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On this week’s “Resilience Rodeo”, Dominic Harmon shares how rotational grazing increased his plant production and variety of native species. Originally from northern Minnesota, Dominic Harmon relocated to Wood, SD, in the northeast corner of Mellette County in 2004 and has transformed his ranch over those years by fine-tuning grazing rotations. “I found this piece of land, and I thought it was a beautiful area, but I thought it was real low-quality property because it was pretty sparse grass and it looked real rough. The local NRCS Conservationist talked to me about rotational grazing, and after I done that for about 18 years now, I found out that the land here really produces well. It was mainly just cheat grass back then and now it's a wide variety of native grasses.” 1) 1) What is the one thing you have done that has been most important to the success of your operation? Well, the most important thing to my operation I think is definitely the range management; because without good range, you really don't have anything. So just range improvement is probably my most important thing on the ranch. 2) Can you recall a moment of time when the light bulb went on for you? Where you decided to change the way you manage your ranch? Well, I guess it seemed like the natural thing to do because animals always kind of just rotated across the Prairie. And just watching the change in the range, I guess was my big light bulb watching the increase in plants, production, and variety. 3) What surprised you the most when you changed the way you were grazing? What surprised me most when I changed the way I was grazing, was the plant varieties that I didn't even know that were there, that all of a sudden started to show up. It was just really amazing that all these species were so overgrazed that they were non-existent, and then with a little break, they just began to flourish. 4) What would you say is the biggest misconception that people have, who are not managed in their grazing systems for resiliency and soil health? I think the biggest misconception would probably be that it is a lot of work, because it's really not. Once your animals get used to rotating through the pastures, they really just come wait for you to let them, they'll really work with you easy. So, it's really not a lot of work. 5) What advice do you have for someone who is considering changing their grazing system to one that’s better for building soil health? The advice I'd give someone starting out in a grazing system would be, be patient. The changes aren't overnight, but if you give it a few years, there will be a big change. 6) When you walk across your grasslands now, what are you looking at for indicators of grassland health and soil health? When I walk across a grassland, the indicators of soil health and plant health, I like a lot of cover on the ground, and variety of species, and just a good amount of growth, a nice population of plants. I like to just do an overview on things, but then you need to really get in there and look down to actually see what's there. Because from a distance, a lot of stuff looks real good, but to see your plant populations and species, you really need to get up close. 7) Is there a change that you made at one stage that you thought would never work? Well, I'm a pretty open-minded person, so I like to give about anything a shot. I can't think of anything that I really thought would fail. 8) What are the signs that your land is resilient, and what does that resiliency mean to you? Well, I think this year was a perfect example of having resilient range, this year was a real severe drought. If you look around my pastures, I've still got a really good cover and good plant health. So, I think that's a sign of resilience, you can make it through drought years, and your plants can come through it healthy, you got a resilient range. It means getting to stay on the ranch instead of going to the sales barn. 9) We talked about rotate, rest, and recover, is there one of those that maybe sticks out a little bit more to you and why would that be? I think "recover" really sticks out to me because when you have to graze it off, just watching your pasture recover is a really nice thing. 10) By the grazing management choices you’ve made, how has it helped your soil organisms? Well, the grazing management choices I've made have helped the soil organisms by increased root depth, and a lot more cover on the soil for all the organisms to eat. Good water infiltration is always good for the organisms, so they don't smother or wash away. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

Cassidy Spencer, Growing Resilience Staff Writer Justin was raised on the ranch and now runs two ranches, one owned and one leased, one West of Mobridge, SD, and the other about 20 miles further West. In a recent episode of the Growing Resilience podcast, Justin spoke with Buz Kloot, Emily Helms, and Ryan Beer on the development of new grazing strategies on his property. In 2018, Justin found himself in a tough position. He grew up with an intimate, home-grown understanding of ranch management, observing the importance and success of traditional grazing techniques. In his adult life, he started going to Rangeland schools, one or two a year. “You come back from those schools so excited, that you want to implement everything instantly” says Thompson. Over the subsequent years, he observed consistent improvements, every year adjusting something; adding fence, increasing, or decreasing cattle numbers, adding water lines (with the help of program funding and technical advice.) In time, he saw his pastures grazed astonishingly evenly. He implemented rotational grazing, stockpiling grass for dry years and allowing pastures intermittent rest. In 2018, the land experienced heavy snow. Following this snow, he began to