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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
Holistic Farming
Grass loss to wild grazers?
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<blockquote data-quote="Blaithin" data-source="post: 6860188" data-attributes="member: 5764"><p>1/3 for me, 1/3 for the wildlife, 1/3 for the plant and soil.</p><p></p><p>Whether they're eating the grass or using it as habitat, an increase in wildlife is on par with an increase in biodiversity and an increase in biodiversity means an increase in ecosystem resilience. You can't aim for increased biodiversity but think you're going to be able to leave out animal species.</p><p></p><p>Factually, most animals prefer different parts of plants and different kinds of plants which is why grazing animals can compliment one another so much. What one doesn't eat is what another will, etc. It's only when it's down to being overgrazed (or in drought instances) where their choices are taken from them that they become directly competitive. You may notice more animals on your land than others because that other land is overgrazed and therefore doesn't have the things those animals would regularly choose. As ecosystems balance out, populations disperse. Populations will also experience times of peaks and dips where they will seem overpopulated to you for a season or two but they will balance themselves out if left. When we step in to manage them is usually when they really go out of whack.</p><p></p><p>Here there is currently a brouhaha going about them pulling strychnine off the market to control gophers. "They're going to eat all our grass!!" say the producers. Do you know where gopher populations tend to absolutely explode? In overgrazed pasture where they can see as far as their eyes can see and can easily notice predators. If producers were to keep grasslands taller, the predators of the gophers - coyotes, fox, hawks, ravens - would have an easier time catching them and thus controlling the population. By overgrazing the pasture, gopher populations can explode and then they become an issue. (Coincidentally, this ease of catching more natural prey will directly decrease those predators pressuring livestock. Handy)</p><p></p><p>Go thank those geese for all the wonderful fertilizer they're supplying you for free.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blaithin, post: 6860188, member: 5764"] 1/3 for me, 1/3 for the wildlife, 1/3 for the plant and soil. Whether they're eating the grass or using it as habitat, an increase in wildlife is on par with an increase in biodiversity and an increase in biodiversity means an increase in ecosystem resilience. You can't aim for increased biodiversity but think you're going to be able to leave out animal species. Factually, most animals prefer different parts of plants and different kinds of plants which is why grazing animals can compliment one another so much. What one doesn't eat is what another will, etc. It's only when it's down to being overgrazed (or in drought instances) where their choices are taken from them that they become directly competitive. You may notice more animals on your land than others because that other land is overgrazed and therefore doesn't have the things those animals would regularly choose. As ecosystems balance out, populations disperse. Populations will also experience times of peaks and dips where they will seem overpopulated to you for a season or two but they will balance themselves out if left. When we step in to manage them is usually when they really go out of whack. Here there is currently a brouhaha going about them pulling strychnine off the market to control gophers. "They're going to eat all our grass!!" say the producers. Do you know where gopher populations tend to absolutely explode? In overgrazed pasture where they can see as far as their eyes can see and can easily notice predators. If producers were to keep grasslands taller, the predators of the gophers - coyotes, fox, hawks, ravens - would have an easier time catching them and thus controlling the population. By overgrazing the pasture, gopher populations can explode and then they become an issue. (Coincidentally, this ease of catching more natural prey will directly decrease those predators pressuring livestock. Handy) Go thank those geese for all the wonderful fertilizer they're supplying you for free. [/QUOTE]
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Holistic Farming
Grass loss to wild grazers?
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