1. “Stewardship for Life”
Managing Range and
Pastureland
David J. Kraft
State Rangeland Management Specialist
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Emporia, Kansas
2. Stewardship for Life
Stewardship
is defined as: Management
of property with a goal of sustainability and
improvement through time
Get
the BIG picture by paying attention to
the small details
8. Stewardship for Life
Reasons
for rangeland loss in Kansas:
Conversion to cropland or other land use
Fragmentation
Urban sprawl
Change in management objectives
Rangeland transition due to management
Invasive species (native, introduced, and
noxious)
9. Stewardship for Life
Rangeland
acres from National Resources
Inventory (NRI):
16,496,700 in 1982
15,727,900 in 1997
13. Stewardship for Life
Cultures
matter !!!
“As important a reason as any to support
ranching, farming, irrigating, and logging is
that our society will need them as teachers,
mentors, and critics in the years to come.”
~Wendell Berry
14. Stewardship for Life
“The most tragic conflict in the history of
conservation is that between environmentalists
and the farmers and ranchers. It is tragic but it
is unnecessary. There is no irresolvable conflict
here, but the conflict that exists can be resolved
only on the basis of a common understanding of
good practice . . . We need to study and foster
working models: farms and ranches that are
striving to bring economic practice into line with
ecological reality, and local food economies in
which consumers conscientiously support the
best land stewardship.”
~Wendell Berry, The Whole Horse
15. Stewardship for Life
Kansas
partnerships
Shared Visions of Private Lands
Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC)
Tallgrass Legacy Alliance
Kansas Grazers Association
Comanche Pool Resource Foundation
Smoky Hill Grazers
16. Stewardship for Life
Common
threats to grazing lands
Loss of biotic integrity
Native and non-native plants expressing
themselves in quantity and amounts above and
beyond a desired condition
17. Stewardship for Life
Eastern
redcedar (ERC) in Kansas
Approximately 93,640 acres of ERC forest
type in Kansas or about 4% of total forestland
Approximately 69,613 acres of
ERC/Hardwood forest type in Kansas or
about 3% of total forestland
*Kansas Forests, 2001-2005, USDA FS Forest Inventory and Analysis Program,
Northern Research Station, ST. Paul, MN.
18. Stewardship for Life
ERC
in Kansas
Since 1965 ERC volume has increased by
23,000%!!!
Volume is defined as trees exceeding 5” dbh
19. Stewardship for Life
ERC
in Oklahoma
Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) estimated acres with at least 50
trees/acre
1950—300,000 acres
1985—3.5 million acres
2004—8 million acres
2013—estimated 12.6 million acres
20. Stewardship for Life
ERC
in Oklahoma
ERC is increasing at an estimated rate of 762
acres a day or 300,000 acres a year
In 2000, it was estimated that ERCs cost
Oklahoma $218 million dollars annually
through catastrophic wildfires, loss of cattle
forage, loss of wildlife habitat, recreation, and
water yield
21. Stewardship for Life
Oklahoma
State University
Research shows that one acre of cedar trees
can absorb 55,000 gallons of water per year.
Evaporation of moisture in tree canopy
Evaporation of moisture caught in litter
Uptake of moisture that reaches the soil by the
tree itself
42. Stewardship for Life
Important
first steps!
Accurate inventory of all resources!
Properly identify goals or objectives!
Do my goals or objectives line up with my
resources?
If I don’t know or understand, ASK for
assistance!
43. Stewardship for Life
Accurate
inventory of all resources
Forage inventory
Ecological sites
Soils
Plant communities
Production potential
Production (actual)
Carrying capacity or stocking rates
44. Stewardship for Life
Goals
Define your vision or expectation for the land
you are entrusted to care for
Short- and long-term goals
Contingency plan
Drought plan
46. Stewardship for Life
Goals
and objectives
A more complete understanding of resources
available on the land managed allows us to
determine if our goals and resources are
compatible
Example: Spring calving cow herd utilizing cool
season forages as the primary grazing resource
47. Stewardship for Life
Resources
available
NRCS
Field offices
• Rangeland management specialist
Kansas State University Extension Service
County agriculture extension agents
48. Stewardship for Life
Grazing
groups and non-government
organizations
Educational opportunities
Grazing schools hosted by the KGLC—kglc.org
• East School—Elmdale—August 19-21
• West School—Scott State Lake—August 5-7
49. Stewardship for Life
So
where do we go from here?
Understand the Challenge/Opportunity!
Identify working examples of success!
Look at every challenge as an opportunity!
Share both our successful and failed efforts!
Take a vacation!
51. Equal Opportunity
Nondiscrimination Policy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees and applicants for employment on the
bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status,
familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected
genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs and/or employment activities.)
To File an Employment Compliant
If you wish to file an employment complaint, you must contact your agency’s EEO Counselor within 45 days of the date of the alleged
discriminatory act, event, or in the case of a personnel action. Additional information can be found online at
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_file.html.
To File a Program Complaint
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online
at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write
a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9419, by fax at (202) 690-7442, or
email at program.intake@usda.gov.
Persons with Disabilities
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities and you wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please contact
USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).
Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail or by email. If you
require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), please contact USDA’s
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
For any other information dealing with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) issues, persons should either contact the USDA
SNAP Hotline Number at (800) 221-5689, which is also in Spanish, or call the State Information/Hotline Numbers.
All Other Inquires
For any other information not pertaining to civil rights, please refer to the listing of the USDA Agencies and Offices.
