Grass Management Tops Needs in Holt
- 4
Program Not Spectacular
But Is Important,
Expert Says
By L. F. BREDEME1ER
of Valentine
SCS District Conservationist
Importance—
Range conservation is one of
the most important but least
spectacular practices in the con
servation program of the Holt
Soil Conservation District.
It is important because it
deals with the management, im
provement and conservation ot
native grasses. These grasses
are the basis on which the agri
culture, and in turn the busi
ness, has been built in the cities
and towns of the county.
It is said that beef cattle lead
all classes of livestock in the
utilization of grass and grass
land crops In the United States,
they utilize about one-third of
the permanent pastures, three
fourths of the range areas and
a high percentage of the har
vested crops. Beef cattle are the
principal product of the agri
culture in the Holt District and
grass is their principal and
cheapest feed.
Range conservation is nut
spectacular for several reasons.
The conservation practices em
ployed in such a program are
not of the mechanical type
When they are used they blend
in so smoothly with the ordi
nary pattern, they do not make
a sharp contrast. Only in cases
of extremities are the range
conservation practices noted by
the casual observer. Generally,
we notice a piece of range land
if it is severely over-grazed or
otherwise abused. If it is good
we take it for granted with lit
tle thought as to the reason.
Nature with its carpet of grass
is able to cover up many of our
abuses and misuses of the land.
Range conservation is principal
ly a program of management of
the native grasses and the ef
fects are gradual and seldom
recognized by those not directly
concerned.
Vegetation Behavior—
The plants of the land surface
of the earth may be grouped
into 4 great plant formations.
These are forest, grassland, des
ert shrub and tundra Grass
lands are believed to include
about a fourth of fhe area occu
pied by all plants and about a
fifth of the land surface of the
globe. The above 4 formations
or groups are products of cli
mate and controlled by it. Gen
erally speaking, the humid cli
mate gives rise to woodlands
and the dry or arid climate has
the desert shrub or waste.
The grasslands lie between
these extremes in tones of in
termediate moisture, from
subhumid to semiarid climate.
i —
DR. J. L. SHERBAHN
CHIROPRACTOR
Complete X-Ray Equipment
Vi Block So. of Ford Garage
O'Neill. Nebraska
i:..—..
N&turally in such a broad
classification there are im
portant exceptions which are
the result of other factors in
the plants' environment or
habitat.
Those factors which affect
the plants directly are water
content, humidity, light, plant
food elements in soil moisture
and soil air. Others which ex
ert an indirect effect are tem
perature, precipitation, soil
composition, wind and pressure.
Such factors as altitude, slope,
exposure and surface have a
remote effect on plants. An ap
preciation and understanding of
these factors on all vegetation
is an important item to the
range conservationist.
Where these factors are the
same and are permitted to func
tion without interruption by
outside forces, the result is a
certain combination or commu
nity of plants, As time goes on
a point is reached where there
is a combination or balance of
vegetation, soil and climate
which will produce more
pounds of foliage over a long
period of years than any other
combination of vegetation that
would survive naturally during
that time. This combination of
plants is called climax vegeta
tion,
Development—
I Vegetation arises from the
coming together of individual j
plants and their interactions |
upon each other. Our meadow :
and rangeland vegetation is the ,
product of such a process. A
recapitulation of the develop
ment process which evolves
when we destroy the vegetation
in one of our fields in Holt
county would help to illustrate
the development of vegetation.
During the time when many
of the old cropland fields were
farmed all the original vegeta
tion had been destroyed and the
seeds, root stalks or other prop
agating parts were killed o r
buried too deep to develop new
plants. Then the owner decided j
to quit farming the field and al
lowed it to go back to grass.
The first vegetation to appear is
usually a sparse stand of weedy
annuals. In time the stand be- j
comes thicker and gradually
more weedy grasses appear a
long with biennial plants.
Next perennials come in and ;
increase in abundance. Among j
these may be some of the spe
cies of grasses found in small
numbers in the original vegeta
tion before it was plowed. As
these pioneer plants stabilize
the soil, create a mulch of resi
due and alter the soil .nutrients,
moisture, humidity, light, tem
perature, air, etc., the environ
ment for plant growth changes.
As this advances the species of
grasses that made up the origi
nal vegetation begin to appear
in increasing abundance. Event
ually there evolves a commun
ity of grasses that remains fair
ly constant over a long period
of years. It is then that the cli
max in vegetative development
is reached and it is this climax
that plays an important part in
range management.
The range conservationist
must know what combination
of grasses make up the climax
vegetation for each set of plant
environmental conditions with
which he is dealing In addition
he must be well grounded in
the process of plant succession,
having a knowledge of the
combination of grasses that
makes up the vegetation in var
ious stages of succession.
Response lo Grazing—
Further study of grasses and
their behavior in their natural
environment reveals that under
certain conditions some plants
increase in abundance while
certain others decrease. Under
certain adverse conditions oth
er grasses and some forbes (non
grasslike herbaceous plants)
will invade and become a part
of the plant community.
