In the last half of the nineteen fifties, I lived within 15 miles of King City MO. At that time it was known as the Blue Grass Capital of the World. They had a warehouse north of town, still standing and used, where they bought and distributed more bluegrass seed than anywhere else. As a youth in my teens, every summer fro a couple weeks in mid June, I would take a hand held bluegrass header and go along the roads collecting seeds.
The hand held header was mostly heavy wood and it developed many of my muscles swing it across the tops of the grass stripping seed from the seed heads. The teacup full of seed I gathered with each swing was added to a gunny sack I pulled along with me. A gunny sack was a reusable sack made of jute or hemp and many were large enough to hold over one hundred pounds of potatoes. I would work long hours to collect 3 sacks for a few dollars.
At that time all the pastures were seeded in Kentucky Bluegrass and the fields that hadn’t been pastured at that time of the year were harvested. The seed companies had a number of small tow behind contraptions which they allowed local farmers to use to collect seed from these unused pastures.
Bluegrass is a cool weather crop and come summer, the grass would go dormant and since growing til later in the fall. Fescue grass was introduced as it was not only a warm weather grass, but would remain green through the winter. As a dominant grass, soon it spread everywhere eventually crowding out not only pasture land, but the roadside grasses well. Little did the farmers know that the grass had a toxic byproduct. According to Grist;
“America’s “fescue belt,” named for an exotic grass called tall fescue, dominates the pastureland from Missouri and Arkansas in the west to the coast of the Carolinas in the east. Within that swath, a quarter of the nation’s cows — more than 15 million in all — graze fields that stay green through the winter while the rest of the region’s grasses turn brown and go dormant.
But the fescue these cows are eating is toxic. The animals lose hooves. Parts of their tails and the tips of their ears slough off. For most of the year, they spend any moderately warm day standing in ponds and creeks trying to reduce fevers. They breathe heavily, fail to put on weight, and produce less milk. Some fail to conceive, and some of the calves they do conceive die.
The disorder, fescue toxicosis, costs the livestock industry up to $2 billion a year in lost production. “Fescue toxicity is the most devastating livestock disorder east of the Mississippi,” said Craig Roberts, a forage specialist at the University of Missouri Extension, or MU, and an expert on fescue. “
Replacement with new non toxic varieties of Fescue have been plagued with failures and it is costly to reintroduce new grasses.Many of these pastures are where the mother cows breed and produce calves. They are usually not large corporations, but smaller farmers who will raise these calves on grass until large enough in the fall to be sold to the large feedlots for finishing. Smaller farmers are reluctant to invest in new projects.
Enter Regenerative Agriculture.
There are a number of native grasses including big bluestem, Eastern gama grass, indiangrass, and little bluestem. You may be familiar with some of these as they were common on the plains of the state of Kansas. I remember reading about explorers relating to grasses that they could not see over unless mounted on a horse. This was where the ‘Buffalo roam’.
Native pasture grasses are grasses that are indigenous to a particular region and have evolved over time to thrive in the local environment. These grasses are often recommended for use in pasture and forage management due to their ability to support local ecosystems, provide habitat for wildlife, and contribute to overall environmental sustainability.
One of the primary benefits of using native pasture grasses is their positive impact on the environment. These grasses have deep root systems that help to prevent soil erosion, improve soil structure, and increase water infiltration. They also require fewer inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, which can lead to a reduction in water contamination and overall environmental degradation. Additionally, native pasture grasses are often more resilient to drought and other extreme weather conditions, making them a more sustainable option for long-term pasture management.:
While the upfront cost of purchasing native pasture grass seeds may be higher than traditional options, the long-term cost-effectiveness of using these grasses can be significant. Native pasture grasses require less maintenance and inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, which can lead to lower operating costs over time. Additionally, the improved soil health and water retention benefits of native pasture grasses can result in higher yields and improved pasture quality, ultimately leading to higher profits for producers.
