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Show Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday February 3, 2004 3A Healthy Rangelands: Tart in Animal Health and Nutrition By PATSY STODDARD, Editor At the recent range school held in Moab, one of the topics was the health of the animals and rangeland monitoring. One of the most effective tools for monitoring is the use of a camera said Floyd Reed, retired forest service range officer. He encouraged all school attendees to carry a camera. Pictures recording the beginning of the grazing season, conditions after grazing and the end of the also recommended documenting the elk and their activity upon the allotment and any to the land from recreationalists should all be part of the monitoring process. Robby Baird Le Valley from Colorado State University Exim-pac- systems may reduce or improve forage nutritive value. Forbs are generally more nutritious than shrubs in terms of protein and phosphorus. As a plant matures the protein in the plant decreases as does the digestibility. It pays to put interest in a plant to develop more root volume, grazing accomplishes this; a plant left ungrazed has skinnier leaves and less root growth. In exclosures where grazing hasnt been allowed for long periods of time, the plants shrink up. Plants with larger root mass are more drought resistant, said LeValley. Nutrition is potentially the most critical factor affecting reproduction. In most management systems, it also represents the most common limiting factor. Nutrition plays a significant role in the immune system. Nutrition plays a role in the absorption of minerals, said ts tension, livestock specialist, spoke to the ranchers about animal health and nutrition. She said cattle need to be healthy to absorb the minerals from what they eat. During the drought the LeValley. LeValley recommended Allotment is now under a deferredrest rotation system. season should all be recorded. cows had a difficult time meetPictures are an accurate repreing their nutrient requirements, sentation of the condition of the Harley Metz, BLM ecologist said the use of maps kept from year to year S alstf Valuable. These maps should' Include precipitation condition,1 the time and length of grazing hrid other indicators. These maps can become a valuable record of conditions from year to year on the rangeland. Another suggestion for the utilization cage, they give more accurate information on the total production of the land and result in a better assessment of how much foliage was removed by grazing animals. It is usually best to move the cages at the end of the growing season, do not leave cages in place for more than one year, because the build-u- p of plant material begins to effect moisture retention inside the cage, and you can end up with overinflated production estimates. Monitoring the rangeland is essential to determine if you are meeting your goals and objectives. Monitor to evaluate the past grazing season and plan for the next. Monitor to identify long teiTn trends. Select key areas to monitor that are representative of the pasture as a whole in terms of soils, vegetation, slope, aspect, distance to water, etc; as it is impossible to monitor every acre. Set aside time to compile and interpret the information and plan for the upcoming growing season. Metz moni-toringw- but they were able to pick a diet that was higher in nutrients than what was out there due to mixing. Palatability, rate of passage, digestibility, nutrient density and balance, and intake are all factors determining the degree to which the forage is able to meet the nutritional demands of the animal. Grazing management decisions can alter availability of nutrients from a as cut- ting cows that have bad habits such as bottom dwellers and sending them to Wendys where they cant teach the rest of the herd bad habits. During a drought, forage quality also declines because livestock selectively graze the highest quality forage first. The amount of total energy over the landscape decreases. A prolonged drought decreases plants energy stores and results in fewer tillers and less root mass. Drought also results in shorter growing periods. Plant species on poor rangeland are less digestible than plant species on good condition range which can reduce total forage intake by livestock. The animals either cant or wont eat enough. The amount of root mass is directly related to the carbohydrates stored in the stored roots and the above ground volume is determined by the carbohydrates stored in the leaves and stems. The amount of root mass is determined by the time and timing of grazing. ' Bear Trap Park allotment in this historic 1'948 photo shows two foot deep gully, bare ground and lack of vegetative ' cover. land. Photos are valuable to back up the permittees case should grazing come under fire. 4 rangeland situation. Grazing conception rates and delayed rebreeding are all factors in lowered nutrition. Lower levels of forage production equals lowered milk production as water for livestock is also a factor in their growth. Calves gained on the well. Good, clean . average of 25 pounds drinking clean water versus calves drinking pond water. Daily intake is dependent on the interaction of quality and quanity, the nutritional status of the cows is primarily affected by two major factors; forage quantity and forage quality. The microorganism in the rumen that must unlock (digest) the energy in the forage to make it available to the ruminant. To digest forage, the microorganisms require nitrogen, which is primarily found in protein. Protein is in the form of leaves. As the vigor of the range improves, the quality of the range improves due to increased leaf production and thus the con- sumption by the animal This historic photo shows a depletion of the grasses. in- creases. The animal balances its protein and energy needs by having a wide variety of forages available for consumption. Plants contain their greatest nutrient value before maturity Plants in a vegetative state generally contain 10 percent crude protein. Diets from dormant range contain between 4 and 7 . percent crude protein with higher concentrations occurring in late summer and early fall. Range nutrition makes an impact on the animals, cows in better condition and have adequate energy are better able to eat foods high in toxins. The same was shown in the copper study, animals who had adequate protein and energy utilized the available copper The pasture shows much improvement over time with pasture rotation and time and timing of grazing. bet- ter. LeValley mentioned that some of the ranchers she works with did not show decreases in conception rates during the drought due to better animal health and nutrition. LeValley talked about the. cows and their The dramatic differences in the current and historic phochoices of food and how they are tos show the positive effects of grazihgA f determined. Factor's include: Animals respond to decreased nutrition in various mother knows best, peer pres- LeValley concluded her re- - mate research and range by saying, Real life ex-- : agement is a lot of art mixed sure, individual trial and error ways, but when nutrition is limited, reproduction is the first to and inherited characteristics. perience is considered legiti- - with science. go. Smaller calf weights, lower , man-mar- Frontier Project is internal recruiting for the position of Family Advocate This is a part time position working directly with families of children with serious emotional disorders. Person will coordinate individual and family team meetings, support, inform, and educate families about community resources and services. Know what services are available in the communities and how to access them, assist in organizing, participating in or conducting support groups. Will work to develop a System of Care for children together with community partners in a WrapAround model. Education & experience requirements: High school graduation, some experience working with children andor families helpful. Preference will be giving to chilparents who have or have had experience with Curdisturbance. emotional dren who have a serious rent Utah Drivers License and the ability for some travel. If interested please submit a resume or letter of interest to Frontier Project at the Four Corners Behavioral Mental Health, Administrative Office, Attn: Amy Olsen, P.O. Box 867, Price, Utah. FCCBH is a drug free workplace and an equal opportunity employer. Your Building Materials Headquarters t Z wi v y - 'Hr- and Emery County Progress are pleased to announce the nual CarbonEmery County ENERGY EDITION. It will be published May 9, 2004. The Sun Advocate - e&nBGHlEM20 an- Our 2004 edition will promote the increased use of Carbon-Emer- y energy products to prospective local and national buyers. Y-- immEEmsp is you own a business or service in our area this an excellent opportunity to reach most of Carbon & Emery County Residents in addition to Energy related If industry. ENERGY EDITION ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Register For Our Weekly $100 Giveaway 710 East Main ; Store Hours Mon-S- at -- Price 435-636-81- 00 8:00 am. to 7 p.iu Sun 9 am. - 5 pm Jenni Fasselin - Patti O'Neil - Heidi Lemmon - Dave Taylor 2 or Fax (435) 637-27(435) Toll Free in Utah (888) 637-07637-073- 16 32 ks |