Sustainability, sustainably grown, sustainable agriculture, environmentally sustainable, sustainable design, sustainable living, sustainable development, sustainable future – the word sustainable seems to be everywhere these days…
Sustainable – What Does That Even Mean?
By definition sustainable means, “able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed; involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources; able to last or continue for a long time.” In ranching terms, sustainability means caring for the land, and the livestock, in a way that indefinitely preserves this lifestyle and its ability to provide beef to tables around the world.
Everything we do here on the ranch is geared toward sustainability.
Take the dormant season grazing plan for example. One part of developing this particular grazing plan is putting pen (or pencil) to paper and crunching some numbers to figure out what should theoretically benefit both the land and the cattle. But everyone knows that what looks good on paper doesn’t always work in the real world.
So, we physically go make observations and take measurements to get a clearer picture of how much feed is in the pasture and where supplement (hay and/or cake) will be needed.
At a glance, it may appear as though supplementation only benefits the cattle, but that is incorrect. While the benefits to the cattle are more obvious, the more subtle benefits to the land are a key factor in remaining sustainable.
Using strategic placement of hay and/or cake helps us maximize the benefits of litter. We place hay, a litter by itself, in areas where standing litter is sparse and cake in areas where the standing litter is dense and otherwise inedible to the cows. Placement, coupled with the trampling, and additional litter the cows provide, allows us to prevent erosion and fertilize the soil.
When we properly care for our cattle by making the right feed choices, we are caring for the land as well. This in turn, will provide us with the grass (feed) we need to continue caring for our cattle. It is a full circle sort of thing, also known as, sustainability.
In recent years, the word sustainable, and variations of it, have become hot topic buzzwords. But here’s the kicker – this is not a new concept.
Farmers and ranchers have implemented sustainable practices for generations. If they hadn’t, I would not be raising beef let alone blogging about it. Although the practices we use today might not be exactly the same as they were years ago, sustainability was (and always will be) first and foremost on our minds.
Hello! I’m Terryn – the wife, mother, food safety enthusiast, Stormy Kromer fanatic who has slightly (okay, a lot) random tendencies, dabbles in photography, and shares (maybe a little too much) here at FFB.
Love your thoughts on sustainability! Also, I’ve seen grass measured with a stick before, but never with a clear plate used in conjunction….does that give you a better idea of density?
Thanks! I have always believed that doing what is best for the land is what is best for the cattle, and vice versa.
The slight depression of the plate on the forage gives a more accurate estimate of pasture yield. The only time we take this measurement is after the first frost, once the growing season is over, to help us determine the stocking rate for our pastures during the dormant season.
I hope this answered your question 🙂
In the Nebraska Sandhills generations past rode out to check the health of the herd and how the grass looked where the cattle were at in the pasture. Water sources were turned off and on to get the cattle to move to a new area in the pasture where the grass was hadn’t been grazed.
Thanks for reading, Gary! I have read about that, and have also heard stories from some of the folks that used to implement grazing strategies similar to that. I find it fascinating to be able to look back at how grazing cattle has evolved over the years. I honestly believe that the Sandhills would not be the beautiful, thriving ecosystem it is today if it weren’t for the cattle grazing here and the constantly improving strategies of the ranchers who care for them.