Keeping the BUZZ in Pasture Management
by Denice Rackley
Have you considered the far-reaching advantages of regenerative pasture management?
Pastures are no longer simply a place to raise and feed livestock. Well-managed pastures benefit air and water quality, conserve and improve soils, and maintain wildlife populations.
Pasture vegetation and land removes air contaminants, decreases atmospheric CO2, produces oxygen, controls erosion, cleans and conserves water. But that is not all, pastures house soil microbes that digest tons of matter, turning it into useable products, and provide crucial habitat for wildlife. Just imagine how many insects are present in our pastures that wouldn’t be there without the vegetation.
We don’t pay much attention to them, but insects have a huge impact on our lives.
Although many key crops (corn, rice, wheat) are wind-pollinated, pollinators are essential for the majority of our fruit, nut, and vegetable production. Here are some eye-opening facts about animal pollinators.
· Globally, 87% of the leading 115 food crops require animal pollination.
· Animal pollinators are responsible for 35% of food production worldwide.
· Pollinators contribute more than 24 billion dollars to the economy.
Food Supply Dependent on BEES
Scientists say that the over 4,000 species of bees in the U.S. are responsible for every third bite of food you and I consume. The contributions of honey bees are even more staggering.
· The honey bee is credited with approximately 85% of the pollinating activity necessary to supply about one-quarter to one-third of the nation’s food supply
· Honey bees enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America.
· Over 50 major crops in the United States depend on honey bees for pollination or produce more abundantly when honey bees are plentiful.
· Some crops, like almonds, are almost exclusively pollinated by honey bees.
· Many crops rely on them for more than 90% of their pollination.
· Honey bees contribute 15 billion dollars to our economy in agricultural products.
Now you know where the phrase ‘busy as a bee’ comes from. Imagine your dinner plate with 1/3 less food. Filling our plates and our pockets depend on maintaining healthy populations of pollinators.
Declining Populations of Pollinators
The number of managed U.S. honey bee colonies dropped from 6 million colonies in 1947 to 4 million in 1970, 3 million in 1990, and just 2.6 million today. Many factors attribute to this concerning decline - disease, pesticide use, insufficient nutrition, and habitat destruction.
We don’t spend much time thinking about how dependent we are on pollinators for the food we produce and eat. Nor do we consider the effect we have on them and their habitat, unless of course, our income is directly tied to their work. California’s almond industry alone requires the pollination services of approximately 1.4 million beehives annually—60% of all U.S. beehives—yielding 80% of the worldwide almond production worth 4.8 billion dollars each year. (stats from a 2014 study)
Diverse Pastures Contribute to Health of Pollinators
The good news is that managing our pastures well is not only beneficial for the health of our soils and our livestock, it is also beneficial for pollinators. A diversified pasture including grasses, legumes, and native plants increases the nutrition content of forages for both livestock and pollinators.
A few tweaks to pasture management techniques can keep our pastures buzzing.
The simple addition of flowering legumes will provide benefits for both livestock and bees, points out the Extension Professor and Agronomy Specialist University of Vermont Extension, Sid Bosworth.
Why flowering legumes? It all comes down to nutrition. “Flowering legumes are high in crude protein and contain needed minerals for livestock while also serving as a consistent source of nectar,” Bosworth says. He recommends overseeding pastures periodically with legumes, maintaining adequate soil fertility and pH, and rotating pastures to avoid overgrazing to sustain a nice mix of pastures forages.
Legumes Benefit Livestock, Soils, and Pollinators
Pasture that contains at least 30 % legumes seeing it as a win-win-win situation for pollinators, livestock, and soil. “There are many forage legumes that can be used in pasture. Almost all of them can be attractive to bees. However, varieties and or cultivars can vary quite a bit in their abundance and period of flower production,” Bosworth says.
He recommends researching the varieties of white clover, red clover, alsike clover, and birdsfoot trefoil that do well in your area and produce blooms throughout the season. Bosworth goes on to say, “These flowering legumes provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, nutritious forage for livestock, and benefit soils by fixing of atmospheric nitrogen.”
Maintaining good soil fertility and ensuring residual vegetative cover with rotational grazing encourages the health of the entire ecosystem, racking up even more wins.
Avoiding overgrazing and leaving adequate pasture residue leads to healthier plants, soils, water, and stock. Overgrazing “weakens plants, reduces pasture productivity, and reduces flower and nectar production,” says Bosworth.
Management with Eye on Flower Maturity
“Resting pastures allows flower maturity and adequate nectar production along with increased pasture resiliency and decreased impact from environmental pressures due to extreme weather conditions. A flexible rest period influenced by the time of year and weather conditions allow adequate regrowth of both the root system and the vegetation,” Bosworth notes.
With a rotational grazing system, a steady nutritious food source for both livestock and bees is maintained by pastures being in different stages of regrowth. “Blooms can be used as an indicator for rotation decisions that include pollinator health and habitat. However, forage quality declines as plants mature,” Bosworth says. Waiting too long to allow grazing will reduce the nutrition available to stock, but a balance is possible.
Livestock and Pollinators Benefit Diverse Managed Pastures
Actively managing pastures to maintain diverse forages that provide optimal nutrition will benefit livestock and pollinators. Sustained flowering areas throughout the season in pastures will provide the nectar pollinators seek.
Pasture rotation to prevent overgrazing with an eye toward flower maturity holds many advantages for us, our livestock, and our land. Pastures can provide a steady supply of pollen and nectar crucial for sustaining bee and pollinator populations. Well-managed pastures can be a step toward not only feeding livestock but will contribute to pollinator health.
Pastures Can Fuel Pollinators
“Overall, good grazing management for livestock is compatible with good grazing for pollinators,” says Bosworth. Our diverse food supply is dependent on the health of pollinators.
Have you ever thought of the fact that flowers provide the fuel to feed much of the world?
It seems only fitting that those of us who feed the world’s population also manage our pastures with thought to pollinators.
When you decide what forages to plant and when to rotate livestock, keep in mind the impact that well-managed pastures have on the bee and pollinator population and the vast amount and variety of food bees contribute to your table. The next time you walk through your pasture, listen for the BUZZ.
For more information concerning bees and other pollinators contact your local NRCS and the Xerces Society www.xerces.org and Project Apism at https://www.projectapism.org
