Beating back invasive species helps ranchers in tallgrass prairie

Understanding the ecosystem provides the script for writing a successful story against unwanted species in the tallgrass prairie, according to two conservation advocates who are also ranchers from Wilson County, Kansas.

“I love grassland,” said Daryl Donahue. “I consider myself more of a stockman grass farmer than a rancher. I’m widely known as the cedar tree hater of Wilson County.”

He calls the trees the “green glacier” because they take considerable effort to control. “It is hard to run the correct stocking rate and keep the water up when you have a parasite out there drinking 30 gallons of water a day.”

Donahue works with the Wilson County Conservation District and is the Kansas Association of Conservation District’s Area 5 director.

He is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher whose family’s roots date back to homesteading in 1867. They started taking care of native bluestem in 1880, and some of that pasture remains integral to today’s operation.

Rod Vorhees also shares the passion about soil health and a thirst to constantly learn. Vorhees, Wilson County Conservation District supervisor and chairman of the Kansas Conservation Commission, uses a simple approach, which is to take natural resources available to him and apply them in the best possible way to sustain productivity and continue to improve his operation.

Being a conservation district supervisor allows him to meet “wise people” and learn more about how to make the best use of the land.

Working with what you have

The eastern-southeast Kansas region is diverse, Vorhees said. Wilson County is in a transition area as it falls on the edge of the tall grass prairie and also has native timberland. Cropland and agricultural crops are in low land spots. As a result, farmers and ranchers have to be constantly aware of threats to their ecosystems.

“There has been an opportunity for ‘invasives,’ such as cedar trees, to become prevalent due to a lack of adequate management,” he said, adding conservation districts are trying to make producers more aware of the assistance available to help them. Those resources can help them to better manage their land by reducing invasive species while increasing productivity and improving water quality and soil health.

Donahue attends range management tours because they are practical ways to learn more about rangeland and just as important is the conversations that occur. “There is still that need for interaction amongst producers to help improve the situation in their operation.”

His view on cedar tree control is that rather than trying to get bigger he wants to improve his operation. “If I can clear those cedars back and gain a few extra acres and reduce water consumption and get rid of the willow trees on the pond dams that drink 300 gallons a day, hey that’s a good thing,” Donahue said. “To be able to bring in the experts, per se from the universities, and get them in front of people again is that live interaction with those folks and the ability to ask questions right up front is what makes it all possible to make the big picture look better.”

Having a better control system also helps rural fire departments, too, Vorhees said. When Vorhees observes a damaging rural fire, he sees it is as an opportunity to work with a landowner to develop a long-term strategy for vegetation control. When properly used, fire is an excellent tool for landowners to improve range management and reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire.

When he explains the system to others, he likes to think in ecological terms. A tallgrass prairie operator needs to understand grazing, drought and fire. Drought is unpredictable and the most difficult to manage but he can control stocking rates. On a practical scale overgrazing enables invasive species to expand, which is bad news for a producer in the long run.

Resources readily available

Local conservation districts are an excellent resource, Donahue said. In his region, they draw upon Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University. Today’s technology allows for virtual meetings and information is available at the rancher’s fingertips. He stresses face-to-face visits available at a conservation district office.

“That is available in all 105 counties (in Kansas) and that is one thing we believe in that the conservation district is really riding the brand for the producer,” Donahue said.

He enjoys sharing information because it helps fellow producers. One example is workshops that focus on how to use fire to help improve a pasture. During those workshops, information is shared so a rancher can learn how to access the National Weather Service website to be able to get the latest on wind speeds and monitor for red flag warnings.

“The technology is in our pocket, and it is something that we can utilize but we have to share the information to help make things better,” Donahue said.

Vorhees said in eastern Kansas ranchers must take a balanced approach in their management system. Many of them use native forage, but they may also raise hay and traditional crops including soybeans and corn.

Various partners work together to help producers and yet the uniqueness of each county office is a big help to the individual so he can tailor his operation for long-term success.

Conservation districts are the grassroots organizations to identify concerns and build a trusted relationship with producers, Vorhees said. The conservation districts have eight decades of trusted relationships with those who are on the land.

Walking on sunshine

Both men consider soil health paramount to what they do to be a successful farmer and rancher.

Vorhees calls himself a “sunlight farmer” who uses plants to capture the sunlight and convert it into something that is useful and helps improve the soil, helps animals to grow, and produces crops that can be harvested.

“I try to have as much diversity in plants that are beneficial to soil health and to the growth of animals. If I’m missing out on a plant through photosynthesis and making something beneficial out of the sunlight, then I’m not improving the management to the place where I have goals,” Vorhees said.

On his own operation he tries to manage the native ecosystem—the tallgrass prairie—as he was taught and using traditional resources that include university research and conservation districts. On his cropland, though, he uses a perennial mixture of grasses and legumes that can be maintained and complement and supplement the native ecosystem. He uses cover crops to get to that point. He wants to see growth that can help animals, improve soil and ultimately all resources in the long run.

The two conservationists stressed the importance of working with local conservation districts and being willing to talk to elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. They also said sharing the story of conservation and soil health to people of all ages, rural and urban, is all part of containing the legacy of building relationships.

Information for this story was from the Soil Solutions podcast with Jessica Gnad, the executive director of Great Plains Regeneration and soil health content consultant for High Plains Journal. Visit soilhealthu.net/podcasts to hear the podcasts. Sign up to receive the monthly Soil Health HPJ Direct newsletter and Soil Solutions podcast notifications by visiting hpj.com/signup and checking Soil Health.

Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].