Colorado GLCI Technical Note 4

Colorado Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

Most people subconsciously recognize the value of healthy pastures. Our concept of a “pastoral scene” reflects the contentment we experience when exposed to a site that has healthy plant communities, clear filtered water, stable soil and is enjoyed by people, livestock and wildlife. In addition to being one of the best “habitats” for all living creatures, healthy pastures provide aesthetics, recreation, ecological soundness and economic opportunity. 

Effective Pasture Management Principles

• A desirable healthy groundcover must be maintained at all times.

• Organic, nutrient, mineral, hydrological, and other natural cycles must be functioning at proper levels.

• Healthy cycle maintenance depends on maintaining plant communities well between overgrazing and decadence.

• Management techniques should pace all uses in a fashion that is complimentary to the stability of grass communities.

• Research-based techniques such as restoration grazing should be applied.

• All pasture management requires a clear understanding of a site’s status, pasture potential and ongoing monitoring.

• Disruptions and disturbances to a pasture such as weed infestation, development and over-stocking should be minimized if not totally avoided.

Small pastures (1- 200 acres) must be more closely managed than larger parcels of rangeland. Since these landscapes are often associated to new home sites, are usually near population centers and are closer to adjacent properties under different management, they are exposed to a greater number of potential disturbances and less insulated from outside influences. In addition to these factors, smaller pastures have a greater tendency to be managed by owners with less experience and training than larger rangeland landscapes. This “newness” to range management principles often results in excessive stocking levels, over-estimated carrying capacity and insufficient knowledge of grass physiology which would allow more accurate and timely management. The overall result for any small acreage manager is that smaller parcels amplify good practices, bad practices, and mistakes more quickly than larger landscapes. This requires that managers of small pastures need to be “more on top of the game” than anyone else.

Learning Colorado Ecosystems

To effectively manage any pasture you must start with understanding the framework surrounding your area. All states have various components of eco-regions within their boundaries. Within each eco-region there are a variety of ecosystems. It is often beneficial for pasture managers to review ecosystems based on dominant plant communities since those often do the best job of reflecting precipitation, temperature regime, soils, and weather patterns: all of which are the primary controllers of ecosystem development. Such plant communities in Colorado include desert, short grass prairie, montane forest, sagebrush steppe, pinon/juniper foothills and alpine “zones”. Since many of these plant communities are adjacent to each other it is important to not only look at your distant horizon, but to also look at your feet when learning about the ecosystem around your pasture.  Each plant community type has both benefits and limitations that evolved within the parameters of the dominant climate and landscape. Expecting to have pasture conditions that reach above and beyond ecosystem parameters is a frustrating and usually fruitless effort. 

Understanding Landscape Potential

Although plant communities and ecosystem conditions set the outside “normal” boundaries of pasture potential, local landscape characteristics can “exempt”, “enhance” or further “limit” the potential of your pasture. Factors such as soil type, slope, aspect, micro-weather patterns, management history, condition, absence or presence of water, and history of disturbances can dramatically vary your site from the “norm” of the dominant ecosystem.

Assessing Pasture Condition

• Does the pasture look “good”?

• What percentage of the site is weedy?

• How much bare ground is showing?

• What is the history of pasture use?

• How many plants are dead (decadent)?

• What percentage are green plants?

• Is there obvious disturbance in the pasture?

• How tightly spaced are the “desirable” plants?

• Is soil erosion occurring in the pasture?

• What plant species are present?

• Are there signs of salinity accumulation?

• Do you notice active insects on the pasture?

• Are there signs of wildlife use?

• Are birds and small animals present?

Despite what condition you determine your small pasture is currently in, it has both limitations and potential for improvement. Understanding pasture potential and limitation begins with learning the characteristics of the plant community dominant on your site. Each plant community has a spectrum of potential depending on inputs and disturbances. Effective management combined with favorable climate can yield amazing increases in pasture condition and carrying capacity. Even without beneficial weather, effective management can make some improvements. Work with USDA- Natural Resource Conservation Service, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension and other range management professionals who utilize research based information to help you identify the fragility, potential, limitations, and full power of your pasture. The availability of water and allowing grass to recover from use, are the largest tools in your “tool chest”.

BASIC RANGE & PASTURE RULES:

3. There are NO SIMPLE ANSWERS TO COMPLEX QUESTIONS (Cotton & Steffens – 1999)

One of the largest barriers to effective small acreage management is a lack of a clear understanding of grass physiology. Physiology includes growth form, patterns, and characteristics.  All grass by nature is a dichotomous plant. When the leaves emerge they do in pairs, for example two leaves, four leaves, six leaves, seed.  Grass has one goal, to make a seed and reproduce. Lets’ walk through the annual “leaf” growth stages of grass. • Pre-emergent stage – grass plant is beginning growth using the energy stored in roots or seeds. No photosynthesis is occurring.

• Emergence – 2 leaf stage. The first two leaves emerge still using stored energy. Photosynthesis begins but does not meet plant needs for self-support.  Leaves are tender and succulent.  Growth meristem begins moving above the soil. 

• Mid-growth – 4 leaf stage. Two pairs of leaves are now above ground. Leaf tenderness is good but increasing in

• Full growth – 6 leaf stage. Three pairs of leaves are present. A seed stalk rises above the leaves. Photosynthesis

protected level just above the soil.

• Seed – multi leaves in place. Plant begins to dry and go dormant as all sugar is transferred to seeds. Photosynthesis sends energy to seed and root stalks. Growth meristem is nestled back close to soil level. Because grass has a primary goal of reproduction, it will stimulate more leaves when its capacity to reach seed is interrupted as long as its ability to conduct photosynthesis is not impaired. For this reason effective pasture management:

• Avoids grazing so intensely that photosynthesis is inhibited.

• Avoids heavy grazing when growth meristems are very far above the soil.

• Grazes to inhibit grass from “going completely to seed”.

• Avoids late grazing when grass species are re-establishing root energy reserves for over-wintering.

• Implements grazing between the four-leaf and six-leaf stages to stimulate root and leaf production.

• Recognizes that these characteristics and timing vary with site, conditions, and grass community.

• Lack of management knowledge, experience, or systems.

• Lack of funds.

• Poor pasture condition.

• Undesirable climate conditions.

• Demands that exceed the capacity of the pasture site.

Adopting and utilizing a system is crucial. The individual system is up to the manager’s preference but must be adaptable so that it can be adjusted to the goals and site of the manager. Scott Cotton 2004 Colorado GLCI