experience his first crisis with invasive cool-season grasses, primarily Kentucky bluegrass, with thick, dense root systems that tend to choke out native grassland. Smooth brome and crested wheatgrass (both invasive cool-season grasses) started creeping in from ditches, overcoming his western wheatgrass. He noticed the invasive grasses thriving in the conditions he had designed for his native grassland. But then he noticed unexpected progress in unforeseen conditions. In four locations on his rangeland, the soil had been disturbed unexpectedly. In one instance, the power company had to disturb the land in order to take down a power line and install underground lines. In another, there was a small patch of land on a hill where he gave fall shots to a herd- a lot of hoofs in a small area. In these swaths of land of unexpected soil disturbance, he noticed his western wheatgrass growing more uninhibited than elsewhere on the land. He was reluctant to draw any conclusions, however, as he’d seen soil be destroyed in the past by not being allowed enough rest; “I have seen soil disturbed in branding corrals so much that only weeds grew in it, and that doesn't look quite right either, so timing has something to do with it also.” In this moment, it became clear to him that, while his upbringing and technical education in ranch management offered him imperative encouragement, context, and resources, it would not be enough to extend and enhance the livelihood of his pasture. He learned that intermittent disturbance breaks up the invasive grass’ thatch of roots near the surface, allowing other things to break through. How do we adaptively manage our way to native grass rangeland? While resting the soil is important, Justin learned through this experience that simply avoiding disturbance is not the pinnacle of soil health. He subdivided the land into smaller pastures with fiberglass posts and high-tensile wire, allowing for more collected hoof density in one patch of land at a time and running water lines out to the subdivided pastures. He kept some yearlings, rather than selling them, and is incorporating a rotation of more intentional, pointed disturbance of small plots of his land. As Ryan Beer, Dakota rangeland manager, notes, “It is a balancing act. We want to make sure we have enough litter to protect the soil, but not so much that it starts changing the plant community. More intensive grazing at different times. A lot of people in this area don’t like the idea of fire, but maybe some fire to reduce that thatch layer. Basically, we created [the problem] ourselves by being too good of managers and leaving too much grass.” Adaptive land management offers solutions to ranchers who inevitably find that there is not one grazing practice that can be prescribed to all land– that some organism will find a niche in the formula. As Buz notes– “Mother nature will always have the last word.”. Ranchers may push back against these adaptive strategies as prioritizing calf health and economic safety are important. And while there are many priorities to the rancher other than grass management, Ryan notes that the grassland is where ranch livelihood starts. Ranchers may have practical difficulties implementing adaptive strategies– maybe they do not own the land they farm, maybe neighboring land limits the extent to which they are free to alter their herding strategies, maybe they simply do not have the resources to unseat and alter their past tactics with immediacy. Justin reminds us that adaptive grazing is rooted in the practice of simply observing your own land. Every grazing plan must be highly adapted to the land, territory, and livelihood of the rancher as well, and need not be overly complex, only suited to nature’s nuance. There is no one size fits all, and over time, Justin hopes to be one of many ranchers gaining intimacy with one’s own land and adapting their ranching practice to its location, its topography, the precious balance of its specific conditions. For more information on Justin, on Cool Season Invasive Grasses and on Adaptive Management please follow the links below. Podcast with Justin: https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/podcasts/episode/2bf73451/47-sd-ranchers-unique-approach-to-manage-cool-season-invasives NDSU Perennial Cool-Season Invasive Grasses Workshop: https://www.growingresiliencesd.com/post/notes-on-the-perennial-cool-season-invasive-grasses-of-the-northern-great-plains-workshop Dr. Allen Williams talk on Adaptive Grazing Management: https://pastureproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IL%20Grazing%20Demo%20Field%20Day_08.25.17.pdf ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

Grazing school is a program that teaches ranchers and livestock producers how to manage their grazing lands more effectively. The program covers a wide range of topics, from the basic concepts of grazing to advanced techniques for managing diversity on rangelands. In this post, we'll explore some of the key concepts and techniques that are covered in SD Grasslands Coalition’s grazing school. Adaptive Management One of the most important concepts in grazing school is adaptive management. This approach recognizes that grazing lands are complex ecosystems that are constantly changing, and that effective management requires flexibility and adaptability. Adaptive management involves monitoring the condition of the land and the health of the vegetation, and adjusting grazing practices as needed to maintain or improve the ecosystem. Concepts of Grazing Grazing school covers the basic concepts of grazing, including the different types of grazing systems, the role of grazing in ecosystem management, and the importance of balancing the needs of livestock with the needs of the land. Students learn how to calculate carrying capacity, manage grazing pressure, and use different types of grazing systems