WyomingLivestockRoundup

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Last Updated on Friday, 03 February 2012 13:31

Written by Rachel Mealor

Seeding for Reclamation Success
By Rachel Mealor, UW Extension Rangeland Specialist

    Even though there is still snow on the ground, this may be an opportune time to begin thinking about seeding projects.
    What are some considerations that need to be taken into account prior to putting them into action once the snow melts? Three major ideas will be discussed throughout this article: 1) designing a seed mix, 2) seedbed preparation and 3) using the best planting methods.
    Wyoming can be a difficult location to revegetate, largely due to variables out of our control, such as the cold and windy climate, variable (often low) precipitation, soils and steep terrain. However, one aspect that is in our control is the plant materials that are selected for each site. Before purchasing seeds to plant, it is essential to study the area and select plant materials that are adapted to the site and those conditions. It would not make sense to purchase seeds from a low elevation, high precipitation site, plant them on a high elevation semi-arid desert site and expect them to grow!
    Success can be increased if seeds are purchased from an area similar to the location where revegetation will be taking place. Long-term success in restoring a species to a given site is dependent upon obtaining plant materials adapted to the site. So, an effective way to determine characteristics of a site is by conducting a pre-disturbance inventory. One critical component is evaluation of the plant community on a site prior to a disturbance. If this cannot be accomplished, take a look at the area surrounding the already-disturbed location and take inventory of the plant species that are found in soils that are similar to the disturbed area. It helps to document elevation, annual precipitation, timing of precipitation, growing season length, existing vegetation, soil depth and texture, and land form characteristics prior to making final decisions regarding designing the appropriate seed mix.
    Selecting your seed mix depends on objectives, characteristics of the disturbed area and seed preference and availability. It may be necessary to plant a species that will establish or grow quickly, or maybe fire is a concern for the area, so a species that grows low to the ground may be in line with identified goals and objectives. Overall, it is important to define goals for the area being revegetated prior to seed selection. Seed preference and availability changes from year to year due to various drivers (i.e. the number of fires needing reclaimed). The lack of seed availability may actually determine whether or not the desired seeds can be obtained.
    When selecting seeds it is best to purchase and evaluate seeds based on the pure live seed value. Pure live seed is the product of the purity (percentage of the lot by weight that consists of the crop seed) and percentage germination as performed by an official germination test. For example, a 50-pound bag of seed with 90 percent purity and 90 percent germination has a PLS percentage of 81 (0.9 x 0.9 = 0.81), and amounts to 40.5 pounds of PLS (50 x 0.81 = 40.5).
    Along with this, it is important to purchase seeds from a reputable seller to be certain the seeds are good quality. Certified seeds provide a very safe and predictable source of plant materials that will be appropriate for the site. We all know that reclamation is difficult enough on many sites in Wyoming, so having quality seeds increases the chances of reclamation success.
    Seedbed preparation is another important aspect of reclamation. Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands states that proper seedbed preparation results when the seedbed is free of competition from established weeds, allows for infiltration of moisture (yet does not puddle), and is firm below seeding depth. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) suggests that soil clods are no more than two inches in diameter and the soil should have the consistency to where a 170-pound person leaves footprints no deeper than a half inch. A good seedbed has soil with a moisture content of about 10 to 15 percent (when a weak ball can be formed from soil two to three inches below surface). Using correct tillage implements are essential in doing the job correctly. The right tool can make the difference between getting the job done and struggling to make it happen.
    Lastly, correct planting methods can mean the difference between reclamation success and failure. Planting can be timed to optimize moisture for various sites. Dormant seeding, around Oct. 15 and April 15, can be an effective planting time, as soil temperatures are usually less than 40 degrees at a two-inch soil depth. Spring, summer or early fall can also be successful; however these times can be much riskier than dormant seeding.
    Planting equipment should be considered in reclamation as well. Seed drills, broadcast seeders, and hydromulching are three planting methods commonly used each with benefits and drawbacks. Seeding rates are dependent on type and size of seeds, seeding techniques, soil type and moisture. Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands generally recommends a total of eight to 16 pounds per acre for seeding native grass and forb mixtures, with higher amounts for difficult or low-productivity sites and when broadcast seeding. The NRCS suggest 20 pure-live-seeds per square foot for most species, and double that rate when broadcasting seeding on difficult sites.
    As the last few months of winter pass, begin considering the various aspects to ensure a more successful re-establishment of planted species. Evaluating the aspects of seed mix design, seedbed preparation and planting methods will likely in the success of the reclamation or restoration project.

