing season and less frequently in the non-grazing season. Dung and soil samples were collected and analyzed for moisture and available C and N contents at weekly intervals for the first three weeks, and less frequently thereafter.

The CO2 emitted from dung pats without insect activity was nearly double that of dung pats with insect activity. The CH4 emitted from dung pats without insect activity was more than double that of dung pats with insect activity reduced by adding ivermectin, but with less differences when compared to dung pats without ivermectin. The N2O emitted from dung pats without insect activity was more than double that of dung pats with insect activity. Ivermectin had limited effect on CO2 and no effect on N2O emissions. The CH4 flux appeared to be responsive to both ivermectin and insect activity. More research is required to verify the results observed in this one-year study. The feeding and tunneling activities of insects appears to play an important role mitigating the GHG emitted from dung pats on semiarid pastures.

QUANTIFYING SHORT-TERM SOIL BIOLOGICAL AND VEGETATION FEEDBACK FROM HIGH-INTENSITY, SHORT-DURATION GRAZING VERSUS CONVENTIONAL GRAZING

 Soil degradation is a critical issue in agriculture, and restoration is necessary to reach global food security and production goals. There has been substantial debate over the merits or drawbacks of high-intensity, short-duration grazing versus low-intensity, continuous grazing. In addition, scientific literature presents conflicting information on the effect of animal impact on microbial biomass, diversity, and function. Though soil microorganisms are known to be important in all ecosystems for driving the critical processes of carbon and nutrient cycling, only recently soil biodiversity has been recognized as an important parameter of quantifying soil health, for a variety of environmental, agricultural and human health benefits. Is it therefore critical to understand how agricultural systems impact soil biodiversity and the soil microbial community. This study addresses that knowledge gap by quantifying soil microbial and biogeochemical responses immediately following grazing and linking plant-soil-microbe interactions by integrating immediate changes in vegetation growth. In this study, we implemented three grazing treatments on twelve ½-acre paddocks at the Laramie Agriculture Experiment Station in Laramie, Wyoming in a randomized complete block design: a high-intensity, short-duration treatment (50,000 animal lbs/acre; 12 hours grazing), low-intensity, medium-duration treatment (~3,000 animal lbs/acre; 6 days grazing), and a no-grazing control (zero grazing). Vegetation structure and soil biological parameters were quantified at four time points: 1 week before grazing, 24 hours after grazing, 1 week, and 4 weeks after grazing. A rising plate pasture meter was used to estimate vegetation structure, and was compared to traditional clipped dry matter biomass. Soil biological measurements included extracellular enzyme assays, soil microbial biomass, and soil biogeochemical measurements included dissolved organic nitrogen & carbon, pH, EC, and bulk density. These data will give valuable insight to short-term, system-level feedback that could assist producers in making management decisions on irrigated pastures.

RANCH-SCALE EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOIL HEALTH, FORAGE QUALITY/QUANTITY, AND MULTI-DECADAL GRAZING CAPACITY IN A HIGH-ELEVATION RANGELAND
. Timm M. Gergeni*; University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

ABSTRACT

Soil health has been an evolving concept in agriculture yet practical and applied information for rangelands are lacking.  Moreover, how soil health indicators relate to forage and grazing capacity in harsh and environmentally restricted rangelands of the western US has constrained the use of soil health measurements for management decisions.  Also limiting application of soil health information on rangelands is the notion that small-plot studies are not representative of grazing management implemented by producers and the results may not be as transferrable to ranchers, or as readily accepted by ranchers. We use producer compiled data quantifying realized grazing days for 140 pastures (ranging in size from ~6 acres to >1200 acres) since 1989 from a private ranch in southwestern Wyoming.  At this pasture scale, data includes: size (in acres), animal days per acre by year, and days in and out of pasture.  Pasture-scale grazing data was then coupled with soil and forage sampling in the early-summer of 2017.  Soil samples from the top 10 cm included: plant available nutrients, pH, EC, organic matter and biological parameters. Forage biomass was measured and forage quality samples were taken from the main forage species western wheatgrass (Papscopyrum smithii) and analyzed for a range of quality parameters including protein, digestibility, and nutrient content. Sampling was restricted to upland, non-irrigated native pastures with a range of animal days per acre from 4.0 to 5.4.  We use univariate and multivariate statistics to compare soil, forage, and grazing variables in a bottom-up approach to suggest that if soil health metrics can be improved, what then will be the production-centric outcomes.  Our results suggest that ranchers desire to have soil health information that is relevant at the pasture scale and informative for grazing management. 

