Wonderful! We should do a Prairie Lakes Group outing to go see.
Donna
On Jul 10, 2008, at 8:56 AM, Steve & Connie Swan wrote:
> 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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