For this week’s “Resilience Rodeo”, rancher Doug Hansen talks about the importance of native species in the grasslands, and how rapidly he saw them come back with proper, deliberate management. Born and raised on the ranch, Doug Hansen has learned that there’s a lot more value to healthy ranching practices than healthy grasses and cattle. “It’s an inherited gene of enjoying the ranch lifestyle, and so as my kids now are having babies and I’m surrounded with grandchildren, I see it a huge asset to be involved in the ranching operation again. When I take my grandchildren out across the prairie, picking wildflowers or looking at various forbs and grasses, or riding horses through and moving cattle, they gain a lot of knowledge, a lot of life experiences from doing that. I think that’s very important.” 1) What one thing have you done that's been most important for the success of your operation, if you were to say there was one thing? Well, I think the one thing that's been most successful to our operation is water. So, that South unit, when we acquired that a few years back and our flowing well quit, I had already engaged with the NRCS on bringing water in, and when that well quit on us, I guess that was the hint that, hey, we better bring water in. So, we put in a couple miles of pipeline, and I think we got about seven water sites on that, and that just gave us the opportunity. Now we can move cattle wherever we want to and not worry. So, water's your biggest thing. If you've got water, you can move cattle anywhere and whatever angle, direction you want to do your layout on. That's number one. Number two, put in some permanent high-tensile fencing, and then, from there, it's just changing your management styles for your resource concerns. 2) Can you recall a moment or time when the light bulb went on for you to change the way you were grazing? I think the light bulb went on when I started becoming more interested in the native species, and, my brother, Jeff, being a botanist and pointing out a lot of different things. We have an underground house, and I remember when we laid sod over the roof, that we had onions growing on top of the roof of our house, and those native, wild onions. I think the light bulb really got bright though ... For some reason, I went to some grasslands conference over East here, and Gabe Brown was speaking at it and a couple of the grazers. Anyway, then it was off to grazing school and then hanging out with all the people involved in the SD Grassland Coalition. And from that, we then have hosted a bird tour through the Grasslands Coalition, and we've also hosted a pasture walk, and yeah, I love sharing the natural beauty, and I love sharing the practice. 3) What surprised you most when you changed the way you were grazing? I think the big thing was that the first year I went in and completed an early season burn, then did an early graze on the invasive species that quickly regrew. We pulled out of that area and left it to recover all summer long. There was regrowth of warm-season native species that we've never seen before along with the big bluestem, switchgrass, and indiangrass. It was pretty impressive and quite rewarding to see that. 4) What would you say is the biggest misconception people have, who are not managing their grazing system for resiliency and soil health? I think the challenge to someone to come into this is, when your mentality is, "Wow, there's grass there. We need to leave the cows in here longer." And so, we're like, we're wasting something, but to get the big picture, you're not wasting something. It's a challenge to talk somebody into it. It's that what you left is where your energy and your solar collection is working for you. I can't help but think of the grassland as the solar collectors out there. If I can clip all the solar collectors off, I have no way to get this energy into the soil to feed the microorganisms. I need solar panels out here sticking up, collecting energy from the sun and feeding that subterranean life. 5) Is there something that you'd still like to do that you haven't done yet to improve your soil health or grazing system, something that's on the horizon? Yeah, where we have a lot of heavy thatch, from little bluestem for instance, where we see a heavy thatch, that the cattle don't want to go in and graze that. So, I have areas that I think I can improve the soil health and increase the diversity by maybe narrowing in and clustering the livestock in to get better hoof action and such. The other thing, the battle I'm on right now, is with the cedar trees. I did two burns this spring. I had deferred two paddocks last year, and here, just a few weeks ago, the NRCS helped me do some burns. I did the burns to reduce the cedar tree population but also to enhance the diversity of the plant culture. We’ve yet to see what happens with that, the results. 