The Art of Range Podcast

“If a grain farmer doesn’t have crop insurance, any lender will show him/her the door.” But ranchers have not historically used many financial risk tools such as crop insurance. Tip and Shannon Neibergs, director for the Western Center for Risk Management Education, discuss the variety of risk education products available to ranchers as well as various financial measurement and financial risk tools such as livestock insurance products.

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Transcript: https://bit.ly/2wg68e8

Ag Risk & Farm Management Library

https://www.cffm.umn.edu/products/AgRisk.aspx

What is Livestock Risk Protection Insurance? https://agrisk.umn.edu/Library/Record/what_is_livestock_risk_protection_insurance

USDA Risk Management Agency livestock insurance plans

https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Policy-and-Procedure/Insurance-Plans/Livestock-Insurance-Plans

Rangeland resiliency case study documentary films: http://csanr.wsu.edu/case-studies/

Ethan Lane, director of the national Public Lands Council, makes a compelling case for ranchers to build a record of stewardship in order to tell a positive story as well as provide protection from critics of public lands grazing. He and Tip discuss the work of the PLC, why ranchers should be doing their own monitoring, and suggestions for constructively interacting with state and federal agencies.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2VwAWGr

Resources mentioned in this episode:

PLC.org

policy.ncba.org

The scientists at the Jornada Experimental Range have been at the forefront of research monitoring rangeland health for decades. Jeff Herrick, a lead soil scientist at the Jornada, discusses with Tip recent advancements in rangeland monitoring methods and tools, including a monitoring app that brings together big data and on-the-ground sampling. Land PKS is now available at landpotential.org, and developers will be rolling out several key modules over the next couple months.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2GAMYnV

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

www.landpotential.org (Land PKS)

https://www.landscapetoolbox.org/

https://rangelands.app/ (Rangeland Analysis Platform)

https://jornada.nmsu.edu/monit-assess (Jornada monitoring protocols)

How many times have you thought: “You should have seen what this looked like 10 years ago?!” We usually mean that a range site or riparian zone looks better than it did 10 years ago, but most people can’t back up that claim. Join Tip and Sherm Swanson as they discuss ways to document landscape change and translate that data into management action.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2UqDMYf

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Nevada Rangeland Monitoring Handbook | Third Edition

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/sp_2018_03.aspx

"Practical Grazing Management to Meet Riparian Objectives", Journal of Rangeland Applications.

https://journals.lib.uidaho.edu/index.php/jra/article/view/16

Dr. Nathan Sayre has written the definitive work on the origins and history of rangelands science, public ownership, agency management, and grazing philosophy in the United States. Join Tip and Nathan as they discuss his background building fence on ranches on the Southwest, his pathway to the sociology of rangelands, and then surprising findings in Sayre’s book research. Finally, they visit about recommendations for modern range management.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2OvMHGx

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Nathan's book is "The Politics of Scale: A History of Rangeland Science". You can order through a local bookseller, or directly from the publisher, University of Chicago Press: https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo16762107.html

Or, you can support the monopoly at https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Scale-History-Rangeland-Science/dp/022608325X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538427564&sr=8-1&keywords=politics+of+scale.

Recent articles by Nathan Sayre referenced in the podcast are available on the show notes link: https://bit.ly/2CHhkEe

For more on concerns on the publishing monopoly, you can listen to an interview with Franklin Foer, author of the book “World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech”, here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/world-without-mind-franklin-foer-interview/

A half-century of war on cheatgrass hasn’t reduced its dominance on the high sagebrush seas. Barry Perryman of Univ. of Nevada-Reno says old-fashioned observations and rancher communication have led researchers to a promising paradigm shift: targeting the unique biology of this biennial grass through fall and winter grazing.

Barry and Tip discuss classical approaches to field research, an admonition from Dr. Temple Grandin to pay attention to real people doing real work in the real world, and Barry's pathway to uncovering some convenient truths about cheatgrass biology through research in the Old World. They finish up with a discussion of fire ecology in the Great Basin.

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2JcrkLm

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

A UN-R bulletin on grazing to control cheatgrass is available here: http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/nr/2015/sp1503.pdf

1491, a book by Charles Mann, can be purchased at https://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=1491&qid=1581963901&sr=8-1.

