Old World Bluestems Threaten Native Grasslands

Grass and Grain Template.qxp:Layout 1 4/30/15 1:15 PM Page 1 Old World Bluestems threaten native grasslands By Donna Sullivan, Editor while the one across the road threat ofOld World In the early 1990s, Pro- had been planted to OWB. Bluestems. She is a Kansas fessor Karen Hickman of The farmer had a pond in the State University graduate Oklahoma State University pasture with the OWB and and has conducted a good believed she was the only would drive his truck down deal of research on Old one who cared about the in- to it. He would then cross World Bluestems at the Agri- vasive nature of Old World into the native CRP pasture cultural Research station in Bluestem (OWB) grasses and drive along the terraces, Hays. and their threat to the diver- unknowingly spreading the Some of the invasion of sity of the prairie. But on OWB into the native pasture. the grasses into Kansas is at- Friday, April 24 as she Today that pasture is com- tributed to haying of road- looked out at a packed meet- pletely overtaken by Old ways as well as transporting ing room in the historic stone World Bluestems. hay containing them. barn at the Konza Prairie Bi- Many wheat farmers in About fifteen years ago, ological Station, she realized Oklahoma planted the Old Hickman wanted to do a she was now joined by a World Bluestems for hay competition study on OWB, good number of people who when wheat wasn’t doing but found no one had any in- shared her concerns. very well because they terest in funding such an ef- “Thank you for caring,” would establish quickly and fort. It wasn’t until she and she said, the emotion evident provide quality forage pro- her colleagues began to con- in her voice. tein. It’s drought-tolerant nect the dots between OWB From fellow researchers and good for grazing. “You and bird populations that and Extension staff to natu- can graze the hell out of it people began to take notice. ralists and landowners, a and it will come back every A graduate student of hers wide array of stakeholders year,” Hickman said. It’s did a study quantifying bird were represented in the also highly productive and species, abundance and rich- Oklahoma State University professor Karen Hickman was one of the presenters on room. studies have shown that in a ness in Barber County, as Old World Bluestems at a meeting on April 24. Hickman has been researching the “I came because I have monoculture setting it will well as their available food invasive grasses since the 1990s and is passionate about preventing their spread some of the stuff and I want produce more than a native supply. Using fields estab- into the native prairie. Photo by Donna Sullivan to know how to get rid of it,” species or a mixture of na- lished in native rangeland, said a Riley County productive species. native CRP and Old World er during a break. “We were converting Bluestems, they found that Hickman’s interest in Old from wheat and cropland species richness dropped in World Bluestems, specifical- and putting in perennial the OWB field, as did the ly Yellow Bluestem and Cau- grasses,” Hickman ex- number of individual birds casian Bluestem, began plained. “We didn’t want to per species. There was also when she was traveling to a take the time to wait for less food available in the family reunion in northwest perennial natives to be estab- OWB fields compared to the Woods County in Oklahoma. lished. We got in a hurry and native grasses. “So that was Born and raised on a wheat planted a lot of Old World the start of people caring,” farm and cattle ranch, Hick- Bluestems. It was available, she said. man had always held a deep established quickly and it Over time their research appreciation for the wild- was cheap.” She said the has shown that while in a flowers and native grasses practice of planting hay or monoculture setting OWB along the roadways. “But as grazing pastures to OWB is will be grazed by cattle, I was going to this family re- still being done today in when it invades a native set- union, I saw this weird grass Oklahoma and Texas. ting, they will avoid it. It in- and the plants and flowers Kansas eliminated OWB as a creases its growth earlier in weren’t there,” she de- scribed. Her subsequent in- vestigation found that it was a variety of Old World Bluestems that had been planted in CRP mixes in Oklahoma. “What I saw was the beginning of the invasion from those CRP plantings,” she said. She showed slides of two neighboring pastures owned by the same farmer. This photo illustrates how the OWB has spread from One was CRP that had been the road ditch into the adjacent