6) What advice do you have for someone who is considering changing their grazing system to one that's better for building soil health? If somebody is considering changing their grazing system from a season-long grazing into a managed grazing system, just start small. Start with what your resources are. So, if you've got one water tank and one pasture, split it, and just start small, and you'll start seeing some results on that. Don't jump into it and just change the whole environment because you'll make mistakes. You have to learn along the way. Go slow, but go deliberately and analyze what you see happening. I think, from there, you can start adding water, adding fences, and you can do a lot with polywire that has no permanent impact. So, that'd be my recommendation to give it a try. 7) When you walk across your grasslands, what do you look for as an indicator of healthy grassland and healthy soil? If I'm either riding my four-wheeler across, maybe doing some spot spraying on some thistles, or I'm riding a horse out through the pasture to go move some cows, my eyes are on the ground constantly. And pretty soon you start developing this, I don't know if it's like a radar, you just start seeing plant species, and you say, "Okay, I've got western wheat. I've got brome. I've got my porcupine, my green needle," and so you're just a rolling inventory. Once you recognize it, you're just taking this all in, and I think that's part of the monitoring. So, when you're out there to see the changes in the landscape. I use some photography for that, but it's just kind of a mental awareness of what you see change in the landscape; you start seeing all these forbs. We didn't see a lot of forbs out on the prairie today because of the time of the year. But we could see just the pasque flowers. There were hundreds of thousands of pasque flowers out there [this Spring], and you can see they're going to seed now. So, that, eyes on the ground, and just watch the change in diversity. 8) What are the signs that your land is resilient, and what does resiliency mean to you? When I think of the resiliency of the land, I think that all comes from the diversity of it. The diversity is a thing that I see that makes the landscape resilient. We have an inventory of over 200 species on a native prairie, and that's what's bringing in the resiliency. In order to maintain and grow those species, you have to manage your grazing. If you abandon property, it'll just all go to invasive. If you overgraze it constantly, it'll go to invasive. So, it does take management to grow that diversity and to grow that production. 9) There are three important grazing management Rs; rotate, rest, and recover. Which one of the three do you relate the most to, and why? I don't know. Of the R’s in the resiliency of the rangeland, I'm going for roots. I want to see root structure. I want to see roots that are 12 feet deep, and to have that, you need to have the remaining Rs. You need the rest. You need the recovery. You need all of that to get roots. But my goal is to have water infiltration and soil health, and that's going to take care of the rest of it. The management is what we do from up here, but what's happened under there, that's really the objective, to get under there, under the surface, under the grass. I want that root base. I want that deep root base. _____________________________________________________________________ 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

Soil health is essential for productive and sustainable farming practices. Farmers and landowners are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to improve soil health on their farms. You can gain knowledge and skills in soil health management by attending the 2023 South Dakota Soil Health School. The 2023 South Dakota Soil Health School will be held August 28-30 near Garretson, SD, on the farms of Anthony Bly and Bruce Carlson. The agenda will feature classroom-style presentations from producers and technical experts from across the state and region and hands-on experiences in the field. The school will also include a discussion of area producers' challenges and successes with various methods for improving soil health. Farmers and landowners can learn about the latest research, tools, and strategies for improving soil health. During the 2023 South Dakota Soil Health School, attendees will learn about the following: Living organisms in the soil and how they contribute to soil health. Attendees will learn about the physical structure of soil and how it affects soil health, as well as the chemical properties of soil and how they influence soil health. The school will teach attendees how to take soil samples and interpret soil test results. Cover crops and crop rotations are essential in improving soil health Instructors will cover how to select, plant, and manage cover crops to improve soil health. Attendees will also learn the benefits of crop rotations and how to plan a rotation to improve soil health. Both cover crops and crop rotations add to diversity, a key principle of soil health. Tillage practices and nutrient management Reduced tillage practices and nutrient management are important to improve soil health and crop productivity. Instructors will teach attendees the benefits of reduced tillage practices and how to implement them on the farm. They will also learn how to manage nutrients to improve soil health and crop productivity. Grazing management Attendees will learn how grazing management can affect soil health and how to implement grazing practices to improve soil health. Attendees will also learn how to assess soil health and track changes over time. Registration for the 2023 Soil Health School is available online or by mail. The tuition fee is $150 for individuals and $75 for each additional person from the same operation. The cost includes lunch, dinner, and refreshments. A block of rooms has been reserved for a nightly rate of $100 at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Brandon, SD. For more information about the 2023 Soil Health School, contact Cindy Zenk at sdsoilhealth@gmail.com or 605-280-4190. This is an excellent way for farmers and landowners to learn about the latest research, tools, and strategies for improving soil health on their farms. Attendees will learn about soil biology, physical properties, chemistry, testing, cover crops, crop rotations, reduced tillage, nutrient management, grazing management, and soil health assessment. The 2023 South Dakota Soil Health School is a great opportunity to learn from experts and gain hands-on experience in the field. ____________________________________________________________________ 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

