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Unique Dakota Prairie Grasslands Conservation, Grazing Project Nears Completion

Medora Grazing Association Billings County

water tank for cattle
A new water tank for cattle opens up more of a U.S. Forest Service allotment in north Billings County to grazing.

 

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s groundbreaking Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) with the Medora Grazing Association is nearing completion.

Two wells have been drilled, 47 water facilities have been built, 25 miles of livestock pipeline have been laid and more than three miles of cross fencing has been erected in north Billings County, N.D. Some additional projects already funded are on track to be completed this year.

The $800,000 RCPP grant funded 24 contracts on 26 U.S. Forest Service grazing allotments. Seven additional contracts on nine allotments were funded through a special state Environment Quality Incentive Program allocation, reports Arthur Elkins, NRCS soil conservation technician, Dickinson, N.D.

RCPP was created in the 2014 Farm Bill. The grant, the first in North Dakota, was made in 2015 to the Medora Grazing Association.

“It brought the expertise of farmers and ranchers, state and federal agencies and ag groups together to achieve shared conservation goals to tackle a priority concern in our region – preserving our grasslands,” says Mary Podoll, NRCS state conservationist,
Bismarck, N.D.

Approximately 12 years ago, the Forest Service began their public input process on management steps that would be needed to reach conservation goals of improving the grass, protecting water quality and enhancing wildlife habitat.

Multiple initial actions were proposed including new livestock water developments, fencing and grazing rotation changes. Reducing livestock stocking rates was also one of the options considered.

After many years of study and negotiations, the U.S. Forest Service decided that the Medora Grazing Association could develop management plans implementing grazing tools that had been carried through its analysis process. Projects included developing new water facilities to improve livestock distribution; and cross fencing to establish rotational grazing, which would allow native grasses to be rested and grazed at different times of the year.

But who would pay for the projects? The ranchers didn’t own the land. Traditional NRCS cost-sharing programs, such EQIP, are usually only made to individuals on privately-owned land. Plus, traditional programs would have resulted only in a patchwork of conservation improvements.

The U.S. Forest Service had limited conservation funds and it would have taken many years to get the projects on the land.

When the RCPP was rolled out in 2014, it looked like a good fit.

“Grazing associations often work very closely with the Forest Service regarding stocking numbers and management plans,” says Wendy Bartholomay, NRCS- western zone assistant state conservationist for field operations, Bowman, N.D.  “This was a new opportunity where all three groups (NRCS, U.S. Forest Service and the Medora Grazing Association) partnered to get conservation practices on the land to improve grazing management and ultimately maintain or improve the plant community diversity and vigor so that stocking rates could be maintained as well.”

The grant’s impact can already be seen on allotments, says Misty Hays, U.S. Forest Service district ranger, Dickinson, N.D.

Rotational grazing is being used providing periods of rest and some changes in season of use from year to year. With the added water facilities, grazing distribution is being improved reducing pressure on creeks, ponds and riparian areas..  Better quality water is available for livestock, which may improve animal health and increase calf weaning weights.

NRCS and U.S. Forest Service specialists say it will take several more years before plant diversity and wildlife habitat changes can be documented.

“But we are on the right path,” Hays says.

Wes Obrigewitch, a Belfield, N.D., cattle producer and president of the Medora Grazing Association, says the RCPP grant worked well.

“The Medora Grazing Association is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have participated in and to have received funding for our members through the RCPP. This project has resulted in providing water to grazing areas that have had a desperate need for reliable water for many years. In uncertain economic times, those members who have participated in RCPP can state that they have implemented improvements that aim to meet the goals and objectives set out in their management plans. This in turn means avoiding reductions in authorized livestock grazing due to inaction. Participating in RCPP also resulted in forging stronger relationships with both the NRCS and the U.S. Forest Service, which will prove to be beneficial to all members of the Medora Grazing Association.”

 


Media contact:

Lon Tonneson
for USDA NRCS North Dakota
lon.tonneson@gmail.com
701-361-1105