kraft stewards for life

“Stewardship for Life” Managing Range and

Pastureland

David J. Kraft State Rangeland Management Specialist Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emporia, Kansas

Stewardship for Life

Stewardship is defined as: Management of property with a goal of sustainability and improvement through time

Get the BIG picture by paying attention to the small details

Helping People Help the Land


Stewardship for Life Reasons for rangeland loss in Kansas: Conversion to cropland or other land use Fragmentation Urban sprawl Change in management objectives Rangeland transition due to management Invasive species (native, introduced, and

noxious)


Rangeland acres from National Resources Inventory (NRI): 16,496,700 in 1982 15,727,900 in 1997


Cultures matter !!! “As important a reason as any to support

ranching, farming, irrigating, and logging is that our society will need them as teachers, mentors, and critics in the years to come.”

~Wendell Berry

Stewardship for Life “The most tragic conflict in the history of

conservation is that between environmentalists and the farmers and ranchers. It is tragic but it is unnecessary. There is no irresolvable conflict here, but the conflict that exists can be resolved only on the basis of a common understanding of good practice . . . We need to study and foster working models: farms and ranches that are striving to bring economic practice into line with ecological reality, and local food economies in which consumers conscientiously support the best land stewardship.”

~Wendell Berry, The Whole Horse


Kansas partnerships Shared Visions of Private Lands Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC) Tallgrass Legacy Alliance Kansas Grazers Association Comanche Pool Resource Foundation Smoky Hill Grazers


Common threats to grazing lands Loss of biotic integrity Native and non-native plants expressing

themselves in quantity and amounts above and beyond a desired condition


Eastern redcedar (ERC) in Kansas Approximately 93,640 acres of ERC forest

type in Kansas or about 4% of total forestland Approximately 69,613 acres of

ERC/Hardwood forest type in Kansas or about 3% of total forestland

*Kansas Forests, 2001-2005, USDA FS Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, Northern Research Station, ST. Paul, MN.


ERC in Kansas Since 1965 ERC volume has increased by

23,000%!!! Volume is defined as trees exceeding 5” dbh


ERC in Oklahoma Natural Resources Conservation Service

(NRCS) estimated acres with at least 50 trees/acre 1950—300,000 acres 1985—3.5 million acres 2004—8 million acres 2013—estimated 12.6 million acres


ERC in Oklahoma ERC is increasing at an estimated rate of 762

acres a day or 300,000 acres a year In 2000, it was estimated that ERCs cost

Oklahoma $218 million dollars annually through catastrophic wildfires, loss of cattle forage, loss of wildlife habitat, recreation, and water yield


Oklahoma State University Research shows that one acre of cedar trees

can absorb 55,000 gallons of water per year. Evaporation of moisture in tree canopy Evaporation of moisture caught in litter Uptake of moisture that reaches the soil by the

tree itself


Vegetation Type

Interception Loss

Junipers 66-80%

Oaks 46%

Bunchgrass 18%

Shortgrass 11% Texas Agriculture Experiment Station, Sonora, Tx. (Thurow and Hester, 1997)


100% Grass

70% Grass, 12% Oak, & 18% Juniper

40% Grass, 24% Oak, & 26% Juniper

Rainfall 22.6 22.6 22.6

Interception Loss 3 6.3 9.6

Water Reaching Soil 19.6 16.3 13

Runoff 0.2 0.2 0.2

Water Going into the Soil 19.4 16.1 13

Evapotranspiration 15.7 16.1 12.8

Deep Percolation 3.7 0 0

Moderate Stocking Rate 34 22 11

3.7 inches of deep drainage/year = 100,500 gallons /acre/year


Producer-enhanced concerns


Livestock-enhanced concerns


Producer- and livestock-enhanced concerns


Important first steps! Accurate inventory of all resources! Properly identify goals or objectives! Do my goals or objectives line up with my

resources? If I don’t know or understand, ASK for

assistance!


Accurate inventory of all resources Forage inventory Ecological sites Soils Plant communities Production potential Production (actual) Carrying capacity or stocking rates


Goals Define your vision or expectation for the land

you are entrusted to care for Short- and long-term goals Contingency plan Drought plan


Goals and objectives A more complete understanding of resources

available on the land managed allows us to determine if our goals and resources are compatible Example: Spring calving cow herd utilizing cool

season forages as the primary grazing resource


Resources available NRCS Field offices

• Rangeland management specialist Kansas State University Extension Service County agriculture extension agents


Grazing groups and non-government organizations Educational opportunities Grazing schools hosted by the KGLC—kglc.org

• East School—Elmdale—August 19-21 • West School—Scott State Lake—August 5-7


So where do we go from here? Understand the Challenge/Opportunity! Identify working examples of success! Look at every challenge as an opportunity! Share both our successful and failed efforts! Take a vacation!

Questions?

“Yes … I believe there’s a question there in the back.”

Nondiscrimination Policy The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) To File an Employment Compliant If you wish to file an employment complaint, you must contact your agency’s EEO Counselor within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act, event, or in the case of a personnel action. Additional information can be found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_file.html. To File a Program Complaint If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9419, by fax at (202) 690-7442, or email at [email protected]. Persons with Disabilities Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities and you wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail or by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), please contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program For any other information dealing with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) issues, persons should either contact the USDA SNAP Hotline Number at (800) 221-5689, which is also in Spanish, or call the State Information/Hotline Numbers. All Other Inquires For any other information not pertaining to civil rights, please refer to the listing of the USDA Agencies and Offices.

Equal Opportunity

http://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/33081.wba




mailto:[email protected]



kraft stewards for life

Documents