This week on the “Resilience Rodeo”, Brad Magness Sr. tells us about the importance of diversity in his pastures, and not just diverse grasses, but also diverse forbs. Since purchasing his first piece of ground in 1979, Brad Magness Sr. has been focused on rotation; rotational grazing and also rotating and diversifying both warm- and cool-season grasses. With improvements to the land prioritized over profits, Magness shares that “if you’re good stewards, that is profitable”, and it’s shown through his decades of improvement and success. 1) What one thing have you done that has been most important to the success of your operation? I think one of the most important things we've done to make our operations succeed is learning the different species of grass and learning to rotate, to favor those species that are desirable to you. 2) Can you recall a moment or time when the light bulb went on for you to change the way you were grazing? Well, it's when we hired [retired soil conservationist] Elder Mueller. I don't know if there was a moment that the light bulb came on, but we were working with Elder Mueller to teach us about the range, and pasture, and rotational grazing and whatnot, and we gradually came into the management that we use. 3) What surprised you the most when you changed the way you were grazing? I think the thing that surprised me most when we changed the way we were grazing, is how much more carrying capacity our ranch had compared to before. 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 one of the things that people misunderstand about rotational grazing, is they think it's going to take a big investment in fencing and time and labor, and that's not the case. 5) Is there something you'd still like to do that you haven't done yet to improve your soil health or grazing system? If there's anything that I've done or that I'd like to do to improve our operation, it would probably be planting some more certified or foundation seed and harvesting seed for other people to be able to plant warm season grasses themselves. 6) What advice do you have for someone who is considering changing their grazing system to one that's better for building soil health? Well, nature builds soil, but it might take a hundred years for it to build an inch of topsoil, and it takes very little time to erode that, if you graze too tight and you let the wind blow it away, or whatnot. I would encourage people to graze, but not necessarily intensively graze. I would encourage people to not harvest more than 50% of the current years' production by weight, so that they're not suppressing grass that they want to favor. 7) When you walk across your grasslands, what do you look for as an indicator of healthy grassland and healthy soil? As I walk across the prairie, one of the things I look for is diversity in the plants that are there, and that includes not just the grasses, but the forbs. A lot of people don't think that those broad leaves are anything but weeds, but they're not. Cattle will browse them. They don't necessarily relish them, but they're part of a healthy range land. 8) What change have you made that you first thought would not work? The first field that we planted to switchgrass, we crawled around on our hands and knees after we had sewn that down and you might find a plant every square yard. I thought, oh, my land, this is terrible. And old Elder Mueller told us, “Oh no, you've got a good stand here”, and I thought, “this old guy doesn't know what he's talking about”. Just be patient; it grew up thicker than dog's hair. 9) What are the signs that your land is resilient and what does resiliency mean to you? I think one of the signs of resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from drought. This spring was really dry and, we're filming this in the middle of July, you don't normally get moisture this time of year out here. But, we rested a lot of the pastures. We didn't graze too tight on the ones that we did utilize. Resilience to me means, look at how fast they rebounded after getting a little shot of rain. 10) Which do you relate to most and why, rotate, rest, or recovery? Well, between rotate, rest, and recover, we've utilized all of them. Bought a piece of ground that we ended up having to rest it for two years, because it had been so badly abused. Whether that's rest or recover, I don't know. But now it's not the worst looking ground that you've seen. I think rotation is important. I think resting between, going around... It even gives you the opportunity to re-graze some places, but you've got to have that rest in between. I don't know that I'm going to highlight one over the other, like I said, we've utilized all three of the R’s. 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

