Surviving or Thriving in Drought
Analyzing ecological monitoring data from 1999 to 2007, Tony Malmberg of Twin Creek Ranch and Jim Howell assess how Twin Creek’s drought-induced management adjustments enabled them to maintain the integrity of their ecosystem processes. Malmberg also discusses his “ah-ha” moment after hearing Howell’s hypothesis that low production, brittle environments likely evolved under grazing patterns with longer (sometimes multi-year) recovery periods compared to brittle environments with higher production.
N.D. Rancher Builds Biological Capital
This 2009 article in Beef Producer magazine follows Gene Goven and his 1,500-acre ranch in South Dakota, USA. Researchers have documented that grasses penetrating only 3 to 5 inches,now send down roots four to 10 times as deep. From 1982 to 2001, water infiltration in his soils increased from 0.8 to 6.2 inches/hour. His grazing season also lengthened, increasing from 150 – 180 days of grazing a year to 230 – 270 days.
