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Grass, Grazing and Grass Roots | |
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| | From AESA Council’s Past Chair
by Bruce Beattie
Alberta Milk
A short 200 years ago, it is estimated that over 30 million buffalo roamed the prairies, sustained by a sea of native grass within a natural ecosystem. Alberta’s cattle have moved into the buffalo’s ecological niche, and by adopting grazing systems based upon those basic tenets, producers have been able to profitably manage their cattle, maintaining forage productivity while also sustaining the many ecological functions that healthy grasslands provide.
Like an iceberg, most of the grass plant is below ground level. This provides its natural ability to regenerate after grazing, to build and hold the soil against the ever-present wind, and to survive prairie fires. Today, sustainably managed grazing lands remain the foundation for crucial environmental benefits like protecting water quality, conserving soil, and maintaining wildlife habitat.
At the same time these lands provide valuable economic benefits to cattle producers. Healthy rangeland is able to tolerate and recover from drought and has more stable forage production; allowing the producer to maintain a stable herd size and a stable cash flow. Grazing systems with both tame and native pastures can be managed in a complementary way, providing flexible systems that make the most of the good qualities of each.
This flexibility can allow the producer to extend the grazing season. Given Canada’s climate and growing global competition, extending the grazing season makes a lot of sense. It makes economic sense because dormant season grazing, swath grazing and bale grazing are less expensive than traditional winter-feeding systems. It makes environmental sense because a well-managed grazing system distributes manure nutrients across the pastures. And it makes production sense because it’s healthier for cattle to be out on the land.
These days, grass is making sense in some other ways, too. A niche market is growing among consumers who prefer grass-fed beef. And science shows that grazing is an effective way to enhance the levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in beef. CLA is a fatty acid which naturally occurs in beef and which has many health benefits for humans, including the ability to fight cancer.
Grass roots are solar batteries powering grass plants to grow each spring and re-grow after grazing. The cattle are the “solar-powered harvesters,” turning that fibrous plant material, into high quality protein, through the miracle of millions of rumen bacteria.
Sustainable grazing management is truly a “grassroots” movement, in which people at the local level are the energy source for growth and progress. As I read through the biographies of speakers from the Western Canadian Grazing Conference held in Edmonton this past December, I felt humbled by the wealth of knowledge and abilities of the individuals who spoke of their experiences in grazing and livestock management.
This edition of Green Matters looks at grass and the grassroots. It explores examples of the energy – and synergy – of increasing our knowledge by sharing experiences and learning about sustainable grazing management. This issue talks about how producers, extension agents and researchers are bringing together all they have learned to enhance our understanding of sustaining our grazing landscapes for generations to come. |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Roger Bryan.
This document is maintained by Deb Sutton.
This information published to the web on October 3, 2007.
Last Reviewed/Revised on September 28, 2009.
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