Donna,
There is a drive you can do here that allows one to observe many different
management styles of Iowa grasslands. Drive west from Fostoria. Around
mile three you will see the Prairie Flower. They have restored many native
species on fields that were once farmed. It is quite beautiful now with
many flowers blooming. It is not however, a classic prairie as they have
concentrated particular species in particular areas for ease of harvest.
Besides prairies there are several other interesting features on this drive.
On the north side of the road you will pass a farmstead with among other
things a cubist rabbit hutch and a real moai, there is an oxbow marsh, and
on the south side of the road you will see a small green straw bale house.
Around mile 7 or 8 there is a Nature Conservancy 40 acre project (the Mori
Prairie
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/iowa/preserves/art2214
.html ) that I believe is a piece of land that was never plowed. It was
probably hayed but has been managed for native species for the last decade
or so. It is a beautiful piece with lots of diversity.
Continuing west you will come to a stop sign. Drive one mile west on gravel
and on the south west corner of the intersection you will encounter another
field that has never been plowed. It has been grazed traditionally for a
long time and has pretty much converted to Eurasian cool season grasses
although it is hard to tell for sure as they never have a chance to go to
seed.
In my eye the beauty of an Iowa prairie is its texture and diversity of
colors and foliage types. The opposite and antithesis of a prairie is a
mowed lawn.
The system under which the Iowa prairie evolved was one of random
catastrophic events, the two most dramatic would have been fire or a massive
herd of bison grazing through. We are still able to use fire as a tool.
The bison grazing can be simulated through intensive rotational grazing
although the bison probably only grazed randomly, perhaps on somewhat of an
annual cycle while a cattle or sheep producer will need to maximize his
production by repeatedly grazing throughout the year. These two different
approaches yield different mixes of plants as certain species have no chance
to regenerate or reseed under the modern system.
Back to why haying is hard on prairies; anytime we start putting schedules
into forage removal we are favoring certain species. If we maintain these
schedules the prairie begins to shift towards a mono-crop as the specie most
suited to that schedule dominates. We can enhance prairies through
management decisions such as when to burn, hay, or intensively graze
livestock. When making these decisions we have to be sure that our mown
lawn instincts (which nearly everyone has) aren't dominating our decisions.
Looking at an Iowa landscape as a naturalist, I equate the highest value
with the greatest diversity and number of species which is best represented
by a true native prairie.
Steve Swan
-----Original Message-----
From: Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Donna Buell
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 6:54 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Iowa state parks and public lands proposed for grazing and
haying
Would somebody please explain why haying would devastate prairie plantings?
Are we concerned about the plants ability to go to seed?
It seems that prairie survived for thousands of years with large animals
grazing. The only concerns I've ever heard about grazing are where we give
the animals unfettered access to waterways and they cause stream bank damage
and erosion.
Thanks,
Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Steve & Connie Swan
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Iowa state parks and public lands proposed for grazing and
haying
A lot of the interstate right of ways in Iowa have been involved in great
prairie restoration projects which would be devastated by haying and need no
mowing.
Steve Swan
-----Original Message-----
From: Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jerry Neff
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 6:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Iowa state parks and public lands proposed for grazing and
haying
I do not want our state parks to be pastures. Except for safety concerns, I
have
always felt that right of way along interstates should be used to harvest
something useful like hay. Nebraska allows farmers to bale hay along I-80.
Maybe
the state could rent the land to the farmers so instead of spending money to
mow
they could have an income from the land. One down side is that so many
farmers
now a days do not have livestock and thus no need for hay. Jerry N
---------------------- Original Message: ---------------------
From: Donna Buell <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Iowa state parks and public lands proposed for grazing and
haying
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 23:36:02 +0000
> If we had the farm animals in pastures where they belonged, the
> pasture grasses would still be there for the livestock to eat. And
> they would have soaked up lots of water that flooded instead.
>
>
> Donna
>
>
>
> On Jul 7, 2008, at 5:59 PM, Cindy Hildebrand wrote:
>
> > Per below, the issues range from habitat degradation to the
> > spreading of invasive exotics via seeds in cattle manure and
> > contaminated haying equipment.
> >
> > Cindy
> >
> > ***
> > Iowa official: Open state land for haying, grazing
> > Monday July 7, 2:04 pm ET
> > AP
> > Iowa Ag Secretary Northey asks Culver to open state lands for
> > haying, grazing to aid producers
> >
> > DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey
> > wants to consider using state parks, roadside right of ways and
> > medians for haying and grazing.
> >
> > Northey says opening the land could help livestock producers who are
> > struggling with record feed prices.
> >
> > In a request sent to Gov. Chet Culver on Monday, Northey says that
> > it won't be a "silver bullet" but the move could help producers.
> >
> > Culver's office is reviewing the letter, which was also sent to the
> > Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the state Department of
> > Transportation. A spokesman for Northey says the secretary doesn't
> > know how much land the request entails.
> > ***
> >
> > Cindy Hildebrand
> > [log in to unmask]
> > Ames, IA 50010
> >
> > "Today in these fields the fruit of several species of milkweed hang
> > unopened, still green, but a little later the silken coma and the
> > bright linings of the pods will bring pleasure to many
> > eyes." (Selden Lincoln Whitcomb describing Grinnell, Iowa in 1907)
> >
> >
> >
> > Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient
> > used cars.
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