In Defense of Year-Round Grazing

I appreciate this opportunity to address some apparent confusion regarding American Prairie Reserve’s request to the Bureau of Land Management concerning a potential change-of-use on our Flat Creek BLM allotment. Specifically, we asked that bison be allowed to graze year-round versus part of the year. This request is similar to year-round requests other local livestock producers have been granted. We also asked to remove interior fences on the Flat Creek allotment.

There are a number of reasons why we are confident that year-round grazing without interior fences will work well on Flat Creek. First, many science-based articles support our strategy. The work, including articles by Drs. Brady Allred at the University of Montana, Samuel Fuhlendorf at Oklahoma State and Michel Kohl at Utah State, confirms that bison use the land differently than cows. Rather than graze mostly in one spot, bison tend to move at a steady speed while feeding. They visit water sources far less frequently than cattle and tend to rest far from water sources and shade, even in extraordinarily hot weather. Once they graze an area, bison generally do not return to that exact same spot for some time, mimicking one of the key features of rest-rotation systems. In short, bison naturally demonstrate the behaviors that rest-rotation pasturing techniques seek to produce.

Second, we know range health is largely determined by stocking rates versus rest-rotation systems. Most livestock producers, biologists and agencies are aware of the steadily-growing body of literature questioning the uniform application of rest-rotation as the best management method in all cases. This evolving thinking agrees that there are certain habitats where rest-rotation can be a beneficial and logical choice, but there is significant evidence that non-fragmented, year-round pastures can be just as productive (and sometimes even more beneficial).

Working under the direction of and approval from the BLM, we keep bison numbers on our allotments at medium stocking rates to reduce impact on — and in most cases enhance — the forage and cover that is important for wild species. Our end goal is to manage the habitat where bison exist so that it is at least as good, if not significantly better, than the habitat that surrounds it. The BLM’s range conservationists monitor all of American Prairie Reserve’s 218,000 acres of BLM allotments. On Telegraph Creek and Box Elder in particular, where we have 620 bison (total live animals versus cow-calf pairs), they consistently report that the range fits well within their standards and desired quality levels.

Third, we’ve seen this work in practice. Our Reserve-based team has logged thousands of hours of close-up observations. They also have analyzed data we collect using satellite radio collars to track grazing patterns on our allotments. They confirm that bison rotate themselves quite efficiently in these large spaces. And we continue to conduct research as part of our bison-grazing plan. We track range and wildlife health on other allotments and will do the same on Flat Creek.

In summary, since starting our herd in 2005, we have shown that bison can thrive on this landscape with no detrimental effects on neighboring operations. We understand that our grazing privileges on BLM land are just that, a privilege. Therefore, we are motivated to demonstrate that all BLM allotments associated with American Prairie Reserve are able to be easily accessed and enjoyed by the public and are good models of high-quality wildlife habitat.

We encourage anyone with questions to visit our operation anytime. Contact Reserve Manager Damien Austin ([email protected]), Lead Scientist Kyran Kunkel ([email protected]) or me, Sean Gerrity ([email protected]), with questions or to arrange a visit.