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Last Updated on Friday, 03 February 2012 13:50

Written by Saige Albert

The Importance of Agriculture Cannot be Undersold
by Jason Fearneyhough, Director, Wyoming Department of Agriculture
    As students at universities and colleges around the country dive into the spring semester of school, it’s unfortunate that many of them may have to spend time defending their major as a result of a story on the Internet.
    Recently, The Daily Beast by Newsweek, Yahoo and many others posted articles claiming agriculture, horticulture and animal sciences were among the most “useless” degrees for students to obtain, based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2012 Job Outlook study. In the study, 1,000 employers were asked about their hiring plans and business, accounting and computer/information science majors received the highest ranking by employers prioritizing them for recruitment.
    The study may be able to draw some valid conclusions to what those 1,000 employers surveyed are looking for, but it’s incredibly short-sighted and out of touch to draw sweeping conclusions based on such a small, targeted sample of employers.
    In fact, unlike this article and study suggest, the value of ag-related degrees cannot be taken lightly. Don’t get me wrong, business, accounting and computer sciences are important, but without agriculture fulfilling life’s most essential elements, none of these degrees mean anything. In fact, no other industry can provide the necessities our population needs to survive except agriculture. Shelter, fiber for clothing and, most importantly, food for our growing population are only provided by agriculture.
    While a declining number of farms and ranches, as well as the increasing average age of farmers and ranchers could be construed as a negative, in reality this equals a lot of opportunity for a stable, viable and fulfilling career for the next generation of workers. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, recently said the United States will need “100,000 new farmers over the next few years” and brought the National FFA Organization into the farm bill discussion, challenging its leaders to develop recommendations that would encourage more young people to pursue careers in farming.
    Along with this, agriculture-based jobs aren’t just about managing a farm or ranch. Agriculture degrees can be utilized in a broad range of areas like sales representatives, research scientists, quality assurance, marketing and engineers, just to name a few. Agriculture-based majors also have applications and uses in areas like food safety, law, banking, public health, energy development and more. There may be a shift in the type of agriculture jobs available, but there is still an undeniable need for ag degrees and great minds to pursue those degrees. Students earning ag degrees today are the same people who will chart the course of our future in agriculture and will innovate to meet the challenges we continue to face.
    I understand those who are involved in agriculture or who are already seeking a career in agriculture understand the faults in this study, but it’s important these misperceptions about agriculture are stopped as soon as possible. The simple fact is that there is a high possibility that there will be nine billion people to feed, clothe and provide shelter for by 2050. And more than likely, this population explosion will need to be supported with fewer resources, more regulations and less understanding of where our food comes from and what it takes to get it from the farm or ranch to your table.
    We can’t afford to have a population that doesn’t value agriculture or understand the overwhelming importance of this industry. Thankfully, those in the agriculture industry recognize the need for outreach and continue to work hard to educate and advocate for agriculture. The industry continues attempts to educate the country about agriculture through various educational programs and efforts.
    I am constantly amazed by the young people who have chosen to pursue agriculture as their career, and the passion they show in advocating for their future. So, if your kid comes home and tells you they are declaring an ag-based major, don’t panic based on weak science and shortsighted surveys. Smile and be happy that your kid is pursuing a stable, fulfilling and important career that provides the basic needs we all need to survive.

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Last Updated on Friday, 27 January 2012 13:12

Written by Saige Albert

Winter Management Strategies Increase Performance and Reduce Feed Wastage
By Tyler Gardner, UW Animal and Range Science major and Scott Lake, UW Livestock Extension Specialist