to meet their goals. Managing Diversity on Rangelands Rangelands are home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, and grazing school teaches students how to manage this diversity effectively. This includes techniques for managing invasive species, maintaining biodiversity, and providing habitat for wildlife. Working with Livestock Livestock are a key part of grazing management, and grazing school covers topics such as livestock behavior, handling techniques, and animal health. Students learn how to select and manage different types of livestock to meet their goals, and how to minimize the impact of grazing on the environment. Pasture Allocation Pasture allocation is a key technique for managing grazing lands, and grazing school teaches students how to allocate pasture based on the needs of the livestock, the condition of the land, and other factors. Students learn how to use tools such as grazing charts and pasture maps to plan and manage grazing. Inventory of Ranch Resources Grazing school also covers the importance of conducting an inventory of ranch resources, including the condition of the land, the quality of the forage, and the availability of water and other resources. This information is used to develop a management plan that takes into account the needs of the land, the livestock, and the rancher. Plant Species Identification Plant species identification is an important skill for effective grazing management, and grazing school teaches students how to identify different plant species and their characteristics. This information is used to determine the nutritional value of the forage, identify invasive species, and make management decisions based on the condition of the vegetation. Mineral Nutrition Needs of Livestock Livestock have specific mineral nutrition needs, and grazing school covers the importance of providing the right balance of minerals in the diet. Students learn how to evaluate the mineral content of forage, and how to supplement the diet as needed to meet the needs of the livestock. Seasonality of Grazing Nutrition The nutritional value of forage varies throughout the year, and grazing school teaches students how to manage grazing to meet the nutritional needs of the livestock at different times of the year. Students learn how to adjust grazing pressure, allocate pasture, and supplement the diet to maintain the health of the livestock. Ranch Monitoring Exercises Students learn how to conduct transect readings, monitor soil health and infiltration, and track changes in vegetation over time. This information is used to make management decisions and adjust grazing practices as needed. Soil Health and Infiltration Soil health and infiltration are critical to the health of grazing lands, and grazing school covers techniques for monitoring and improving soil health. Students learn how to evaluate soil quality, manage grazing pressure to prevent soil erosion, and how to improve soil infiltration rates. Improving soil health is crucial to maintaining healthy vegetation and reducing erosion, which can have long-lasting impacts on the productivity and health of the land. Transect Reading & Monitoring Transect reading and monitoring is another important skill that is taught in grazing school. Students learn how to set up transects and use them to monitor changes in vegetation over time. This information is used to track the health of the land, adjust grazing practices as needed, and make management decisions based on the condition of the vegetation. Planning Your Own Place Grazing school teaches students how to plan their own grazing management system based on the specific conditions and goals of their property. Students learn how to assess the carrying capacity of their land, develop a grazing plan that meets the needs of their livestock, and create a monitoring program to track changes in vegetation over time. This personalized approach ensures that each rancher can develop a grazing management system that works for them and their land. Planning for a Forage Shortage Managing forage shortages is a critical component of grazing management, and grazing school covers techniques for planning ahead to avoid or minimize the impact of a forage shortage. Students learn how to monitor forage availability, plan for supplemental feeding, and adjust grazing pressure to maintain the health of the land and the livestock. Fencing & Watering Systems Fencing and watering systems are key components of a grazing management system, and grazing school teaches students how to design and implement effective systems. Students learn how to evaluate different types of fencing and watering systems, calculate the cost and effectiveness of different options, and install and maintain the systems to ensure that they function properly. Holistic Management Holistic management is an approach to grazing management that considers the entire ecosystem, including the social, economic, and ecological aspects of the system. Grazing school covers the principles of holistic management, including how to balance the needs of the land, the livestock, and the people who depend on them. This approach emphasizes the importance of long-term planning, adaptive management, and collaboration with other stakeholders. Implementing Grazing Practices Grazing school provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to implement effective grazing practices on their land. Students learn how to calculate carrying capacity, manage grazing pressure, and allocate pasture based on the needs of the livestock and the condition of the land. They also learn how to adjust grazing practices as needed to maintain or improve the health of the ecosystem. Consulting with Grazing Experts Finally, grazing school students will be able to consult with grazing experts, and specialists who can provide valuable advice and support. Students learn how to identify and work with experts to develop a grazing management system that is tailored to their needs and the needs of their land. In conclusion, grazing school is a comprehensive program that covers a wide range of topics related to grazing management. From soil health and infiltration to holistic management and consulting with experts, students learn the knowledge and skills they need to effectively manage their grazing lands and ensure the long-term health and productivity of their ecosystem. Grazing School Details The fee to attend Grazing School is $300 for current members or $335 for non-members. An additional person from the same operation is $150. Contact: Judge Jessop 605-280-0127 judge.jessop@sdconservation.net You can get a downloadable brochure by clicking HERE. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

