Observation
Original Published Feb 2022 in the Silverado Express
In living our daily lives, the observations we make strongly influences our interaction with the world around us. It provides the input that we consciously or subconsciously react to. From the simplest of occurrences like a stop light turning red that most of us stop at to the most complex of happenings around the world, our senses feed the observation our brains have to process. The foundation of science is based on this. A phenomenon is observed, and a hypothesis is formed to explain what is seen. This month, I want to share observations I have made over time in agriculture and share my rationale to explain things I’ve seen. This past growing season provided insights into how agriculture will have to adapt to inevitable future that is to come. Hopefully it inspires you the reader to stop and take amount to observe the natural world you see as well.
The world of agriculture is full of sage advice. One of the best I’ve heard as a grazier is that if you want to know what species of forages to plant, look at the roadside ditch. Complete utter neglect along side a harsh environment is a great indicator as to what can survive. There are three grasses out there that really come to mind, Smooth Brome grass, intermediate wheatgrass, tall fescue, and to a lesser degree orchard grass. With that survivability comes compromises a producer needs to know about, especially in the case of tall fescue because of the side effects that can happen due to a fungus. This fungus increases the hardiness of the plant but can contributes to negative effects of livestock consuming it. I encourage reading up more on this topic if this is topic is of interest. Another easter egg the roadside gave up was watching what greened up as soon as the rains and cool weather came back. Along the roadside, the county road crew cut the overgrowth next to the blacktop in late May / early June. With the soaring heat and lack of moisture, all this growth went dormant. When the cool weather and moisture returned in late August, amazing the grass along sprang back vibrant green. While everything else stayed brown. My guess as to why this happens is that the timing of the grass being cut with the inability of the plant to complete its life cycle going to seed caused the plant to have one last effort for the year to try again. This might seem trivial because not much growth accumulates before plants go into winter dormancy, but what it does means is that green grass is capturing the energy of the sun and storing in its root reserve for the coming spring.
In another observation, understanding the value in trees can not be understated. Last month I spoke about how with no barn, only with trees and cattle panels, we are keeping our ram/ramling flock on the mountain side. Just as the help to create a microenvironment for the winter, they provide one for the summer as well. Trees not only offer relief from the summer heat in terms of shade, but the cooling effect allows forages to grow a longer into the dry season. In some instances, the trees themselves can provide an additional source of food. I believe that trees will hold an important place for the future of grazing livestock. The stress induced by heat on the animals will become a greater concern and my hope is that farmers and ranchers begin to seriously consider how we can integrate them into our landscapes. One tree that I am particularly interested in experimenting with locally is thornless honey locust. In a previous rental in Stevens County, I watched this tree over the course of almost 2 years survive under neglect. While not a native tree, thornless honey locust produces a dappled shade effect which creates a cool zone below it while still allowing light to pass through. It is enough light that pasture will still grow underneath the tree. Other benefits are that it is a legume and fixes nitrogen in the soil, produces seed pods that can be as high as 37% sugar, and is winter and drought hardy. What more could a grazier ask for?
Next time your out in the pasture after the snow melts, spend a little time to enjoy your surroundings. Often, we are in such a hurry that we don’t get to take a look around and see what nature is trying to tell us. With that, I hope those of you who are passionate about soils and agriculture might join me later this month with the Northeast Washington Soil Health Stewards Meeting. For information on the meeting go to the community page on this month’s Silverado Express. And finally, Ola Aina Farms finally has a webpage! Please stop in and check it out. The web address is listed below.
Follow Gregg on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @olaainafarms or email him at gregg@olaainafarms.com and visit www.olaainafarms.com