GRAZING DRIVES SOIL WARMING IN HERBACEOUS RIPARIAN WETLANDS. D. Terrance Booth¹, Samuel E. Cox², Jay B. Norton*³, John C. Likins⁴; ¹USDA-ARS (retired), Cheyenne, WY, ²USDI-BLM, Cheyenne, WY, ³University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, ⁴USDI-BLM (retired), Lander, WY

Uncontrolled grazing exacerbates climate-warming effects on riparian soil functions. Temperature is an important driver of evapotranspiration and decomposition and therefore can be a sensitive indicator of management effects on soil water storage and loss. Beginning in 2015, soil temperature was monitored early spring through late summer inside and outside six long-term grazing exclosures (8 to 30 years old) in herbaceous riparian wetlands in the headwaters of the Sweetwater River, Wyoming. This area is part of a large, multi-permittee allotment administered by the Bureau of Land Management and was subjected to season-long grazing for many decades. Sensors installed at 3-, 20-, 40-, and 60-cm depths recorded soil temperature at two-hour intervals from May to August in 2015 and from February to August in 2016 and 2017 at three locations inside and outside of each exclosure. Results indicate consistent differences inside and outside exclosures across years and at each depth. Temperatures were slightly cooler outside exclosures in February, March, and April, then significantly warmer outside than inside across all depths from May through August. Averaged across locations, August soil temperatures differed the most between inside and outside exclosures, with inside temperatures ranging from 15.2 degrees C at 3 cm depth to 11.9 degrees C at 60 cm depth, compared with outside temperatures of 16.8 degrees C at 3 cm depth to 13.4 at 60 cm. The largest difference occurred at 40 cm depth, averaging 1.68 degrees C warmer outside than inside exclosures. The largest temperature differences occurred in August at 40 cm in the 30-year-old exclosures, ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 degrees C warmer outside than inside exclosures. Soil warming is part of a complex feedback relationship among surface residues, plant community composition and productivity, evapotranspiration, and organic matter mineralization that results in less water storage and summer release to downstream aquatic systems.

STREAM TEMPERATURE DYNAMICS IN A SEMIARID RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM IN NORTH CENTRAL OREGON

An improved understanding of the factors that influence stream temperature in rangeland environments can better enable the protection of stream ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to determine stream temperature-vegetation shading relationships and characterize other factors, such as subsurface flow and ambient conditions, on stream temperature in a semiarid watershed.  Data collection occurred at four observation sites in the Fifteenmile Creek subwatershed in north central Oregon. Three of the observation sites were located along Fifteenmile Creek and one was located along Ramsey Creek, a tributary of Fifteenmile Creek.  Air and stream temperature measurements were recorded at all sites. Intensive data collection occurred along a 1-km riparian corridor of Fifteenmile Creek. Riparian vegetation composition and cover was analyzed using field surveys along this corridor. Shallow wells were used to characterize subsurface flow temperature from an intermittent tributary stream along this reach.  Stream temperature data was collected using standalone sensors beginning in the spring of 2014 and using Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) in the summer of 2015. Comparisons of stream temperature data from standalone sensors and DTS found both to be in close agreement. No significant differences in stream temperature were found between sensors located in shaded and non-shaded regions of the stream (P≤0.05). Fluctuations in stream temperature followed those observed in ambient temperature. Shallow groundwater temperatures in the intermittent stream were cooler than main stem stream temperatures in the summer and warmer during winter months, indicating the tributary may have a moderating effect on stream temperature. The results of this research indicate that factors in addition to riparian shading, such as groundwater inputs and stream velocity, may significantly influence stream temperature in this study area. Future research includes the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to collect information about vegetation and ambient conditions.

IMPLICATIONS OF FALL GRAZING AS DISCUSSED IN RIPARIAN AREA MANAGEMENT (BLM TR 1737-20). D. Terrance Booth*¹, Samuel E. Cox², John C. Likins³, Jay B. Norton⁴; ¹USDA-ARS (retired), Cheyenne, WY, ²USDI-BLM, Cheyenne, WY, ³USDI-BLM (retired), Lander, WY, ⁴University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

ABSTRACT

Practitioners’ views should be made public and entered into land-management discussions. When those views contrast, wholly or partly, with the best science there is an understandable reluctance to discuss the contrast for fear of inhibiting further practitioner contributions. Silence, however, simply promulgates error or an incomplete representation of an issue—doing no good for science or practitioner. With that understanding, we here respond to a view published in the subject technical reference (pages 58-59). The view is expressed by the managers of a ranch on the headwaters of the Rio Grande River, 2743-m (9000-ft) elevation, that it is desirable to fall graze riparian pastures.  They offer as evidence an on-ranch, 1 May, photographic comparison of two pastures, one grazed with 1000 pair for 30 days the preceding fall and the other rested. The photos show the grazed pasture green and growing while the rested pasture is brown and dormant. Early spring green-up may benefit grazing but it is not desirable for water-conservation. Two significant threats to water availability around the world are ground-water depletion as documented by NASA’s 15-year GRACE mission, and loss of streamflow resulting from loss of mountain snow and ice as documented by numerous studies on multiple continents. Those world-wide shortages are true also of the lower Rio Grande River Basin encompassing the cities of Albuquerque, NM, and El Paso, TX, and the substantial food-producing Basin farmland. The Basin needs water. Dobrowolski and Engle recently observed that “…rangelands are valued increasingly for capture of surface and subsurface water leading to storage.” Fall grazing mountain riparian areas hinders capture and storage of water by removing vegetation that would (1) slow spring runoff, (2) keep water-containing soil cold, and (3) add water-storing soil organic matter. Better arrangements are needed for compensating upstream landowners for water conservation benefitting downstream users.

DRAMATIC RIPARIAN AND RANGELAND RESTORATION: PROPERLY DESIGNED GRAZING PLANS WITH CONSISTENT APPLICATION IS THE KEY. Matthew J. Ricketts*; Triple R Bar S consulting, Livingston, MT