Most of Barry's publications are available at his university web page: https://www.unr.edu/anvs/people/perryman-barry

Range forage production can vary widely from year to year. What if you could get a production prediction 3 months ahead of the growing season and make management decisions from it? Tip's guest today, Matt Reeves (USFS) is part of a group of researchers who have developed the Rangeland Production Monitoring Service, a backward-looking prediction tool that is not meteorological forecasting, but a machine-learning approach to a seasonal outlook based on historical climate data. This episode includes an interview with Matt followed by Matt's talk at the Society for Range Management conference a couple weeks ago.

The slides referred to in Matt’s talk are available at the show notes link: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Art%20of%20Range%20show%20notes

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2C9kT5Z

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Rangeland Production Monitoring Service (RPMS): https://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs/projects/development-rangeland-production-monitoring-service-could-improve-rangeland-management

Grasscast

GRASSCAST: http://grasscast.agsci.colostate.edu

Although Grass-Cast doesn’t currently extend into the Pacific Northwest, it might inspire ideas for adapting it to that region.

The Drought Monitor, along with NDMC’s “Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch” handbook: https://drought.unl.edu/ranchplan/Overview.aspx.

USDA’s revamped farmers.gov website, where ranchers can now more easily find information about weather-related safety-nets such as the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2018/livestock_forage_disaster_program-july2018.pdf; Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2018/livestock_indemnity_program_fact_sheet-may_2018.pdf; and Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) insurance product https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Fact-Sheets/National-Fact-Sheets/Pasture-Rangeland-Forage-Pilot-Insurance-Program. These programs were renewed in the 2018 Farm Bill (here’s a great Farm Bill overview by one of my (Reeves’) trusted AgEcon colleagues at OK State) https://news.okstate.edu/articles/agricultural-sciences-natural-resources/2018/stotts_2018-farm-bill-passage.html.

Three other climate/ag tools developed by our friends at the Northwest and Southwest Climate Hubs:

1. Seedlot Selection Tool for forest landowners throughout the northwest and beyond: https://seedlotselectiontool.org/sst/

2. Orchard Crop Suitability Mapping Tool for the northwest: https://climate.northwestknowledge.net/NWTOOLBOX/cropSuitability.php

3. AgRisk Viewer (from the SW Hub) -- an online tool for viewing historical causes of insured crop loss at the county level throughout the US: https://swclimatehub.info/rma/rma-data-viewer.html

Dr. Lynn Huntsinger has written persuasively about the importance of private land ranching and public lands grazing as a means of conserving, even protecting, open space, wildlife habitat, and clean water. This runs counter to the preservationist paradigm that dominated for several decades, but it is gaining traction as it also gains scientific validity. Dr. Huntsinger is a Rustici endowed professor in Environmental Science, Policy, & Management at University of California at Berkeley. She and Tip discuss risks of land conversion, benefits of intact ranches, and opportunities for ranchers to capitalize on the less tangible benefits that society receives from their private lands, when managed well.

SURVEY

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TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2XvUUP6

Dr. Huntsinger’s website:

https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/lynn-huntsinger

Article on ranching in the Bay area

http://news.aag.org/2016/01/bay-area-open-space-is-not-open-space/

Articles mentioned in our discussion (most are not open access but Tip can provide a PDF upon request):

Barry, Sheila J. 2014. Using Social Media to Discover Public Values, Interests,

and Perceptions about Cattle Grazing on Park Lands. Environmental Management 53:454–464

Marty, Jaymee T. 2005. Effects of cattle grazing on diversity in ephemeral wetlands. Conservation Biology 19 (5):1626-1632.

Historical progression of articles related to our podcast:

Huntsinger, L. and J. Oviedo. 2014. Ecosystem services may be better termed social ecological services in a traditional pastoral system: The case of California Mediterranean rangelands at multiple scales. Ecology and Society 19 (1): 8[http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol19/iss1/art8/]

Huntsinger, L., Johnson, M., Stafford, M. and J. Fried. 2010. California Hardwood Rangeland Landowners 1985 to 2004: Ecosystem services, production, and permanence. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63:325-334

Brunson, M. and L. Huntsinger. 2008. Can old ranchers save the new west? Synthesis paper, Journal of Range Ecology and Management 61:137-147.