As a rancher or farmer, you know that healthy and productive soil is crucial for your livelihood. Soil health affects crop and forage production, which is the primary source of income for most ranchers and farmers. That's why understanding Dynamic Soil Properties is so important. Dynamic Soil Properties are properties that change over a short time (e.g., a few years or a human life as opposed to geologic time) time due to natural or human-caused factors. These properties include soil organic matter, soil structure, soil water retention capacity, and soil biological activity. By monitoring these properties, ranchers and farmers can make informed decisions about land management practices to improve soil health and productivity. Soil Organic Matter Soil organic matter is the amount of plant and animal material that has decomposed into the soil. This property plays a crucial role in soil fertility, nutrient cycling, and water retention. Soils with high organic matter content are more fertile, hold more water, and are more resistant to erosion than soils in the same series with less organic matter. By monitoring soil organic matter, ranchers and farmers can better understand and utilize the soil's nutrient holding capacity, water retention ability, and overall soil structure. Soil Structure Soil structure refers to the arrangement of soil particles into aggregates (think of BB’s or cottage cheese, or grape nuts) or clumps. Good soil structure is essential for water infiltration and retention, air exchange, and root penetration. Soil compaction can lead to poor soil structure, reduced water infiltration, and decreased crop and forage production. By monitoring soil structure, ranchers and farmers can adjust tillage methods and implement practices that promote good soil structure. Infiltration Rates Soil water infiltration refers to the process of water entering into the soil surface. This happens when rainwater, irrigation, or other sources of water come in contact with the soil surface and begin to move through the soil. The rate of infiltration is affected by the physical properties of the soil, such as its texture, structure, and compaction, soil moisture content, as well as by the intensity and duration of the water application. More recently, we see that factors like the presence of a plat canopy, soil organic matter, and soil structure also influence infiltration rates. The ability of soil to allow water to infiltrate is important for plant growth, groundwater recharge, and erosion control. Soil Water Retention Capacity Soil water retention capacity refers to the ability of soil to hold and release water. Holding and releasing water requires a diversity of pore sizes, larger pores allow water and air to flow through rapidly, while smaller pores tend to hold on to water. Soils with high water retention capacity can reduce irrigation needs and increase crop and forage yields. By monitoring soil water retention capacity, ranchers and farmers can adjust irrigation practices and implement practices that promote water conservation. Soil Biological Activity Soil biological activity refers to the microorganisms (typically we think of bacteria, fungi, protozoans and nematodes) and other living organisms that inhabit the soil. These organisms play important roles in nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and plant health. Soils with high biological activity can improve nutrient availability and reduce the need for fertilizers. By monitoring soil biological activity, ranchers and farmers can adjust fertilization practices and implement practices that promote biodiversity. In summary, Dynamic Soil Properties are crucial for ranchers and farmers because they provide valuable information about soil health and productivity. By monitoring these properties and implementing appropriate land management practices, ranchers and farmers can improve soil health, increase crop and forage production, and promote sustainable and resilient agriculture. If you want to learn more about Dynamic Soil Properties and their relationship to land use and management, I encourage you to watch this video: In this video, you'll learn about the key factors that influence Dynamic Soil Properties, the importance of measuring and monitoring these properties, and how they can be used to predict soil change and inform land management decisions. ____________________________________________________________________ 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

This week’s “Resilience Rodeo” is with SD NRCS Rangeland Management Specialist, Jay Hermann. Jay understands the importance of seeing positives and negatives in-person, and he uses those experiences to guide management suggestions as he walks pastures with producers. An Area Rangeland Management Specialist for South Dakota’s NRCS, Jay does not ranch himself but rather has seen and experienced the successes and failures of many ranchers in his area and uses those experiences to guide others to better management practices. When it comes to soils, he loves seeing structure and root mass to indicate successful practices. “This is what’s going to build our resilience, because these roots can go down 12, 15 feet into the soil and look for water in them dry years. It’s also bringing in nutrients and it’s allowing infiltration to happen.” 1) What’s the one thing that you believe is the most important thing to the success of SD ranchers? The one thing that I want to get through a continuous grazers head is that they need to look at their grasslands differently. They look at that resource as grass; “it's feed for my cows”, and that's all it is to them. They need to look at it as a system, as an ecosystem. And that ecosystem needs to work for them, and not them working for that ecosystem. They're putting way too many inputs into these things right now that they don't need to. If they have a healthy ecosystem, they have a healthy rangeland, they don't need those inputs that they do on tame grasses or anything else. They really need to change their mindset. If I can have them just look at that resource from the raising of the grass or growing grass, rather than growing cattle, I think I got the first step in there. From there it takes off on its own. Then they start asking different questions. They start asking the right questions. And then they start seeing things differently. 