As I have grown older and wiser I realize that my real calling is as an ecologist. I am a nutritionist by training, and my work in graduate school focused on starch and fiber interactions in the diets of beef and dairy cattle fed total mixed rations. Despite the specialization of my training, I never lost interest in the many different aspects of an agricultural system. I think that is because I grew up spending every summer on a farm in North Carolina where I learned that taking technology and adapting it to fit your needs is the key to successful farming.
Ecology is defined by Webster’s as “a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments”. The living organisms or “biotic components” are made up of plants, animals and microbes, while the physical “abiotic components” include things like soil texture (sand, silt or clay), chemical nutrients, rainfall and temperature.
On a macro scale there are natural ecosystems like you might find in a wilderness area, and managed ecosystems as you would find in agricultural and forestry systems. In reality, there are very few truly natural ecosystems that are not touched by human management in some way.
Pastureland is an example of a very complex and interesting managed ecosystem. It is a relatively easy system to discuss because we define it by putting a fence around it. Unfortunately, most of us were not taught to appreciate the wonders of this system. It is important for us to be able to identify and understand the major forage plant species that might be present, and also the major “weeds” that are likely to be on our farms. We also need to have a better appreciation for soil health, and the obvious benefits we get if we can produce high yields of high quality forages without fertilizer or herbicide inputs. We need to be more diligent about teaching these things to the next generation.
The factors that influence pasture production are unpredictable and can change rapidly, so a successful manager will practice “adaptive grazing management”. This means that the manager will have a firm long-term goal they work toward, but that the day-to-day plan will be adapted given frequent observations of progress. Adaptive grazing management is only possible when the farmer, now called the “grazier”, makes frequent visits to the pasture to make critical observations and takes appropriate action. It does not mean you have to move animals every day, or follow any other strict rules to be successful.
Through the Amazing Grazing Program I often encounter farmers that have attended a regenerative grazing workshop and have “seen the light”. Their plan is to give up herbicides, fertilizers, dewormers and vaccines cold turkey and to farm in accordance with nature. I am happy someone motivated these folks to do a better job with their pastures and that they realize that their management is critical. However, abruptly giving up all inputs is probably not the best way to reach your final goal. As we teach in Amazing Grazing, “never say never, and never say always” when it comes to these tools that are tested and proven. Know when and how to use the tools you have to nudge your system in the direction you want it to go. While many herbicides kill our forage legumes and desirable forbes, that
does not mean that you shouldn’t ever spray an herbicide. Likewise, some dewormers, especially ivermectin, are toxic to dung beetles, but that does not mean a strategic application of ivermectin once a year will wipe out a good population of dung beetles.
A simplified ecological diagram is shown as figure 1. This could be a lot more complex, but we have used this one in the program for many years as it is easy for our audience to understand. One day I was looking at this and I realized that the human manager was missing from the diagram. I have looked at other such ecological diagrams that also don’t show the human manager. Figure 1 now clearly shows “YOU” in a central role that directs the show. The human manager is literally the brain that can impact all those relationships, so realizing that all these pieces depend on you can be life changing (it has been for me).
Over the years I have become more and more interested in the ecology of my farm, and that interest has kept me coming back for more. Once you start the cycle of adaptive management, each day holds surprise and a chance to learn. Once you start to appreciate the ecosystem you will become more active in thinking about how you can influence it with management. You will start to consider all the subjects you learned about separately (including economics) at the same time. It seems difficult but since you will evolve into it, it is a natural progression that just happens. At some point you will start to see the system without actually looking at the individual components.
Where do you see yourself in the ecology of your pastures? Are you inside with boots on the ground actively managing or are you outside the fence focused on one piece of the system? Do you know your plants, do you know how to identify dung beetles, do you think about where the manure (and it’s nutrients) falls, and can you evaluate pasture condition? If you have never really thought that much about it, I encourage you to do so now. The future will be bright for pasture-based livestock producers that learn to get high yields with modest outside inputs.
Well-managed pasture ecosystems provide many benefits to mankind (called ecosystem services) including the production of food, improved water quality, improved wildlife habitat, and sequestration of carbon. Perhaps most important are the social benefits to the people associated with these system including the grazier and their neighbors.
This is a crazy world we live in! I find that when I am out in a healthy pasture moving my cattle to fresh grass I find real joy in the diversity of plant and animal life around me. When I am in my pastures I am very rooted and my world looks like a pretty good place to live! How much is that feeling worth to you?
~ Matt Poore, NC State and Chair of the Alliance for Grassland Renewal
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is a national organization focused on enhancing the appropriate adoption of novel endophyte tall fescue technology through education, incentives, self-regulation and promotion. For more resources or to learn more about the Alliance for Grassland Renewal, go to www.grasslandrenewal.org
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal 