Graminoid Quarterly - May 2008 Volume 1 Number 1

• Upcoming Range Events and Activities: Mark Your Calendars!
• Gras“s”-ping for Grazingland Information – Try these Links!
• Field Office 2008 Seed Collection List
• Prairie Grass Nutrients on the Map
• ECS 3 – Beware of Your Answer
• Reduce Livestock Losses to Poisonous Plants
• Plant of the Quarter - Bluebunch Wheatgrass, Pseudoroegneria Spicata

This is a quarterly field office newsletter designed to bring you the latest information on happenings in the world of grazing lands management. All offices are encouraged to submit articles about grazing and grass lands management activities, adaptation, cultural and management techniques, etc. Please submit articles to Rick Caquelin. Direct inquiries to Jon Siddoway, Rangeland Management Specialist, USDA NRCS Montana State Office, Federal Building., Room 443, 10 East Babcock Street, Bozeman, MT 59715-4704, Phone 406-587-6790, Fax 406-587-6761.

Upcoming Range Events and Activities: Mark Your Calendars!

June 9-13 Range Health Training - Upper Missouri Area
June 16-18 MT Range Days - Conrad (Please recruit students from your area to participate!)
June 17-19 Wildland Shrub Symposium - Bozeman
July 20-25 MT Natural Resources Youth Camp - Lubrecht Experimental Forest (Please recruit students from your area to participate!)
July 21-25 Range Health Training - Miles City Area
August 4-8 MT Youth Range Camp - Hysham (Please recruit participants from your county!)

Gras“s”-ping for Grazingland Information – Try these Links!

Montana State University Extension
Utah State University’s research on animal behavior
Research reports on beef from around the web
Research reports on forage from around the web

Field Office 2008 Seed Collection List

The Plant Materials (PM) Program is requesting seed collections of 7 species in Montana and Wyoming. In 2008, continued collection is requested of Pediomelum argophyllum (synonym Psoralea argophylla), large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum (synonym Psoralea esculenta), slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum (synonym Psoralea tenuiflora), scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea, prairie thermopsis Thermopsis rhombifolia and American vetch Vicia americana. New to the list this year is the Montana state grass, bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata. When scouting around for likely sites in which to make seed collections, look for populations of healthy plants growing in harsher than normal conditions. Specific guidelines for seed collecting can be found in an online technical note at the websites mentioned below.

Collections are needed from all areas of Montana and Wyoming. A bulletin will be distributed electronically to each field office in Montana and Wyoming to provide guidance on accessing the seed collection instructions via each state’s homepage. For immediate access to the respective guidance documents, species descriptions, and photos, go to the Montana or Wyoming NRCS homepage and click on Plant Materials, and then the Seed Collection List. Seed is subsequently planted in evaluation studies to test performance and utility for solving conservation problems outlined in the Plant Materials Long-Range Plans for Montana and Wyoming.

By Jim Jacobs, Plant Materials Specialist

Prairie Grass Nutrients on the Map

Ranchers need information about the amount and nutritional value of forage plants growing in their pastures. Now a foundation has been laid for a system that will allow them to get detailed Web-based information about available forage material in their fields. Researchers analyzed commercial HyMap hyperspectral imagery taken by airplane to estimate the yield and protein content of two markedly different North Dakota ecoregions. The technique’s accuracy was the same for both regions: 82 percent for yield predictions and 92 percent for protein content.

An important feature of this technology is the ability to measure the quantity and quality of both live and dead plant material, which is rarely possible using conventional remote-sensing technologies. In this region, cold weather hinders plant decomposition and cattle get protein from dead and live grasses. By combining this technology with prior calculating methods, the researchers were able to compute and map the nutritional value of entire pastures in northern prairie grasslands. But further research is needed to determine whether the results apply in other regions.

Article courtesy of Agricultural Research – March 2008. Rebecca Phillips, USDA-ARS

ECS 3 – Beware of Your Answer

The form MT-ECS-3 was developed a couple of years ago as a tool for planners to use as an initial assessment of program eligibility to determine if the feed and forage was balanced on the rangeland or pastureland acres included in an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application. This tool was not developed for use by planners if they had the field conditions and time to develop a feed/forage balance from data gathered in the field. The ECS-3 should not be used as a substitute for developing a feed/forage balance for producers who do meet the 120% threshold and need a range inventory for prescribed grazing – clipping and estimating forage production on site is still required to develop a grazing strategy or plan and meet the requirements of the prescribed grazing 528 standard. I would encourage anyone who intends to use the ECS-3 to read the instructions prior to utilizing this tool (and become more familiar with the 528 standard and specification).

I would also like to forewarn planners that even though it appears someone may meet the 120% requirement (the producer has a stocking rate that is no more than 20% greater than the recommended stocking rate), please take a closer look at the fields or pastures that have been addressed for the feed/forage balance calculations. If the acreage within the pastures is not even sizes there is a possibility that livestock may be in some of the larger pastures too long. As an example if there are three pastures, one is 500 acres, another is 700 acres and the third is 1900 acres, and each has an intial stocking rate of about .25 Animal Unit Months (AUM)/acre this means that there are 125 available AUMs in the first field, 175 AUMs in the second field and 475 AUMs in the third field. If the producer has a herd of 200, 1200 pound cows with calves (1.3 AUE or 260 AUs)) and has been using these three fields from June through August each year, how long could he be in each field (assuming 100% grazability, water well-distributed in the pasture, etc):

Field 1 – 125 AUMs / 260 AUs = .48 months or about 14 days

Field 2 – 175 AUMs / 260 AUs = .67 months or about 20 days

Field 3 – 475 AUMs / 260 AUs = 1.83 months or about 55 days

Even though it appears his feed/forage is balanced for these 3 months, there should be a red flag raised in every planner that 55 days in one field is too long – there is too much opportunity for grazing regrowth if conditions are applicable and changing season of use in a rotation becomes difficult. However, this does point out to the planner that a cross fence may be a viable facilitating practice to resolve this issue with a grazing strategy that would minimize grazing regrowth and change season of use over a 3 – 4 year period (and possibly a water development depending on the situation) – something the planner could discuss with the producer. If the producer does not want to pursue the facilitating practices and is not willing to change the management of the herd, it would be best to tell the producer that we can’t pursue any cost-shared practices at this point in time because resource concerns would not be adequately addressed or resolved.

Also of importance is checking the stocking rates which have been assigned to mapping unit symbols on the ECS-3 worksheet – these values in some cases can be too high and will give erroneous results (can show feed/forage being balanced or nearly so when in fact the opposite is true for the pastures in question).

By Jon Siddoway, State Rangeland Management Specialist

Reduce Livestock Losses to Poisonous Plants

Spring is fast approaching and soon livestock will be moved to spring and summer pastures. One common poisonous plant on mountain and foothill ranges that is often overlooked is weedy milkvetch (astragalus miser). It affects cattle, sheep, and horses. The crude protein content of this plant is relatively high, but it also synthesizes miserotoxin, a glycoside that causes acute and chronic poisoning in ruminants. Weedy milkvetch poisoning may be mistaken for larkspur poisoning.

Early signs of poisoning may include finding animals that are gaunt or slightly bloated with some respiratory abnormalities and general lethargy. With continued exposure to the plant these signs will progress to acute poisoning. Signs of acute poisoning include loss of hindquarter co-ordination, excessive salivation, irregular gait, reluctance to move, a strong tendency to become recumbent, and respiratory difficulty which causes a roaring or wheezing sound. Death may follow prolonged grazing with the animal becoming emaciated and weak. In chronic poisoning, there is permanent damage manifested as unthriftiness, diarrhea, loss of stamina, and clicky heels.

According to a recent study conducted in British Columbia, Canada chronic poisoning signs were often delayed and became evident once the animals were suddenly exerted and forced to travel. Affected animals may lag behind as the livestock are moved. Weedy milkvetch has very small pea-like leaves and grows about six inches tall in tufts. The flowers are very small, about one centimeter in length, and pea like. The color varies from light blue to purple with a purple pointed tip on the keel petal. The plant is typically found under or in association with Douglas fir or lodgepole pine.

The recent Canadian study conducted over a six-year period found that cattle raised in the area with a known history of exposure to weedy milkvetch were able to tolerate the plant much more than cattle not familiar with weedy milkvetch. First and second calf heifers had the greatest incidence of poisoning. The study also found that supplementing with molasses protein blocks reduced poisoning from 25 cases without the supplement to 2 cases with the supplement.

In general good grazing management that promotes healthy plant communities will reduce the amount of weedy milkvetch that exists on the range, and the opportunity for livestock poisoning. If you identify this plant on your range, avoid introducing non-native grazing animals and/or provide a molasses protein block to help with weedy milkvetch detoxification.

By Matt Ricketts, Area Range Specialist

Plant of the Quarter - Bluebunch Wheatgrass, Pseudoroegneria Spicata

The full article is available at University of Saskatchewan

Taxonomy
Synonomy: Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) Scribn. & Smith. Latin name meaning: Agropyron is from the Greek word agrios, meaning wild and pyros, meaning wheat. Family: Poaceae Tribe: Hordeae Common names: Bluebunch wheatgrass Similar species: Secar is a cultivar of bluebunch wheatgrass. It was developed in the Pacific Northwest and was selected for seedling vigor.

Key Identification Characteristics
Growth form: Bluebunch wheatgrass is a perennial bunchgrass, forming large tussocks. Roots: Bluebunch wheatgrass has extensive, fibrous roots that spread laterally and to a depth of over 1 m. Blades: Leaf blades of bluebunch wheatgrass are flat or loosely inrolled and hairy above. Leaves of the previous years often persist. Auricles: Bluebunch wheatgrass has short, claw-like auricles (1 mm). Inflorescence/spikelets/florets: The inflorescence of bluebunch wheatgrass is a slender, stiff spike, with one spikelet per node. Spikelets are shorter than the internodes, and spikelets do not overlap. The long, divergent awns are an important characteristic used in identifying bluebunch wheatgrass.

