Conservation Grazing

About the Program

The overarching goal of this project is to develop a research plan that will inform the ultimate decision of if, when, where, and how to implement conservation grazing into land management programs throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast. To achieve this, the project will involve an iterative engagement process with the project team, natural resource managers, livestock producers, hobby farmers, and researchers across Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida.

This iterative process will lead to the creation of an end-user driven technical assistance program that aims to offset initial costs of implementing conservation grazing and connect landowners with livestock producers.

This technical assistance program and all resources acquired throughout the process of implementation, will be disseminated throughout the networks involved with this project to be used to answer the questions of if, when, where, and how to implement conservation grazing into land management programs throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast.

why it matters

Current coastal upland restoration techniques utilized across coastal uplands include combinations of prescribed fire, chemical treatments, and mechanical removal. Each technique is associated with different levels of costs, intrusiveness, ecological damage, logistical constraints, and limitations that can be influenced by climate change.

A potential alternative, complementary, and less intrusive technique is conservation grazing, or the use of livestock for habitat management. This project will assess the when, where, and how to implement conservation grazing into land management programs throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast.

What our team is doing

We have been working on a series of different projects all aimed at answering the initial “unknowns” surrounding conservation grazing. These projects currently include:

Frequency/Duration

Determining the ideal frequency and duration of livestock grazing needed to meet management goals.

Learn more here
Fencing

Project to determine the ideal type of fencing for conservation livestock, the cost effectiveness, efficiency, and pros vs. cons of these different types of fencing, depending upon the site. Herd behavior will be considered during these trials to better understand how hierarchy determines chance of escape.
Endo/Epizoochory

The plan is to look at two seed dispersal methods: endozoochory (dispersal via digestion) and epizoochory (fur transfer).
Post-Grazing

Project to see how the landscape changes once the goats are removed from an area after having over grazed that same area for a long period of time.
Crude Protein Contents of Plants

Analyzing TCP and other minerals in native and invasive species in longleaf pine savannas. Livestock producers within the coastal uplands of the northern Gulf are most concerned with grazer nutrition when practicing conservation grazing. We plan to fill this knowledge gap by working with the Xerces Society to determine the nutritional content of invasive species common to pine savannas as well as flowering native grasses. Some plants of interest that we hope to analyze are Kudzu, Yaupon, and Cogon grass.
Soil Composition

Analyzing nutrient content, water retention, and bacterial community in the soil before, during, and after the introduction of grazers.