Winter Grazing on Native Pastures
Fall and winter of 2023 have graced ranchers with above normal temperatures and minimal snow fall, far from the year before or what they are typically used to dealing with. The long list of fall jobs, which normally gets cut short by October snowfall has extended well into November and December, proving to be a productive time of year trying to catch up on jobs pushed until the end of the year. With most areas in southern Saskatchewan having little to no snow cover it in turn, extended the fall grazing well into winter months. It’s no surprise or shock that the lack of precipitation has fears of on-going drought creeping into everyone’s mind.
For those ranchers that do have stockpiled grazing available, it brought a sigh of relief to let animals graze an extra couple months before digging into their bale stacks. Much of the southern portion of the province has little to no grazing reserves but with producers backed into a tight corner of continuous drought conditions, expensive feed prices and economic pressures, many are forced to re-graze grass that hasn’t a chance to regrow or rest. The lack of snow cover also leaves more plants accessible to animals and ultimately, more susceptible to overgrazing.
Native grasses can be more resilient when grazed during their dormant period. When they dormant, the plant stores their carbohydrate reserves in their root systems but they are still susceptible to overgrazing. On healthy rangelands that are populated by cool-season grasses such as Western Wheatgrass, Northern Wheatgrass and Western Porcupine Grass, they can provide excellent nutrition during their dormant period in the fall and winter. Its ability to grow in early spring and under appropriate conditions, experience a smaller second flush of growth late in the year, can help to increase efficiency on the rangeland. Keep in mind, many factors exsist that affect the health of native range and individual plants such as the grass species present and how heavily it has been grazed historically. If a pasture is managed in a way that has a chance to rest and regrow for a full growing season, the nutrition available for livestock will greatly improve.
The principle of take half and leave half still holds true in relation to long-term grazing solutions. When a landowner is assessing their rangeland, they can use various tools to determine the health of the grassland such as litter levels. By leaving adequate litter amounts on rangelands in reference to the eco-region they are in, it will protect the soil, improve water storage and reduce erosion.
Management is adaptive and ongoing for both native and tame grass and a crucial piece to the puzzle of grazing and ranching longevity. Regardless of your feeding or grazing program, animal health must be taken into account and body condition scoring can be used to assess if supplementation or animal movement is necessary. While cows advance in their gestation, their nutritional needs will greatly increase and grazing alone typically won’t provide enough energy or protein for the cattle. If you are supplementing cattle on grasslands through bale feeding or adding grain or high protein pellets to their diet, it may help to stretch grass reserves further into the season.
Some landowners may choose to supplement animals on native prairie but there are a few things to consider if you plan on doing this. To preserve the biodiversity and native plant community already there, you can choose to feed in a certain area every time that may already be prone to disturbance or using troughs or feeders for grain or pellets. Ideally, we are not introducing any new seeds, whether grass or weeds, into native stands since they are more susceptible to invasive species taking over. Keeping in mind that when spring melt begins, run-off can also transport seeds to unwanted areas.
As the winter continues into 2024 and the temperatures drop, more and more cattle will rely on stockpiled forage instead of grazing. When spring does decide to arrive in prairies, remember to allow time for those plants to rest and regrow before returning livestock to areas grazed during the winter. Implementation of a rotational grazing program can leave fall and winter grazing areas untouched until late in the year. In the spring it can be a great time to utilize tame grasses that are less sensitive and may bounce back quicker than the native grasses. If you need help with a grazing plan or rangeland assessment tools, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation can provide technical and financial assistance to get you on the right track.
Author: Mindy Hockley-Anderson