It is a common occurrance to
find a n ungrazed roadside
where the vegetation consists
mostly of tall and mid grasses
as big and sand bluestem,
switchgrass, little bluestem,
with possibly some prairie
sandreed, June grass, needle
grass and sand dropseed, and
an understory of a very small
amount of blue grama. There
are many conditions in Holt
county where this combination
of grasses would be the one
that would produce the most
forage on that site Hence this
combination of vegetation
would be considered climax.
Across the fence from this
vegetation are many pastures
with different combinations
of grasses. In those pastures
that are grazed moderately,
grass and June grass hcnre al
one finds that the needle
most disappeared, the big and
sand blueslem, switchgrass
and tulle blueslem have de
creased in abundance, while
the blue grama, prairie sand
reed and sand dropseed have
increased.
There generally are a few
weeds as ragweed, marestail,
six weeks fescue and others.
In those pastures that are
grazed heavily the combination
of grasses is entirely different.
There is no needle grass and
June grass, the big and sand
bluestem, switchgrass and lit
tle blueslem have almost been
eliminated, the prairie sandreed
has decreased, the scand drop
seed remained about the same,
the blue grama increased to the
point where it is the predomi
nating grass, the weeds increas
ed in both number and kind.
Range Condition—
In judging such pastures on
their vegetative composition
for ability to produce, the un
grazed roadside would be call
ed excellent, the moderately
grazed pasture would score
good and the heavily grazed
one would be fair and bordering
on nearly being poor.
It is recognized that many
may take exception to this scor
ing. Those who do base their
contention primarily on palat
ability and likes and dislikes
for certain grasses. This classi
fication is based on the total
possible forage production for
the particular conditions for
plant growth However, it
should be pointed out that the
range conservationists of the
Conservation Practices—
Proper utilization of any
range is attained when half of
the current year’s growth is
utilized by the livestock. The
stocking rate for a given pas
ture may be based on securing
proper utilization in all but the
most severe drouth years, or it
may be based on the average
growth of all years, both good
and bad. and utilizing half of
that. Another basis for stocking
would be to adjust every year
to utilize only half of the
growth.
Stocking rate is not the only
means of accomplishing range
conservation. The time or sea
sor of grazing may be changed
thereby making it possible to
defer grazing on some pastures
and permit the grasses to make
a better growth. Deferment
may vary greatly and should be
such that will be most effective
in solving the problem. Rota
tion grazing has a place >n
range conservation and it is de
sirable to employ it when it
will aid in accomplishing the
objective.
Ample watering places prop
erly distributed are essential to
attain proper utilization Stra
tegic location of salt is often an
aid to get more uniform distri
bution of grazing in a pasture
Fences are also an important
tool in range conservation.
Seeding for Grazing—
Seeding of native grasses in
go-back and cropland fields are
important in range manage
ment. The Soil Conservation
Service personnel assisting the
Holt District have been work
ing with cooperators in seeding
a considerable amount of native
grass. In recommending a seed
ing mixture consideration is
given to the principals of plant
growth and vegetation develop
ment. The mixtures include the
pioneer grasses as well as those
which should eventually make
up the community of grasses.
There is no set method _ of
seed bed preparation. Gene, al
ly it is advisable to reduce the
competition from weeds and
existing vegetation in the area
to be seeded. At the same time
it is desirable to maintain a
mulch of plant residue on the
surface of the soil. It. not only
helps reduce the obvious ero
sion but creates better condi
tions in the soil for the new
grass seedlings.
Hayland Management—
In Holt county any program
of range management is incom
plete if it does not take into
consideration the meadow or
hay land The Soil Conservation
Service devotes c®nsiderable t
fort to the problems on mead
ows. A photograph elsewher
shows a conservationist discus
sing such problems with a (
operator
Interseeding of legumes is a
common and desirable prac
Many district cooperators report
good results from drilling *
vers into meadows. In
counties where the mc:a
lands are drier, considerable
improvement is made by .
spreading and retarding
runoff for sub-irrigation A sys
tem for grazing the aft -ffr
on meadows should be j P *
ed in such a way that it -
not appreciably reduce 3
yield This grazing of after
grass can often be wor
such a way that grass ,
pastures will be considerably
improved by deferred g 1 ^
or shorter seasons of use.
Range conservation is an in
teresting program. It is a
plicated program that challeng
es the ingenuity of the rancher
and the Sod Conservation Ser
vice technician. It necessitates a
free and open discussion and
exchange of ideas between
rancher and the technician.
‘ My countrymen haw too
little knowledge of the promts
- of grasslands.”—George Was
ington.
Soil Conservation Service
doubt if it is economically feas
! ible or desirable to strive to
get the vegetation in most rang
es to excellent condition.
Problems—
There are many complex and
inter-re-tated problems involv
ed in the management of native
range land. Heavy grazing re
moves the leaves which is the
food manufacturing plant of the
grass.
A larger percentage of the
leaves are removed from the
tall grasses than from the short,
with the result that the tall or
heaviest producing grasses are
eliminated. Another problem
pertains to utilizing the grasses
when they are most nutritious.
This is when they are young
and would be the best time for
the best quality of feed but the
poorest time for the good of the
grass plant and its vigor and
production m future years. Most
grasses make about two-tihrds
of their total growth during the
first half of the growing season.