2) Talk to us about a moment when the light bulb went on for you as a rangeland management specialist? When I was younger in my profession, we kind of went through the steps as a conservationist and stuff like that, but the light bulb was really dim then. It started really getting brighter as I started working with better producers that really took the time to kind of sit there and go, this is why I do this. This is why I do that. When I sat down with those people as a young professional, they taught me things. After I learned those facts and those ways of looking at things, then it was much easier. This is the way we need to go. This is the way we need to do things. Then as I matured in my profession, I got to see what the soils are doing, what the roots are doing. How does that react with the environment that we're in? And it all comes together then. So, it takes some time. It takes learning. 3) What would you say is the biggest misconception people have who are not managing their grazing systems for resiliency and soil health? The most common misconception is that it takes a lot more time. They don't have the time to do this. If you really talk to these people that do this a lot, and they've been doing it for a number of years, they'll say it takes way less time to move my cows, to rotate through my pastures, to give it that recovery, to give it the rest, than it does just to throw my cows out there. They're not fighting the disease problems, they're not fighting hoof rot, they're not fighting pink eye. Conception rates in the herd improve so they're making more money. The economics are there. They're spending less money on the land. So, in less time, basically. I mean, these cattle will adapt. Even buffalo will adapt to being moved. When it's time to move, they'll let you know it's time to move and they'll move within a few minutes. Basically, only thing you're doing is opening and shutting the gate. So yeah, one of the biggest excuses or misconceptions is the time and the labor. And it's not there. There is some, I'm going to not lie. There is some at first. You got to set it up. You got to do some thinking, but once it's there, it's ready to rock and roll. 4) What advice would you have for someone who is considering changing their grazing system to one that's better for building soil health? What I would recommend to ranchers starting out down this path is educate yourself. And don't take my word for it, go to the people that you know that are already doing this and talk to them. See how they're doing and how they like it. Go to some workshops, go to grazing schools, or other workshops that are around and educate yourself on this stuff. The last thing I want to do is be the guy that says, “you got to do this”. No, I don't want to be that guy. My job is to put the ideas in your head and help you get to where you want it to go. But you’ve got to set your goals and you’ve got to do some education on your own too. Figure it out, how you want to do it. I'll help you get there. I will tell you the pros and the cons of it. But yeah, let's go from there. Educate yourself. 5) When you walk through pastures and grasslands with producers, what indicators of healthy grassland and healthy soil do you look for? When I'm out with a producer on a pasture, I'll show them what the cattle are grazing right now. I look at the diversity of the plants, and then I say, now look and see what they're grazing. A lot of times we'll walk around with them, and I go, “look, we got big bluestem this short, we got little bluestem this short”. A lot of our natives are just down right to the ground. They walk around a lot of these cool season grasses that are tall, but they're brown at that time of the year, and they still think they have forage out there. Well, they don't. The livestock are not eating what you think they should be eating. They're eating everything else. And so just to point that stuff out to them and start to get them down that other path of thinking, that's what I look for. It's got to have that diversity to it so that that can be pointed out to them to get them to realize really what's going on out there. 6) What are the signs that grassland is resilient and what does resiliency mean to you? If I walk out and I see a really good native piece of ground, especially in a dry year, that's where it stands out the most. You go out there on a good native piece of ground in a dry year, you'll see good plants that are still healthy, and green, and alive, and growing. Then, across a fence or across the road you look at a degraded rangeland piece, or grassland, and you'll see a lot of dead dying plants or dormant plants. And you just look at the difference there. That's a big plus right there, the water is still infiltrating in them. The soil is alive. The plants are healthy. The cattle are happy. You go across the road where you have a degraded piece and the cows are mooing. They're standing by the fence or reaching through the fence, looking for any green nuggets growing. Those resources are struggling. 7) When we talk about the importance of grazing management, we often refer to the Rs. Of the words rotate, rest, and recover, which one sticks out to you the most and why? Out of the three R's, the rest, rotate, and recovery, the one that stands out to me the most is the recovery. And when I'm looking at recovery, I'm looking at if my stand of grass in that particular unit is coming up the way I want it to. Am I getting the plants that I want to see? Am I getting my native grasses back and my forbs and my shrubs? The diversity out there is that all recovering because I did the rest and the rotation. That's to me is the most important one of the three. 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

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

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