Native pasture grasses typically have higher nutritional value compared to traditional options, as they are better adapted to the local environment and often contain a more diverse range of nutrients. These grasses are also more palatable to livestock, leading to increased forage intake and improved animal performance. Additionally, the use of native pasture grasses can help to support biodiversity and provide habitat for beneficial insects, such as pollinators and natural predators of pests, which can contribute to overall ecosystem health.
Native pasture grasses can provide valuable habitat and food sources for a variety of beneficial insects, including pollinators and natural predators of pests. This can help to support overall ecosystem health and reduce the need for chemical insecticides. In turn, the presence of these insects can support the health and productivity of pasture grasses and livestock.
Native pasture grasses are often more drought-tolerant and water-efficient compared to traditional options. The deep root systems of these grasses help to increase water infiltration and reduce surface runoff, leading to improved water retention and overall water quality. This can be particularly beneficial in areas with limited water resources or frequent drought conditions, as native pasture grasses can help to maintain pasture productivity and support livestock health during dry periods.
The deep root systems of native pasture grasses help to improve soil structure, increase water infiltration, and prevent soil erosion. According to NDRC;
"Each 1 percent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre."
If you go to their site you can see how this is calculated. (NDRC-the Natural Resources Defense Council- combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and other environmental specialists to confront the climate crisis, protect the planet's wildlife and wild places, and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.)
If you increase the humus in the soil through the introduction of native grasses by 5 percent, you are talking of an additional 100,000 gallons of water held by the humus besides the water held by the soil.This ability to capture water prevents runoff. Soil with 5 percent humus can absorb a six inch per hour downpour without any runoff. Much of the land farmed for crops should never have been broken up. The type of soil and the slope makes the land prime for soil erosion.
In addition, the inability of the soil to retain water allows runoff of excess fertilize and farm related chemicals causing pollution of our water ways from which much of our drinking water is obtained. A strip of grass land adjoining rivers and creeks can be helpful in providing clean water. The City of New York obtains water that is so clean it doesn't have to be strained.This pristine water was obtained by cooperation with farmers and industry upstream
The use of native grasses can lead to improved soil health and fertility, as well as increased carbon sequestration and overall environmental sustainability. Additionally, the use of native pasture grasses can help to reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, leading to a more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective approach to pasture management.
By utilizing controlled grazing, farmers have been able to not stockpile labor intensity baling of hay and allowing cattle to graze pasture that has a reserve of forage that the cattle can graze through the winter even when it is covered with snow.
It is not necessary to remove the existing pasture through plowing or chemical means. The existing pasture can be utilized while establishing the native grasses. The seed may broadcast in late winter on frozen ground (frost seeding).
In natural nature, animals are a part of the environment. Many arguments have been made concerning the pollution of raising beef (chickens and pork on a lesser scale). One of the concerns is the amount of water needed to raise a cow. If you have ever seen a cow void their bladder, you would understand the concept. In a feed lot, along with copious amount of solod waste, the problem is seldom properly addressed. Cattle raised on pastures void that excessive flow of water directly back on to the ground. In this urine are millions of microbes which enhance the soil. The dung waste also has amounts of fertilizer in it. If you have ever seen a pasture, you will notice that everywhere there is a cow paddy, the grass is greener around it. Many of the microbes are a part of our digestive system.
While feed grown for caged animals is grown on disturbed land that is releasing carbon, the native grasses are collecting and storing carbon deep within the soil. Some of the native grasses have roots systems that extend more than ten feet into the soi. All the micro activity deep within the soil is breaking down rocks and extracting minerals from the clay to naturally grow meat. ‘The result is meat that not only has more nutrients, but a ratio of good and bad cholesterol. I find it strange that of all the studies that point to increased problems of cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, prostate cancer or inflammations, and hormonal imbalances are made from industrial raised meat. Without studies utilizing organic, pasture raised meat,how are we to know if it is meat or the way it is raised.
Overall, native pasture grasses offer a range of environmental, cost-effective, and nutritional benefits compared to traditional options. By incorporating these grasses into pasture and forage management practices, producers can improve soil health, support biodiversity, and enhance overall ecosystem sustainability.
I am th e author of “How the Food Industry is Killing Us” Find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your library and world wide on various formats.