    Many operations manage their heifers and mature cows together over the winter. Reasons vary, including convenience and lack of facilities to separate them into multiple management groups. However, the nutritional demands of growing heifers and that of mature cows are dramatically different.  
    Heifers that have been weaned in the fall and being kept over as replacements are in a critical growth stage of their life. They are dealing with the stress of foraging and finding feed on their own for the first time. Physiologically, heifers must reach a threshold weight and condition before they will reach puberty and begin to cycle. To reach this threshold prior to breeding, heifers need to be managed to achieve an acceptable level of growth. Mature cows on the other hand have recently been weaned, eliminating the energetic drain of lactation. They are pregnant, but during the first two trimesters of pregnancy the added nutrient demands of the fetus are low. Therefore, their nutritional demands are at their lowest point of the year and they do not need the quality of nutrients that the growing heifer and recently weaned two-year-olds require.  
    For example, the growing heifer (between 550 and 700 pounds) needs approximately a diet containing 1.3 to 1.5 pounds per day of protein (10 percent), 9.5 to 10.5 pounds per day of TDN (65 to 70 percent), and consume between 13.5 to 15.5 pounds per day of dry matter intake. A mature dry cow (1,200 pounds) in the middle third of gestation requires about 21 pounds of total dry matter intake, with about 1.5 pounds per day (seven percent) of that in the form of protein and about 10 pounds per day of TDN (50 percent).
    At first glance, the total pounds of nutrients required for heifers and cows appear similar, which is true. However, it is important to notice the total dry matter intake that a heifer can consume is much less than that of a cow, so the heifer diet needs to be much more energetically dense, or a much higher quality feed. It’s also important to remember that, as a cow reaches the third trimester of pregnancy, her nutritional demands increase. Other factors such as extreme cold or wet weather will also increase nutrient requirements for both heifers and cows.
    In addition to differences in quality of feed offered to heifers or cows, the heifer has a harder time competing with cows for food. Often times when heifers and cows are managed together, the cows get more than they need, while they push aside the heifers, who are getting short changed on the grocery side.  
    Another management tip is to try to sort heifers and cows into similar size/condition types. For many operations, this may not be practical due to facility restraints. However, there is research that demonstrates feeding larger heifers together and smaller heifers together will result in a decrease in the total amount of feed fed during a period, while increasing their performance (weight gain and increased conception rate).  The reasoning is that cattle are usually fed to a pen average in terms of requirements. The smaller the variation in a group of cattle, the more precisely the requirements can be met.   
    This type of strategy helps eliminate the top end of the cattle from getting too heavy, while allowing the smaller cattle more of an opportunity to grow. The same approach can be taken for cows. There are always the lower ends of cattle (in terms of condition, not productivity) due to a variety of reasons (heavy milk, late calving, etc.) that need to add some condition during the winter. If these cows are separated from those that are in better condition, they can be fed a higher quality feed to increase condition without wasting unnecessary feed to the remaining herd.
    Although extra pastures or pens to feed animals are often a limiting factor, separating heifers and cows can result in increased performance and feed savings. Similarly, sorting larger and smaller heifers and thinner cows can increase performance and feed savings, as well.

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Last Updated on Saturday, 14 January 2012 13:37

Written by Saige Albert

NRCS Provides Wyoming Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast Program
By Lee Hackleman, NRCS Water Supply Specialist  