Ecological & Physiological Relations
Life history: Bluebunch wheatgrass is a native perennial. Photosynthetic pathway: Bluebunch wheatgrass is a cool season, C3 grass. Phenology: Bluebunch wheatgrass plants begin growth immediately following snowmelt. Seedlings emerge in spring and fall. Bluebunch wheatgrass produces and sheds its seeds by late June or early July and is dormant until fall. Seed production is erratic and not sufficient to maintain populations if severe overgrazing occurs. Seeds are dispersed immediately after maturing, leaving them susceptible to predation. Seeds can germinate at low temperatures in spring or fall if soil moisture is adequate. Alternating cold and warm temperatures of 5 and 25C is required for germination of bluebunch wheatgrass. A one month after ripening period is required before seeds can germinate. Bluebunch wheatgrass can self pollinate, however, seed production is greatly reduced when it does. Photosynthetic rates decrease with decreasing temperatures in the fall and increase again in early spring. Bluebunch wheatgrass can maintain a positive photosynthetic rate over the winter and early spring. Distribution: Bluebunch wheatgrass grows from northern Michigan to Alaska, south to western South Dakota, New Mexico and California. In Canada, it grows from British Columbia east to Saskatchewan. Habitat: Bluebunch wheatgrass grows on soils with good drainage and on gently sloping hills, canyons and dry open woods. It grows at elevations ranging from 296 to 1,112 m. Succession: Bluebunch wheatgrass is a dominant climax species. When overgrazed, bluebunch wheatgrass is replaced by annual plants. Indicator value: Bluebunch wheatgrass is an indicator of a well drained soils and an arid climate. It is also an indicator of a climax community. Canopy/ground cover/LAI/height: Bluebunch wheatgrass is 60 to 100 cm tall. It is often a dominant species. In many Artemisia/Agropyron communities, bluebunch wheatgrass produces 95% of the yield. It produces 74 and 37% of the yield in Poa/Agropyron and Festuca/Agropyron communities, respectively. In the Palouse Prairie, bluebunch wheatgrass makes up about 82% of the composition. Sage grouse use Artemisia/Agropyron communities for cover. Competitive ability: The fibrous root system of bluebunch wheatgrass allows it to compete for water and nutrients effectively. Regeneration process: Bluebunch wheatgrass contains about 63,560 seeds/kg. A recommended seeding rate for bluebunch wheatgrass is 7-9 kg/ha. Disturbances such as grazing and burning should be avoided in the year of establishment for bluebunch wheatgrass.

Management Considerations
Forage: Bluebunch wheatgrass has great economic importance because it is common on ranges in excellent condition. It is an important forage in semi-arid regions. Bluebunch wheatgrass produces 68 to 234 kg/ha. Old leaves remain making up the standing dead portion of the plant. If standing dead is removed, forage production is decreased because less green material and shorter leaves are produced. At early growth, crude protein concentrations average 23% and decrease to 9% at maturity. The ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) of bluebunch wheatgrass is 43%, but if grazed it averages 38%. Grazing: Bluebunch wheatgrass decreases under early summer grazing, but is better able to withstand late summer grazing. When overgrazed, bluebunch wheatgrass begins growth up to 2 weeks later the following spring. Root mortality is high the winter after heavy grazing. Herbage production, number of flower stalks, and leaf height are all reduced the following year. If grazed in late summer, losses of production can be avoided. Bluebunch wheatgrass is common in the diets of livestock and wildlife. Burning: Bluebunch wheatgrass production is decreased the first year following burning, but production increases in subsequent years. The number of tillers, inflorescence, and seeds per plant increase the second and third year after burning. Burning in the summer usually stimulates plant production. Special management: If bluebunch wheatgrass is burned, grazing should be avoided for at least one growing season to allow plants to recover and seedlings to establish. Good grazing management can increase plant density and cover in a few years. Bluebunch wheatgrass thrives best if grazed to heights of 10-15 cm. If severely grazed, bluebunch wheatgrass may need 8 to 10 years of rest to recover. Other: Bluebunch wheatgrass is often present in soils that contain the fungus Cerosporella herpotrichoides (foot rot). It is also severely damaged by Puccinia graminis. The people of the Okanagan area in British Columbia used Bluebunch wheatgrass as a medicinal plant for arthritis and sores. It was also spread on floors of pithouses and stuffed in moccasins in the winter.

Article submission by Matt Ricketts, Area Range Specialist Article by Sheryl Harrison, Student at University of Saskatchewan

If you encounter any problems with the file provided on this page, please contact Technical Resources at 406-587-6822.

The following document is available for print in Adobe Reader format.

Graminoid Quarterly May 2008 (PDF; 111 KB)

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Last Modified: 08/19/2008