Sulak, A. and Huntsinger, L. 2007. Public lands grazing in California: untapped conservation potential for private lands? Rangelands 23(3):9-13.

Liffman, R., L. Huntsinger, and L. Forero. 2000. To ranch or not to ranch: home on the urban range? J. Range Management53(4)362-370.

Huntsinger, L. and P. Hopkinson. 1996. Sustaining rangeland landscapes: a social and ecological process. Journal of Range Management 49:167-173.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that a weed is "a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered". Tip's guest, Karen Launchbaugh, says that some "plants out of place" present serious ecological and ecological challenges to land managers but that some unwanted plants have redeeming qualities, particularly for domestic grazing animals. They discuss exotic species, various control strategies for weeds, success stories, integrated pest management principles, and, of course, using specific grazing timing and intensity and class of animal to suppress weed populations.

SURVEY

Please take 60 seconds to complete this quick 5-question survey and to access continuing education credits (CPRM only): https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GHpHVHlsouSorr

TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Art%20of%20Range%20transcripts

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

USEFUL WEBSITES

https://targetedgrazing.org

University of Idaho targeted grazing research papers: https://targetedgrazing.org/research/

The same site has grazing prescriptions for many individual species: knapweed, leafy spurge, starthistle, canada thistle, etc.

https://targetedgrazing.org/prescriptions/

Targeted Grazing Handbook. This landowner-oriented reference guide has individual chapters for various grazing goals, such as controlling brush, enhancing wildlife habitat, limiting wildfire, orchard understory management, and more. https://targetedgrazing.org/other-resources/targeted-grazing/

Rangeland journal article from 2012: "Targeted Grazing: Applying the Research to the Land". https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/rangelands/article/download/19480/19120

BEHAVE project (Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation, and Ecosystem Management)

http://behave.net/

SUCCESS STORIES

Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission article, "Ray Holes--The Goat King".

https://idrange.org/range-stories/north-central-idaho/ray-holes-the-goat-king-using-goats-to-combat-noxious-weeds/

BEEF Magazine article, "Use target grazing to take aim at invasive weeds"

https://www.beefmagazine.com/americancowman/pasture-and-range/target-grazing

Leafy spurge control in Alberta, Jan 2019 article at The Western Producer: https://www.producer.com/2019/01/alberta-sheep-ranch-focuses-on-grazing/

CONTRACT VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS

Livestock for Landscapes Network. http://www.livestockforlandscapes.com/network.htm

This site lists, by state, livestock businesses who have their shingle out to conduct contract weed control work.

Businesses in the PNW:

Craig Madsen, Healing Hooves: https://www.healinghooves.com/

Ray Holes. Ray Holes, [email protected], 208-740-9264

Nicole Bellows & Larry Davis, NW Goat Grazers. https://www.northwestgoatgrazers.com/

Dr. Ken Tate is the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Rangeland Watershed Science Specialist in Cooperative Extension at University of California-Davis. Tate’s research and outreach focuses on the diverse managed ecosystems that make up California’s grazinglands, promoting management that supports the many benefits society receives from these working landscapes, including clean water, biodiversity and agricultural productivity. He and Tip discuss ecological and social challenges to public lands grazing, including water quality, public opinion, and bad reporting. They also discuss surveys conducted by UC-Davis to better understand ranchers' opinions on how regulations and land management policies affect them.

SURVEY

Please take 60 seconds to complete this quick 5-question survey and to access continuing education credits (CPRM only): https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GHpHVHlsouSorr

TRANSCRIPT

The full transcript of this episode is available at: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Art%20of%20Range%20transcripts

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

UC-Davis Rangelands Watershed Health website: http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/rangeland-water-quality/

Many of Ken's publications are available here: http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/kenneth-w-tate/

Grazing Management to Improve Soil Health, article by Ken: http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/grazing-management-to-improve-soil-health/

California Rangeland Trust's "Rangeland Conservation Impact Award": https://www.rangelandtrust.org/press-release/conservation-impact-award-awarded-dr-kenneth-w-tate/