We know that when folks talk about fire, it can be just plain scary. Wildfires are nobody’s friend, and any producer in South Dakota knows what devastating effects wildfires can have on the landscape, properties, and lives. As scary as fire can be, what if we view fire as a part of the ecosystem? A tool that, if wisely and effectively used, can immensely benefit the land. A tool we can effectively use to manage woody encroachment and cool-season invasive grasses. Any tool, a chainsaw, a combine harvester, a bucket loader, if people aren’t properly trained in handling those tools carefully, the property will be damaged, and people will be hurt or killed. The SD Grassland Coalition’s Prescribed Fire Classes & Field Training is an opportunity to understand this scary, but incredibly powerful tool. It will give you new insights into what it can do for your land. Field sessions are just around the corner, please act now, and educate yourself. It could change your life – we mean it! The Prescribed Fire Classes and Field Training is for landowners, non-operating landowners, & agency staff; all are welcome. During the training, you will learn how to plan and implement burning on your own land. This training includes the basics of planning, preparation, and conducting safe and effective prescribed fire. Participants MUST complete one of the evening classroom sessions OR the classroom training offered on the morning of the field day to participate in the live fire training sessions. Those registering for field days will receive additional details in order to prepare for field day events. This is a great opportunity and completely FREE of charge. Come on out, and don't forget to invite your neighbor! Field Session Dates April 18-19 (Tues-Wed) - Brandon April 25-26 (Tues-Wed) - Astoria May 16-17 (Tues-Wed) – Astoria All Classes and field days are FREE Contact Jan Rounds at SDSU Extension Watertown Center 605.882.5140 Janice.rounds@sdstate.edu CLICK HERE for a link to a printable flyer! ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

Given that Spring thaw is upon us, the release of abstracts and the recorded presentations of NDSU’s conference on “Perennial Cool-Season Invasive Grasses of the Northern Great Plains Workshop” could not have been more timely. The workshop was developed for land managers and regional livestock producers to provide updates on the latest research and management options and featured presenters from across the Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada. These speakers addressed the ecological drivers of invasion, a diversity of management strategies, and the frequency of management applications. The keynote topic was: “Roots matter: How smooth brome alters the structure of soil microbial communities and soil ecosystem services” by Dr. Eric Lamb – Department of Plant Sciences - University of Saskatchewan – Saskatoon, SK. Topics on our three big cool season invaders, smooth brome, crested wheatgrass, and Kentucky bluegrass included ecology, management strategy, livestock nutrient supply, and the use of prescribed fire. Prescribed fire remains a difficult topic, but it is one we ought to be discussing more. Close to thirty presentations were listed, 19 of which were oral, and the remainder were poster presentations. All of the abstracts can be found on the conference’s Abstracts page and the oral presentations can be found on the event website’s Recorded Presentations page. SD NRCS’s Lealand Schoon’s oral presentation “Thinning out smooth bromegrass invasion” is also on the website. As the spring of 2023 comes and goes, we hope that more awareness of cool-season invasive grasses is raised; while some of these materials are heavy going, this is the opportunity to take a deep dive into this problem, its nature, and the multiplicity of tools we can use to address it. We highly recommend you scan the abstracts, listen to some of the presentations, and trust that these open the door to more innovations that will help improve rangeland health. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

For this week’s “Resilience Rodeo”, rancher Doug Feltman tells us the importance of controlling Missouri River’s ever-expanding “Green Glacier” through the use of prescribed fire. About 7 miles southwest of Chaimberlain, SD, Doug Feltman lives on the land he grew up on alongside the Missouri river. He’s seen a lot of changes occur over the years, but none as threatening as the “Green Glacier”; the encroachment of the Eastern Red Cedar up the river and into the prairie. “It just slowly, they got more, and more, and more. And people, the farmers and ranchers didn't realize that, I guess, and they never made an attempt to try to control them. Now, some of the trees are 15, 20 feet tall. They're tremendously hard to control then. When they're a foot and a half or two feet tall, that's when you should control them. And that should be done by fire, prescribed fire. But prescribed fire is a process that all of us are going to have to sell to people.” As a rotational grazer and