pasture. planted to a native mixture bon-to-nitrogen ratio to in- advised. hibit the growth of native NRCS includes the threat plants. of OWB on their list of con- Controlling or eradicating cerns and control of it now Old World Bluestems is no qualifies as an EQIP-funded easy task, and studies contin- project. It’s been estimated ue to look for an effective that if they continue to way to keep them from com- spread, the cost of control pletely overtaking native and damages will be in the grasslands. Because they are tens of millions of dollars. well-adapted to spring burn- Along with the financial im- ing and tolerate repeated pact, there are ecological mowing, a chemical treat- concerns as OWB, which From inside the pasture looking towards the road ditch, the invasion of the OWB into ment appears to be the only form a thicker sod than na- the native grass can be clearly seen. Photos by Greg Barron effective control mechanism. tive grasses, are unsuitable seeding for CRP within the the season and develops Hickman has also demon- Glyphosate at two to four for grassland bird and other first few years of the pro- more quickly. It then hits the strated a reduction in native pounds per acre has been wildlife habitat. gram. reproductive stage much ear- species diversity and cover shown to be effective, but re- Costs for landowners if While much of Hick- lier than native species, when OWB increases. “This quires follow-up treatment the spread of OWB is not man’s presentation seemed which helps promote grazing will affect so many different and also kills the native stopped include a substantial to center on Oklahoma, she avoidance as the cattle avoid ecosystem functions,” she grasses. Imazapyr at one to reduction in forage value and encouraged producers to it once it has a reproductive emphasized. “In those areas, 1.25 pounds per acre is also livestock weight gain as their look past the political state head. This allows for over- what’s going on with the effective and less harmful to productive native rangelands boundaries and view the Tall grazing of the native grasses, seed bank? What’s going to the native grasses than succumb to these invasive Grass Prairie region as a giving the OWB a competi- come back when there is dis- glyphosate. Reseeding with grasses. whole when it comes to the tive edge. turbance?” It is also believed native grasses may also be the OWB can alter the car- Grass and Grain Template.qxp:Layout 1 4/30/15 1:15 PM Page 2 Page 2 Grass & Grain, May 5, 2015 against taking of species, live. The land is open, un- forced to feed and shelter ESA can restrict a wide paved and relatively unde- listed species on their own, Second range of human activity in veloped, so it becomes habi- farmers and ranchers areas where species exist or tat for endangered or should receive technical annual may possibly exist in the fu- threatened plants and ani- and financial help. ture. It also allows special mals. The Endangered Species Happy interest groups to sue any- Unlike other industries, Act could provide a carrot one who they allege to be in farm and ranch land re- instead of the stick it cur- Time for incentive-based violation of the Act. mains the principal asset rently wields. Birthday, The ESA has become a used in the business so ESA The American public un- conservation litigation-driven tool that restrictions make produc- derstands and appreciates Kansas! rewards those who use the tive land use especially dif- species’ conservation. By John Schlageck, sioned a law which would courtroom at the expense of ficult. There are many examples of photo Kansas Farm Bureau protect species believed to those who practice positive Farm and ranch families effective voluntary conser- Farmers and ranchers be on the brink of extinc- conservation efforts. Envi- also live on the land they vation programs and prac- believe reforms are needed tion. The Fish and Wildlife ronmentalists’ sue-and-set- work. Restrictions imposed tices that exist with state contest has in the Endangered Species Service (FWS) and the Na- tle tactics require the gov- by the ESA adversely im- and local oversight. Act (ESA) to balance needs tional Marine Fisheries ernment to make listing de- pact farm and ranch quality It’s time for the pendu- begun of species with economic Service (NMFS) were cisions on hundreds of new of life. Farmers and ranch- lum to swing back in the impacts on agriculture. charged with administra- species. They have been re- ers would rather respond to other direction with less Kansans work and play They believe endangered tion.

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