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Keys to Cows and Wildlife Sharing Grasslands

Reprinted from "Wildlife Habitat Basics"
Wildlife Habitat Management Institute
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Managing to leave forage for livestock can also men leaving food and cover for wildlife.Grazing of rangelands and pasturelands can be compatible with good wildlife habitat, if you follow a few key guidelines.

Heavy, continuous grazing is of little value to wildlife. It is also not recommended for optimum pasture production. High intensity grazing, where pastures are divided and heavily grazed for short durations on a short-term rotation, are good for pasture production but tough on wildlife. When bison grazed the West in large numbers, they were a natural system of grassland management that allowed for grazing and coexistence with many other species of wildlife. It worked because the bison did not graze any area into the ground—they grazed and moved on to greener pastures as needed. This meant the area they left was rested, too.

You could either look at it as a huge pasture the bison grazed lightly, or as a series of pastures the bison rotationally grazed. Either way, it was compatible with other wildlife species because grass cover was usually in abundance.

To be of value to nesting grassland birds, for instance, a pasture should not be grazed closer than six inches to the ground. An excellent system of grazing for both cattle and wildlife is to use a combination of cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses. While cattle graze cool-season grasses early in the year, birds are nesting in warm-season grass pastures. Nesting is complete when cattle are turned into warm-season pastures in mid-summer, when they are most productive. Using one or more of these rules of thumb helps optimize grazing production and wildlife habitat:

  • Provide 30 to 50 days of rest between grazing in each paddock or pasture.
  • Defer grazing in some nesting areas until late in the nesting season.
  • Restrict livestock from sensitive grazing areas.
  • Graze the entire pasture at a light rate, leaving grass 10 inches tall all summer. Put the herd on just half of the pasture during the late season.
  • Fence livestock away from ponds, shelterbelts, windbreaks, woodlands, and other areas conducive to wildlife.

For more information, please contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office or conservation district office located at your local county USDA Service Center or visit the NRCS Wildlife Habitat Management Institute’s Web site at www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov or the NRCS Web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Last Modified: 12/21/2007