proponent of prescribed burning, Doug’s ranching success comes from not only managing his livestock and land in a healthy way, but also from combatting invasive species by mimicking natures history of fire. 1) What is the one thing that you’ve done that has been the most important to the success of the operation? The one thing that I noticed that really changed the grazing practices here is when dad died and we moved back here, he had two pastures. Only divided into two pastures. I started to go to the NRCS meetings and every class I could on grazing and the Grassland Coalition and everything and started learning about rotational grazing. So, I started running electric fence through the pasture. Today, the place is divided up into six pastures. We rotate through those six. If possible, I don't go back into the same pasture every spring to give the cool season grasses a different outlook. I do not, I probably should, but I don't, go through and measure the grass and weigh it and all of that. I just go by sight. But I move them through the pastures that way. 2) Can you recall a moment or a time when the lightbulb went on for you that changed the way you were grazing? The light bulb for that went on for me when I started going to the Grassland Coalition meeting. They talked a lot about the rotational grazing, and it really seeing the slides and the people that really did the studies with it, I could see the advantage to it. And I started that here and like I say, it's not scientific at all. It's just an old guy looking at the pasture, but it is obvious that that is a great benefit for the range. 3) What surprised you most when you changed the way you were grazing? I guess what surprised me the most, and it didn't take a long time after I got the pastures divided, was that it was as obvious as it was. We put in a water tank that was not there before. Naturally, the cattle, if they were up on top, had to walk clear down to the river for water. Well, that wasn't working very good. So, with some help, we put in a water tank up there. Now, the cattle utilize the grass up there and they don't eat it down to the, like the kitchen floor, down by the river. That was the most surprising to me, is as obvious it was when you started doing it. 4) What would you say is the biggest misconception people have who are not managing their grazing systems for resiliency and soil health? I think the biggest misconception of rotational grazing, and I guess I might've been part of that also, is you wondered if it worked. If you went to all the work to put a fence from here to the river, down through the hills, was it going to be worth it? I think that's probably the biggest misconception I would think there would be. And it happened to me too, but I'll tell you straight out, it does work. I was surprised at how obvious it was that it does work. 5) Is there something you'd still like to do that you haven't quite managed to do yet on your operation? What I'd still want to do is work on the prescribed fires and get more of the neighbors involved here. That's the only way we're going to control these cedar trees and that's what I want to do, but it takes time. My recommendation to the people here is to really look at your pasture. If you aren't sure about the fire, contact somebody from the [Mid-Missouri River Prescribed Burn] Association. We'll come up and look at it with you and give you some ideas. You, the landowner, you're still the boss, but we could give you some ideas. And just really look at it and try to change your mindset that it's something that's going to have to happen. Look down the road. If you don't do anything, pretty soon your stocking rate isn't going to be what it is today, because it's only going to get worse. The cedars aren't going to stop. 6) When you walk across your grasslands, what and where are you looking for indicators of healthy grassland? What I look for is the amount of grass that's there. And like I say, I don't measure it and weigh it all that. But you look at the amount of grass that's there, the different kinds of grass. I don't know exactly how to say it. You look to see if the pasture's healthy, I guess. 7) Can you give us an example of a change that you made that at first you thought would never work? When we moved back here, I never thought, and I just really never gave it a thought, of a prescribed fire. Since I've been involved with the Burn Association, I have seen that if you write the plan, follow your plan, it will work. And I guess that's the only thing I can say there. I was like everybody else, didn't want fires, but I have seen that it does work. 8) We have a number of words that begin with R, but the three that we've settled on, Rotate, Rest, Recovery, that are really key to healthy and resilient range land. Which one would be your favorite and why? With rotation, rest, and recovery, I guess maybe the one I would think would be the most important would be the rest. The grass has to rest to build the root system to have enough nutrients and stuff. You just can't graze the pastures down like the kitchen floor and keep it at that. It just isn't going to work. That's why the rotation, the recovery, and the rest is so important. And I think probably for me, I think the rest would be the most important. _____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