Also the rate of growth is slow
at the beginning of the season
and increases to a maximum
just preceding the heading
stage with a tapering off toward
the end of the season.
It is recognized that grazing
cannot be regulated to coord
inate with these fluctuating
habits of the grass. The differ
ence in the growth of grass
from one year to another neces
sitates stocking rates which
take this into consideration.
NOW...
O'NEILL PR00UCTI0N CREDIT ASS’N.
- f
-IS
I
Member-Owned
Come In and Discuss
Your Credit Needs
With Us
★ ★ ★
Attendance at “Grassland and Livestock Days”
Should Be Beneficial to All
Farmers and Ranchers
★ ★ ★
O'NEILL PRODUCTION CREDIT ASS'N.
O'Neill-Phone 42
Brome Alfalfa
Pays Dividends
—
At the North Platte experi
ment station, a herd of dairy
cows was grazed on 22 acres of
bromegrass-alfalfa In addition,
they were given other feeds
evalulated at $1,643 The milk
from these animals sold for $7.
693.
It is evident the greater por
tion of this return can be attrib
uted to the 22 acres of brome
alfalfa pasture, even though the
other feeds may have contrib
uted more than their actual
cost If brpmegrass is planted
alone for pasture, it soon be
comes "sod bound." The grass
becomes low in nutritional val
ue and unpalatable. This is be
cause grazing removes much
nitrogen from the soil. When
the nitrogen is gone, the grass
becomes stunted in growth.
When alfalfa is planted with
bromegvass, the alfalfa adds ni
trogen to the soil, thus main
taining the vigor of the grass
and making it more palatable
and of higher nutritional value.
G rass .controls weeds.
Steers Gain on
Sweelclorer —
At the Nebraska experiment
station, white sweetclover seed
ed with oats in April and graz
ed with yearling steers gave
232 steer days of grazing and a
gain in weight of 1.37 pounds
: daily. The total gain per acre
was- 308 pounds. At 20-eents per
! pound, the return per acre
! would be slightly more than
$60 per acre. Considering cost
of production, this is probably
a greater return per acre than
one could expect from a 60
bushel corn crop In addition,
the sweetclover and the manure
from the steers tend to improve j
the productivity of the soil,
while corn depletes the soil.
2-TO-l FOR FERTILIZE!',
At the Nebraska experiment
station, a bromegrass pasture
low in nitrogen was treated
with nitrogen fertilizer. For ev
ery dollar spent for fertilizer
supplied, a return of $2 was ob
tained in terms of increased
gains of yearling steers grazed
on the pasture.
“Voice of The Frontier . Mon -
| Wed.-Sat., 9:45 a.m., WJAG.
Mrs. Alice Hill
Is Club Hostess
CELIA — Thursday, Febru
ary 9, Mrs. O A. Hammerberg
attended the Atkinson Country
Women’s club meeting at the
new home of Mrs. Alice Hill.
Twenty members and one guest
responded to roll call with an
answer to “How I Met My Hus
band.”
This was a Valentine party
meeting and members received
gifts from “mystery sisters” and
the grab bag
Hostesses for the meeting
.vere: Doris Sloan, Marjorie
Genung. Ann Crippen, Marjorie |
Meyer, Minnie Anson and El*
. ine Siebert.
Next meeting will be with
Mrs. Myrtle Beck on March 9.
All flesh is grass.—Isaiah.
|
. JOHN R. GALLAGHER
Aliorney-at-Law
First Nan Bank Bldg.
| O'Neill : Phone 11
12 WEIL-LOCATED HAY & PASTURE
OBARTER SECTIONS
To Sell at PUBLIC
now
Wed., March 1st, 1950 I
— 2:00 O’Clock P.M. — I
Sale Will Be Held at the O’Neill Livestock Market Pavilion I
Regardless of Weather I
I The Northeast 1 of Section 21-28-11
160 ACRES
Located 4 miles south and 21 miles east of O'Neill, Nebraska
and 31 miles west of Inman, Nebraska.
This quarter is fenced with a three wire fence, has a good
well and wir ^Dill and about 7 acres of fine trees. Cut 140
tons of hay in 1949.
The Northeast 1 of Section 22-18-11
160 ACRES
Located 4 mites south and 3| mites east of O’Neill, Nebraska
and 2\ miles west of Inman, Nebraska.
The entire quarter is newly fenced with 3-wire galvanized
fencing and creosoted white cedar posts. Has a good well
and new windmill. An excellent piece of grass land that
carries 75 cows and calves each summer season.
I TERMS I
Each tract will be sold separately. A payment of 25% of the R
sale price dlay of auction, balance March 14th, 1950, when R
possession will be given. Title will be conveyed by war- R
ranty deed and merchantable abstract. Interested parties
should examine these properties before the hour of sale—2 R
o’clock p.m. Wednesday, March 1st—at the O’Neill Live- R
stock Market Pavilion, O’Neill, Nebraska. 1
, Mrs. Jens (Marianne) Hansen I
OWNER - O’Neill, Nebr. I
I ERNIE WELLER, Auctioneer I
Phone 5141 — Atkinson, Nebr. 3