Location: Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research
2023 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1. Determine ecological value of using sheep grazing to manipulate intermountain rangeland plant communities towards goals for biodiversity conservation via enhanced habitat quality.
Approach
U.S. sheep ranchers and farmers generate about one-half of the total lamb consumed in the United States; the remainder comes from New Zealand and Australia. Enhanced international competitiveness represents a great opportunity for U.S. sheep producers, many of which reside in rural communities scattered across the native rangelands of the U.S. Intermountain West. Much of these rangelands are subject to extreme climate and terrain variability and, thus, are not suitable for crop production. In this setting, rangeland-based livestock enterprises must be flexible and adaptive if they are to efficiently sustain quality food production, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem biodiversity, especially in areas of limited and variable precipitation. Accordingly, management solutions that improve rangeland resilience and robustness would have a positive effect on the health of rural communities and societies. At the same time, many stakeholder groups see Intermountain West rangelands as “wilderness habitat” for wildlife such as sage grouse, bears, wolves, and wild sheep. This leads to tension between rural communities, producers, conservationists, and environmentalists about how and for what purpose rangelands are managed. Balanced, science-based research is needed to provide sheep farmers and ranchers with solutions to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of U.S. sheep production, while informing land managers about the synergies and tradeoffs of these strategies on biodiversity conservation and profitability management objectives.
In ARS National Program (NP) projects NP 215 (current project) and 101 (associated project), scientists will address these challenges through three key opportunities for innovation: 1) enhanced sustainability and rangeland health through science-based rangeland management practices (NP 215); 2) enhanced management decision-making based on knowledge of both the benefits and tradeoffs of different management practices on multiple rangeland outcomes, including biodiversity conservation and production (NP 215); and 3) enhanced profitability and international competitiveness through greater production efficiency (NP 101). Scientists will experimentally evaluate the effects of management actions, environmental events, and(or) climatic factors on ecosystem services. Interpretation and application of research results will contribute to solutions for carbon sequestration, native rangeland ecosystem function, sustainable U.S. livestock agriculture, national food security, and rural prosperity. Within the research resource scope, these investigations include mountain big sagebrush and subalpine-tall forb ecosystems, which are habitat for sage grouse, bighorn sheep, and grizzly bear. Livestock agriculture includes domestic sheep grazing, genetics, and production.
Progress Report
In support of Objective 1, research continued on determining the production and ecological value of using sheep grazing to improve sage grouse-nesting habitat in recently-burned mountain big sagebrush steppe (rangeland). Post-burn recovery of shrubs is important for sustained health of the sagebrush ecosystem. Wildlife (e.g., sage grouse) and optimal livestock production are dependent upon healthy sagebrush communities. The fifth year of sheep grazing treatments was applied in a recently-burned (2008 and 2009) mountain big sagebrush community. Total vegetation removed was quantified, and herbivory of sagebrush was monitored.
Accomplishments
1. Range sheep production calendars reveal system transformation. The future of range sheep systems depends on their ability to match livestock demand to forage supply through movements across seasonal ranges. However, social and ecological changes are reducing rancher access to seasonal ranges and reshaping their production systems. ARS researchers at Dubois, Idaho, compiled a case study of range sheep ranch system transformation before and after the loss of seasonal winter and summer ranges. By displaying 36 years of management records from the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in two ecological calendars, researchers translated system dynamics to scientific, manager, and decision-maker audiences. Researchers identified changes in grazing use as well as key barriers and sources of system adaptation. This information is shaping novel research agendas and stakeholder interactions, and guiding ranch-management and public-lands-agency planning.
2. Evaluating herbicide treatments in mountain big sagebrush plant communities. The sustainable management of the sagebrush ecosystem is an important goal for public and private land managers seeking to advance conservation and production-focused objectives. In east Idaho, a local multi-agency and land-owner collaborative called the Sand Creek Collaborative (SCC) has expressed interest in using herbicide to shift the cover of mountain big sagebrush to improve herbaceous production and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. ARS researchers at Dubois, Idaho, conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects the herbicide Tebuthiuron, applied at a very low rate, on sagebrush systems. Changes in shrub cover and understory vegetation varied by topographic position across the treatment area, with reduced effectiveness in low-lying, wetter areas. This information was presented to the SCC, who used the data to inform future management of nearby sagebrush landscapes. Furthermore, the information was used to develop an upcoming multi-agency project evaluating herbicide impacts on fire behavior.
Review Publications
Greene, C., Wilmer, H.N., Ferguson, D.B., Crimmins, M.A., McClaren, M.P. 2022. Using scale and human agency to frame ranchers’ discussions about socio-ecological change and resilience. Journal of Rural Studies. 96:217-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.11.001.
Derner, J.D., Wilmer, H.N., Stackhouse-Lawson, K., Place, S., Boggess, M.V. 2023. Practical considerations for adaptive strategies by US grazing land managers with a changing climate. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment. 6. Article e20356. https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20356.
Baldwin, T., Ritten, J.P., Derner, J.D., Augustine, D.J., Wilmer, H.N., Wahlert, J., Anderson, S., Arisarri, G., Peck, D.E. 2022. Stocking rate and marketing dates for yearling steers grazing rangelands: Can producers do things differently to increase economic net benefits? Rangelands. 44(4):251-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.04.002.
Derner, J.D., Eisele, K., Eisele, M., Wilmer, H.N., Mortenson, M.C., Freeman, P., Lockman, R. 2022. King Ranch: Ranching on the edge. Rangelands. 44:411-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.09.002.
Wilmer, H.N., McGranahan, D.A., Moffet, C., Taylor, J.B. 2023. Effect of burn season and grazing deferment on mountain big sagebrush plant communities. Plant Ecology. 224:501-512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-023-01317-1.
Wulfhorst, J., Bruno, J., Toledo, D.N., Wilmer, H.N., Archer, D.W., Peck, D.E., Huggins, D.R. 2022. Infusing ‘long-term’ into social science rangelands research. Rangelands. 44(5):299–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.06.001.
Chung, Y.A., Monaco, T.A., Taylor, J.B., Adler, P.B. 2023. Do plant-soil feedbacks promote coexistence in a sagebrush steppe? Ecology. 104(7). Article e4056. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4056.