Are you a South Dakota farmer or rancher looking to improve your soil health? Look no further! The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition has just released a new app, Growing Connections, that aims to connect you with fellow farmers and soil health experts to share knowledge and experiences. The app is accessible as a smartphone app and from a web browser, and is like a social network focused on soil health. Users can post questions about no-till practices and cover crops, for example, and get feedback from those with experience. They can participate in group discussions or reach out directly to a mentor who has expertise in a certain practice or knowledge of a particular region of the state. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with others and make your operation more sustainable. You can download the app for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play store, and the web version can be found at www.growingconnectionsapp.com. More information, including app usage instructions, can be found at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/growing-connections-app. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition recently teamed up with Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and South Dakota Farm Bureau to host Elaine Proese at the "linding Fairess in Farm and Ranch Iransition, tools to talk about tough issues workshop. These workshops took place over three days with the first day beginning in Norfolk, Nebraska, followed by two stops in South Dakota in Chamberlain and Rapid City. Froese is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and an award-winning Author and Coach. She specializes in coaching farm and ranch families who want better communication and conflict resolution to secure a successful generational transition. Elaine has a gift for bringing clarity with workable and practical tools. Larry Eisenbraun, a South Dakota Rancher, said "Elaine's presentation on Finding Fairness will help me by getting my expectations right. I also learned to ask, 'What does a good day look like on the place, farm, and home.' When I am listening, I am always learning something." Another young rancher stated, "I feel Elaine's seminar provided both options and new ideas in moving ahead the transition with our family. Understanding how to navigate problematic areas and pitfalls that may help me keep the ranch operational for the generations to come." To view more upcoming events such as Ranching For Profit Workshop on January 26th or the 44th Annual Rancher's Workshop on January 25th visit https://sdgrass.org/ ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

The January edition of Our Amazing Grasslands video is now availabe! January 2023, Ollila Family, Newell, SD In this eight minute video release, the SD Grasslands Coalition visits with David, Holly, and the Ollila Family in Newell, South Dakota (SD). The Ollilas manage grasslands by prioritizing livestock diversity in integrated cattle and sheep grazing, mimicking the diversity of the natural prairie of antelope and buffalo before the land was divided by settlers. David Explains, "The Diversity in livestock is every bit as important as the diversity in the plant community." In late summer when moisture is scarce, David says better grassland management practices that bring diversity to plant life keeps moisture in the ground and concerns for nutritional grazing are a thing of the past. You can find the rest of the Our Amazing Grasslands videos HERE on the NRCS Youtube channel. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

USA Today article explains no till and cover crop farming and ties the process to ancient practices and modern climate crisis. By Mike Cox The Yahoo News website recently featured an article originally published in the USA Today newspaper titled Ancient farming practice makes a comeback as climate change puts pressure on crops. Elizabeth Weise, a San Francisco based writer for USA Today, wrote the article. According to her writing history, Weise is primarily involved in Climate Change news stories. The article details something the Growing Resilience website, and many of our web visitors, are familiar with. The full article is available at the following link. Most of the specifics involving these “Ancient Practices” were based on original farming techniques and have never completely disappeared. Improvements in quality and price of fertilizer in the 1950’s reduced cover crop farming significantly. Although this technique, and other long-time practices have remained in the background, the amount of cover crop acreage between 2005 and 2015 increased dramatically as producers began noticing how cover crops improved soil health, water retention, and weed control. Cover cropping is one of the conservation practices considered “climate smart”, so be on the lookout for how this practice may be promoted by the USDA-NRCS in the Climate Smart Enhancements to the EQIP and CSP programs in 2023. In addition, the USDA instituted a climate-smart farming and ranching commodity partnership initiative in 2022, to create more opportunity to produce and market climate-smart commodities. USDA allocated $3.1 billion toward 141 cooperative projects that represent all commodities and all sizes of farms and ranches across the country. Cover crops offer additional diversity and an opportunity to use solar energy that captures carbon from the atmosphere; over time, much of this material is converted to soil organic matter either through decomposition of plant residues or root exudates. These exudates, simple sugars, organic and amino acids, are easy for a soil microbe to digest. Along with decomposing plant materials, the root exudates are the energy that drives the soil food web. Without carbon in the system, there would be no energy and no life. The full article is available at the following link. ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

