That Looks Different

~ This article first appeared in The Leader-Vindicator newspaper. ~

I am learning a great deal about land management.  For myself as much as those around me I need to clearly define my unique results to ensure longevity of grazing agreements. 

My goal is to graze cattle using techniques that limit modern expenses.  Broadly, my mission is to run the animals in such a manner that the landscape is not depleted of forage on one extreme nor allowed grow up in brush and eventually forest on the other, a process known as succession.  We need to maintain this sweet spot of productive open space.

Grassland is most commonly managed by mowing.  The blades of a mower are not selective: They cut everything to an even playing field and then let regrowth fight for dominance.  Exposed to this management grasses will dominate over coarser plants like goldenrod because the regrowth cycle of grass is much faster.  In other words, mowing creates a very specific result and – critical to this situation - that result is what most people are familiar with.

Cattle are selective.  Despite her size, a cow wandering undisturbed is a dainty creature, stepping carefully around and through plants on the path of least resistance.  And she’s picky: Surrounded with a full buffet of forage, the cow will only eat the finest and leave the rest.  The delicate tendency can be altered when pressure and/or management is applied to the livestock in one form or another. 

I follow a model of management that keeps the herd concentrated and calm inside strategically placed fences.  Inside the given area, animals eat some and trample the rest of the vegetation simply because they have no option but to do so.  Once they’re done trampling I move them along to the next small section and the plan repeats itself.  Or so the theory goes.

This whole strategy is a very thin needle to thread.  Even with a bit too much room those dainty animals will step around the coarse stuff and eat the grass from beneath, thus leaving behind sprigs of hard-stemmed vegetation.  From a management perspective it is easier to err on the side of too much room than too little; frequently I arrive to find the expectant group standing in an area of flattened grass and standing goldenrod.  Then I stand around and agonize over whether or not this result is acceptable.

The question I need to answer is this: What does it look like using only animal disturbance to prevent a field from growing up?  This is the key that unlocks future success or failure.

I realize that I expect a grazed field to look like a mowed field, and therefore my management moves in that direction: Frequently I conscript my dad to follow the herd with a mower to trim up the field and make it look like I think it should.  My expectation forces me to embrace modern expenses, doing twice the work by grazing and then mowing.  As Jim Gerrish regularly points out, the cost of operating a tractor is increasing much faster than the value of cattle.  I better get rid of the machine.

A grazed field will look like something we are not accustomed to seeing: Lots of different species of plants, lots of different plant heights, lots of colors.  Interestingly, the human mind translates this appearance as untidy.  Here is the code that needs cracked.  Just because it looks different does not mean the land is neglected.  

My greatest fear is that I will offend a landowner if they believe I’m neglecting the property that they have lovingly maintained for so long.  Someone who rigorously mowed the space might raise an eyebrow when I allow the vegetation to express differently by running my herd over it.  It is obvious how quickly the situation could deteriorate when these differing expectations come in contact.  There must be explanation and negotiation in order to highlight the shared desire to honor the work of the past and prepare a place for the future by keeping the land open and productive.

Land management is as much about accurate communication as it is boots on the ground effort.  It is up to me to clearly explain that landowners can expect a shift in appearance, and that shift is not an indication of disrespect and disorder.  Unfortunately my self confidence is near zero so this ongoing campaign will be quite the character builder.  The things they don’t tell you in Ag. School.

It’s easy to preach sustainability and proclaim regenerative farming practices, but achieving the result is much more difficult than reading the book.  I am changing management practices and that will lead to different results than what we are accustomed to seeing.  Therefore, I cannot allow the results to speak for themselves; I must be the ambassador.  As I gain more experience my words have more weight so I’ll exercise these skinny legs to do the lifting.