Conservation

70 Questions Important for Grassland Conservation

October 9, 2024 by casey.matzke

Did you know that Grasslands are crucial to global food security, rangeland economies, carbon storage, and a variety of ecosystem services? Did you know that 31-43% of global lands are grasslands?

A Management Priorities Working Group (MPWG) comprised of 11 individuals was tasked with identifying and reviewing the management related documents in order to:

1) Synthesize grassland management goals and challenges.

2) Identify questions and information needed to allow grassland managers to meet their goals within the context of climate change.

Texas Producer Average Age Increases 1.2% to 59.9

October 2, 2024 by casey.matzke

Every 5 years the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Census of Agriculture publishes and provides data at the U.S., state, and county levels. One of the metrics that is tracked in this census is the average age of agricultural producers.

Stability of C3 and C4 Grass Patches in Woody Encroached Rangeland after Fire and Simulated Grazing

August 28, 2024 by casey.matzke

In the western portion of the southern Great Plains, grasslands are defined as “southern mixed”, with warm season or C4 mid-grasses being dominant and cool season or C3 short-grasses in less frequent densities. As woody plant encroachment increasingly dominates, the productive warm season C4 grasses begin to decline with less abundance on the landscape and even less productivity. Woody plant dominance also reduces plant diversity eroding heterogeneity in the mixed-grass prairie. Recently, researchers measured the effects of various combinations of spring clipping (mimicked cattle grazing) and prescribed fire treatments over an 8 year period on Texas wintergrass and buffalograss with the overall objective of reducing Texas wintergrass abundance and increasing warm season C4 mid-grass species and diversity.

Influence of Environment and Stage of Growth on Honey Mesquite Response to Herbicides

August 7, 2024 by casey.matzke

Honey mesquite varies widely in its response to herbicides. Previous research demonstrates most effective treatments have occurred about 50 to 90 days after the first leaves appear in the spring when they are fully formed and dark green (Bovey and Mayeux, Jr. 1981; Jacoby and Meyers 1983; Meyer et al., 1986). More recently, triclopyr has been found to be effective for control of honey mesquite (Bovey and Mayeux, Jr. 1981; Jacoby et al., 1981; Jacoby and Meadors 1983). Also, clopyralid has been found to be highly effective for controlling honey mesquite (Bovey and Mayeux, Jr. 1981; Jacoby et al., 1981).

North American Grasslands Conservation Council – Upcoming Bill

July 31, 2024 by casey.matzke

Did you know that grasslands provide vital habitat for a multitude of species which represent the lifeblood of local and regional economies?? That the maintenance of health populations of grasslands species and working lands are critical for rural economies? That grassland and rangeland ecosystems provide essential and significant habitat for mammals, pollinators, reptiles, and other wildlife? Roughly 358,000,000 acres or 85% of the United States is privately owned and serves as an important habitat for 29 grassland bird species!

What is the Value of Native Vegetation Restoration on Oil & Gas Rights-of-Way?

June 19, 2024 by casey.matzke

Did you know that there are more than 500,000 miles of oil and gas rights-of-ways in Texas alone? There has been limited information available to evaluate the difference in restoring disturbed lands to native states versus the more traditional use of non-native seeds. Being able to understand the difference along with the ecosystem impacts and the social benefits could create a positive case for vegetation restoration by the oil and gas industry.

2023 Rural Land Value Trends Report

June 5, 2024 by casey.matzke

Check out the 2023 Rural Land Value Trends Report from Texas Agriculture Law Blog by Tiffany Lashmet! https://agrilife.org/texasaglaw/2024/05/06/2023-rural-land-value-trends-report-is-here/

West Texas:

Strong demand for quality tracts continues to hold up prices in the region. At $2,410 per acre, prices rose 8.02 percent YOY. Tract size has also decreased from highs in 2021 and 2022, coming in at 385 acres this quarter, 10.65 percent below one year ago. Annualized sales volume declined 50.97 percent to 431 sales. Total dollar volume at $155.54 million decreased by 72.39 percent. At 64,540 acres, though a slight increase from last quarter, total acreage declined 74.44 percent YOY. Fourth quarter only sales volume fell 26.09 percent below that of fourth quarter 2022, a much less drastic drop compared to YOY.

Region 3 Take Homes:

Counties included: Archer, Baylor, Childress, Clay, Coke, Collingsworth, Concho, Cottle, Crockett, Dickens, Donley, Edwards, Fisher, Foard, Glasscock, Hall, Hardeman, Haskell, Irion, Jack, Jones, Kent, King, Kinney, Knox, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Taylor, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Upton, Val Verde, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young.

In discussions with an attorney in San Angelo, he stated that he had worked on 10 to 15 wind and solar leases in 2023, with 8 to 10 of those signed. Several of the companies decided they were no longer interested before the lease was signed.
According to the attorney, this was due to a number of factors including poor due diligence on the part of the company or ERCOT West not having enough transmission lines. These wind leases come in blocks where the attorney may represent one to a dozen landowners at a time.
As mentioned in the 2022 discussion, a solar farm in San Angelo area was expanding. This expansion has been completed from one to two sections. There has not been any construction in the immediate San Angelo area since 2022 of any new solar farms. This could be a result of the increased cost due to higher interest rates, cost of materials and construction costs.
Purchases by developers dropped significantly in 2023. This is due primarily to the increased interest rates and the fact the end users for these properties are no longer in the market due to the higher interest rates.
There continues to be an increase in residential development in the immediate area of the larger trade areas, specifically Wichita Falls, Abilene and San Angelo. It appears that residential buyers continue to move to areas with smaller schools, which are considered to be above average for educational opportunities.

For the 2023 and previous years report, be sure to download it here – https://www.txasfmra.com/rural-land-trends

Rural Land Trends – Texas Chapter ASFMRA. (2024, March 29). Texas Chapter ASFMRA. https://www.txasfmra.com/rural-land-trends

Effective Management Practices for Increasing Native Plant Diversity on Mesquite Savanna-Texas Wintergrass-Dominated Rangelands

May 1, 2024 by casey.matzke

In the ecoregions of the Rollings Plains and Cross Timbers of Texas, there are many native grassland communities that have been converted to low-diversity plant communities by long-term overgrazing of cattle and fire suppression.

CO2 Flux over Burned Honey Mesquite Savanna Rangeland

April 24, 2024 by casey.matzke

Prescribed fire is a management practice used to reduce woody plant encroachment on rangeland and maintain native perennial grass diversity and productivity. Prescribed fire effects on CO2 fluxes and their contribution to atmospheric CO2 is not well known. The study below discusses the effect of fire on net ecosystem CO2 flux above Prosopis glandulosa Torr. (honey mesquite) using the Bowen ratio/energy balance method (BREB), and to compare these fluxes to fluxes determined by an empirical model.

Extreme Prescribed Fire during Drought Reduces Survival and Density of Woody Resprouters

April 3, 2024 by casey.matzke

Researchers looked at extreme fire conditions during drought in humid subtropical and semi-arid ecoregions that require innovative management strategies that go beyond the traditional restoration and conservation practices. These practices have either been historically ineffective or economically cost-prohibitive at restoring grass-dominated ecosystems following conversion to resprouting shrublands.