“You look at soil health… the tenets don't change, right? The tenets of those five things, will remain truthful, now, [and] in 10 years from now, I would hope, right? And that's kind of how I try to approach my outreach.” By Mike Cox Pete Bauman is a Natural Resources and Wildlife Field Specialist for SDSU Extension. He is an expert in range, pasture, and grassland management with an emphasis on educating producers about how profitability and ecological balance are complimentary. Here he explains how all that happens. Pete Bauman was born on a small farm near Delano, MN. His family moved seven miles South to Watertown where his father started farming. Mr. Bauman was an afternoon farmer; He worked at a Minneapolis Creamery from 4AM until 2PM, then went home and farmed his 80 acres. “As I was growing up on that farm in the Prairie Forest border region of Minnesota Hill Country, I just fell in love with the land. I loved cattle. I loved wildlife and I loved the land, creeks, marshes. I worked at the Sportsman's club. And in that experience, I knew there was a great big world of conservation out there.” Social time within Pete’s family was centered around work. His dad's hobbies weren't hunting and fishing, so Pete had to claw and scratch to get some exposure to that. “But what I did as a teenager is I did some of my own conservation projects. Duck boxes, feeding pheasants and things like that, anything you could scratch out on a small 80-acre farm.” Pete noticed even as a child that things like birds and insects were disappearing. No one’s fault, they were all farming the same way as they always had. But he felt like something was wrong. Things were changing. Now, looking back almost fifty years, the swamps and creeks of his childhood have changed significantly. “We had migratory waterfall coming through and shore birds. We had a gravel bottom creek that we would catch leeches and any number of Prairie fishes and in the spring run you'd have little perch and rock bass and frogs and toads and snakes and all of that stuff that kids search for.” While attending college, Pete noticed the Western Range wars of the 80s weren't so much over sheep and cattle as it was over private land and government, differences on what's appropriate for private citizens, especially in the grazing industry. Wildlife managers began to understand very clearly that there needed to be disturbance on public lands but in such a way that was beneficial, not destructive. Land managers experienced issues across the West with invasive species, diminishing soil quality and water issues. After completing his bachelors and masters at SDSU, Pete started out as a Land Manager at Nature Conservancy; managing public lands in both Minnesota and South Dakota. “I was the Nature Conservancy hippie on the South Dakota side [where public lands were overutilized by grazing], whereas I go in and defend grazing in Minnesota [where public lands were underutilized by grazing], saying we needed more and all of a sudden now it's the cowboy that all I wanted to do was play with cows.” This experience helped shape Pete’s current philosophy about land management, using grazing animals, fire and other management; some disturbance is necessary, but it needs to be managed properly and is always site-specific. “Any tool can be destructive. What we want is disturbance applied appropriately. Fire and grazing are the two primary examples, but both can by damaging if applied inappropriately.” In his current position with SDSU, Pete has come Full Circle, in more than one way. He has physically moved from Watertown, MN, to Watertown, SD. His position has also remained the same yet changed drastically. At SDSU, Pete still works exclusively on prairie systems with ranchers and farmers. Farm Extension was once a position where experts traveled their areas, taking research results and translating these into why and how producers may use and implement the research. In today’s Google World, producers often have access to overwhelming amounts of information from the web, and they may even have a good they want to do, but don’t always know how to get started. Pete sees his role as helping producers to work out what the next right thing to do would be. “Sound ecology is not a laundry list. It's just a few things and it starts with doing the next right thing. But do you know what the next right thing is? I teach this when I teach my fire classes and I think it actually isreally applicable to grazing science as well, and wildlife science, I think that we intuitively know what looks good, but we are not able to intuitively know how to get there. It actually has to be taught.” For more on Pete Bauman, visit his profile at: https://extension.sdstate.edu/about/our-experts/pete-bauman For More on what Pete has written, please see: Grass-Fed Beef: Market Share of Grass-Fed Beef Grass-Fed Beef: Understanding Terminology in Conventionally Raised Beef and Grass-Fed Beef Grassland Management Do’s and Don’ts Managing and Protecting Grasslands for the Future Plan Now to Control Weeds With Grazing Next Season 5 top tips to help successfully move back calving dates Manage livestock for beneficial species Managing Livestock for Dung Beetles and Other Beneficial Species Structuring Grazing Leases ____________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com

“How the microbiomes develop in their community and how they change throughout the time until they reach maturity. If you break out the fungal hyphae and you disturb microbiomes, they won't be able to develop, establish, and flourish from that point on.