 Welcome to the start of the WY-12 Water Supply Forecast Season. With more than a third of the snow accumulation season behind us for the Northern Tier States, and more than half gone for the Southwest, things are looking quite grim so far for most of the Western states. By grim, I mean I think we will have a slightly below average snowpack this year. The reservoir storage is good, though, so we should be all right this year.
    We started the 2011-2012 water year on Nov. 1, 2011 with our first Monday Morning Report. We were at 68 percent of average (1970-2000) for the state. The Powder-Tongue (PT) River Basins were high at 107 percent, the Belle Fourche (BF) drainages were low at 20 percent and the Wind River (WR) Basin was at 47 percent of average.
    On Nov. 21, 2011 we were up to 110 percent and looking good, like a normal La Nina year. The PT was at 141 percent, the BF went to 109 percent and the WR was up to 87 percent.
    We dropped continually all December (Dec. 27, 2011) to 80 percent of average for the state. The PT was at 113 percent, the BF was at 84 percent and the WR was at 78 percent.
    Our latest monthly report on Jan. 9, 2012 shows us up to 80 percent of average for the state. The PT was at 113 percent, the BF was at 81 percent and the WR was at 78 percent.
The Cooperative Snow Survey Program
    Since 1935 the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program has monitored mountain snowpack and climate variables in the Western United States to forecast spring and summer water supply.
    The earliest snow measuring sites in Wyoming date back to the 1920s. In the late 1970s, NRCS began installing automated SNOTEL (SNOwTELemetry) monitoring stations throughout the West. Today, Wyoming NRCS coordinates the Federal-State Cooperative Snow Survey Program, which includes 64 manually sampled snow courses and 90 SNOTEL stations in Wyoming (which includes two we administer in South Dakota).
    West wide, there are 1,200 manually sampled sites and 730 SNOTEL stations. This network provides the snowpack and climate data required to forecast spring and summer water supplies that affect Wyoming water users. A wide variety of economic decisions, totaling many millions of dollars annually, are dependent on the snowpack data collected and water supply forecasts issued by the NRCS.
The SNOTEL Data
 Collection System
    The key to determining spring runoff is the timely and accurate monitoring of remote mountain snowpacks. SNOTEL sites are designed to operate in the harsh winter conditions of the mountainous West. The stations provide continuous precipitation, snow water equivalent (SWE), temperature and snow depth information that is necessary to predict spring and summer runoff. Several (enhanced) stations are augmented to collect wind, solar radiation, relative humidity, soil temperature and soil moisture data to improve snowmelt runoff forecasting. Snow water equivalent is the amount of standing water in inches you would theoretically have at a site if all the snow were to instantly melt and if no loss occurred due to runoff, soil absorption and evaporation.
    The SNOTEL system uses meteor-burst telemetry that reflects radio signals in the Very High Frequency (VHF) range off dust particles from disintegrating meteorites in the upper atmosphere. All SNOTEL sites communicate back and forth with Master Stations located near Boise, Idaho and Dugway, Utah. Collected data at SNOTEL sites is transmitted hourly to the Master Stations and then by landline to the NRCS National Water and Climate Center in Portland, Ore. for processing and distribution via the Internet to thousands of water users.
    All 90 of Wyoming’s SNOTEL sites must be visited in the summer for repairs, modifications and to replenish expendables like batteries and antifreeze.
Manual Snow Courses
    Measurements at the 64 Wyoming manual snow courses begin as early as the end of December, with the bulk of the courses starting to be measured the end of January. All courses are measured once a month from Dec/Jan to April or May, depending on the site.
    At each site there are always two snow surveyors taking the measurements, and nearly all courses are visited by snowmobile, with some courses being over a 30-mile trip in one direction. Frequently the routes to these sites include ungroomed paths or trails requiring riding in deep snow. The surveyors, including non-NRCS cooperators, must attend a snow survey training school and be certified prior to engaging in this work. The training is heavily geared to winter survival.
    At each site, the two-person team, which uses snowshoes to avoid disturbing the snow pack, uses “snow tubes” – handcrafted dur-aluminum tubes that screw together and have exterior markings for measuring snow depth and extracting a snow core. The snow core is weighed on a field scale and converted to inches of water. The data is carefully collected and sent to a Data Collection Office (DCO), which, depending on the part of Wyoming, could be Boise, Idaho, Bozeman, Mont. or Lakewood, Colo.
    An actual snow course typically consists of five sample points that are generally in a line, though not always between two yellow end marker signs. The end marker signs inform the public of the course’s designation as a federal-state cooperative venture. In Wyoming, the State Engineer’s Office makes a significant contribution to the program. Other cooperators making contributions to the program in Wyoming include the Bureau of Reclamation (BuRec), National Park Service, and Teton Science School.
Farmer and Customer Benefits
    The information provided by the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program is essential to Wyoming’s economy. Irrigation districts, hydroelectric generators, reservoir operators, municipal water suppliers, flood emergency officials, wildfire managers and the recreation industry all depend on the information.
    Irrigation districts and farmers use snow survey information to assess water supply and select crops for the coming year. Matching crops to forecasted water supply can have a significant impact on net farm returns. Increased income provided by using water supply forecasts varies from year to year and is dependent on crops grown, crop market, weather conditions and other variables.
    The use of snow survey information is not limited to irrigation districts and farmers. Hydroelectric power generation potential is based on water supply forecasting, and the availability of water for power generation strongly influences power pricing and inter-regional power transfers.
    Local disaster officials use data from the automated SNOTEL stations to issue flood hazard warnings. The Wyoming Highway Department provides avalanche protection and warnings in northwest Wyoming using the data from SNOTEL sites in the Jackson Hole area. Several communities use the information to determine the water supply available for their residents. Wyoming Game and Fish use the data as part of their wildlife management strategy. Other federal agencies, such as the BuRec and the Army Corps of Engineers, make reservoir management plans dependent on the information from this system. Many recreation enterprises depend on this data to plan rafting, canoeing, skiing and snowmobile activities.
    The economic benefits of the program have increased significantly in the past 30 years as the West’s population and economy continue to grow and competition for limited water supplies intensifies. User access to Snow Survey Program information has been doubling every year for several years. News media coverage has been extensive, particularly with the banner 2010-11 snowpack year (2011 water year). During the winter, Wyoming newspapers publish many articles each week that contain Snow Survey and Water Supply information.
    For more information contact the Wyoming NRCS Snow Survey Office at 307-233-6744/43 or visit our webpage at wy.nrcs.usda.gov/snow.