Cattle as landscape architects

Carter says it's difficult to say what an exact stocking rate should be because it depends on the goal. Initially, his intent in training cattle to eat sagebrush was to knock it back as much as possible so he could grow more grass.

“Four or five years ago, I thought brush was a big competition to the grass and I was just trying to grow more grass. I thought if I could eliminate or stunt the brush, I could grow more grass. I've been able to do that,” he says.

But now he realizes what a tremendous feed source the sagebrush is, especially for protein, plus the need to enhance range biodiversity. So he tries to leave some sage standing, depending on his goals for each pasture. He doesn't have sage grouse, but does try to manage pastures for both wildlife and cattle. So he'll leave big, mature sagebrush in some pastures for deer habitat, for example, and take more sage in pastures where deer aren't as prevalent.

Come springtime, the grazed sage pastures respond wonderfully, Provenza says. “When you go in there and remove or reduce competition from sagebrush, you get a wonderful flush of grass and . You get this tremendous increase in biodiversity in plants.”

That's beneficial for everything, wildlife and domestic animals alike. In fact, Provenza says USU has a research project underway in south-central Utah that's showing sage grouse prefer heavily grazed areas as brood-rearing habitat.

Carter says the sagebrush benefits, as well.

“In places where all the adult sagebrush has been knocked back, I've noticed there are lots of seedlings that come back,” he says. “I think it's because the cows tromp a lot of seed in and eliminate the competition; it allows a window of opportunity for younger stuff to come in.”

You can adjust grazing pressure depending on your landscape view, Carter says. “It's a great tool for modifying the landscape if you have a goal you want to hit. It's not going to be easy to hit that goal every time, but it is attainable.” ?