…we realized how important it is to have the fungal community in the system.” David Johnson is a molecular biologist and research scientist residing in Las Cruces NM,investigating soil microbial community population, structure, diversity and biological functionality and their influence on plant growth and soil fertility development in farm and rangeland ecosystems. While working on a project that involved composting excess cow manure that needed a lot of turning, David brought home a lot of dirty laundry. David’s wife, Hui-Chun Su-Johnson, says she grew tired of washing David’s clothes from turning cow poop, and this changed their lives. David and Hui-Chun started to work on the idea of a compost system that was aerobic, yet did not require turning – a tall order indeed. Hui-Chun joined David in the field and the couple co-developed the no-turn, aerobic Johnson-Su Bioreactor (compost system) that provided a fungal-dominant, biologically diverse compost. The use of Johnson-Sucompost, integrated with land management, then became known as BEAM, or Biologically Enhanced Agricultural Management. What started off as an effort to reduce the laundry load in the Johnson household resulted in a unique compost with a globalfollowing (for example, see the Johnson-Su Facebook group)!! Given that ruminant animals are also “great composting machines”, the Johnsons turned their attention to examining the biological benefits of Adaptive Multi Paddock (AMP)Grazing Systems. AMP is based on the use of ruminant animals to mimic nature not unlike what we may have found a few hundred years ago as bison roamed the prairie in herds that constantly moved in search of food and were kept tight by predators, leaving behind urine, dung, and hoofprints and other animal residue that fed soil organisms. The leftover grass, trampled by bison hooves, covered, protected and fed soil microbes, especially fungi, facilitated the capture and incorporation of more organic matter into the soil profile. In short, this process of herds of ruminants moving through the landscape “inoculated the soil as the bison passed through each area.” Whether you call it Adaptive Multi Paddock grazing, or Adaptive Management, the watchwords for this process are: Observe, Adapt, Repeat. Each area is different. Each herd, each ranch, each pasture is different, and each day’s weather is different. The key to moving this system forward in the regenerative process lies in observation and subsequent adaptation. In 2022, Johnson and colleagues produced another peer-reviewed article on the benefits of AMP grazing. This research, based on 5 paired across-the-fence pastures (one conventional pasture, one AMP pasture) in the Southeast, fit nicely with similar efforts across the country with a group of researchers that include Richard Teague, Steven Apfelbaum, Ry Thompson, and Peter Byck (also co-authors with Johnson). This group is conducting other across-the fence experiments, on real farms and ranches, in different parts of the United States and Canada, keep an eye out for their names, also see a list of some of their peer-reviewed articles at the end of this piece. Results from the Johnson et al. study showed (1) AMP grazing systems significantly outperformed their conventional across the fence counterparts in standing crop biomass (2) increased fungal/bacterial ratios and (3) increased predator/prey ratios. This meansthat ranchers converting to AMP grazing strategies will see improved soil structure, improved forage production, increased soil organic matter, improved nutrient efficiency along with increased resilience of their systems to weather extremes. To be sure, AMP grazing is an appreciable departure from conventional systems and what was considered “the right way” for decades. “But now that we have more information out there as tools for [producers], hopefully there will be more ways to show people that there is a more defined, more reliable path.” Says Johnson. He continues: “For [producers] to transition to regenerative and be profitable will only be positive and beneficial for everybody when they are able to make more money and be a better steward of land.. it's all positive feedback loop…and I think we just need to find a way to show people that OK, here is a path that you can go forward with or without having to take on so much risk of unknown.” More science like this is making its way to peer review literature, validating what some regenerative ranchers and farmers have known and practiced for decades. This science, paired with living working examples on farms and ranches across the country, across the globe, provides more evidence and incentive for producers to rethink their business models for the better. __________________________________________________________________________________________ For more on Adaptive Grazing, please search Adaptive Grazing and Allen Williams. For more peer review literature on the Science of AMP by this group, please see: Apfelbaum et al. 2022. Vegetation, water infiltration, and soil carbon response to Adaptive Multi-Paddock and Conventional grazing in Southeastern USA ranches. Journal of Environmental Management 308:114576 Mosier S et al. 2021. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing enhances soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and stabilization through mineral association in southeastern U.S. grazing lands. Journal of Environmental Management 288:112409 Teague WR. 2018. Managing grazing to restore soil health and farm livelihoods. Journal of Animal Science 96:1519-1530 Teague WR et al. 2011. Grazing management impacts on vegetation, soil biota and soil chemical, physical and hydrological properties in tall grass prairie. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 141:310-322 Teague WR et al. Assessing optimal configurations of multi-paddock grazing strategies in tallgrass prairie using a simulation model. Journal of Environmental Management 150:262-273 Teague WR and Kreuter U. 2020. Managing grazing to restore soil health, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4:534187 Teague WR et al. 2013. Multipaddock grazing on rangelands: why the perceptual dichotomy between research results and rancher experience? Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 128:699-717 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages: 1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts and more. 2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture. 3.Follow Growing Resilience on social media: Facebook - Growing Resilience Twitter - @GrowResilience_ Instagram - growingresilience.sd 4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com