Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Effects Of Agroforestry Practices On Soil Properties In The Drylands Of Eastern Kenya, Nicholas Syano Mutuku, Moses M. Nyangito, Geoffrey Kironchi, Oliver Vivian Wasonga

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Drylands, which are home to about 2 billion people face a myriad of problems among them low land productivity. Agroforestry is one of the land use practices that is perceived to be sustainable with beneficial effects on soil properties. However, the effects of agroforestry practices on soils especially in the drylands have rarely been quantified and studied in details. The study determined the effects of selected agroforestry practices on soil properties in Makueni County of Kenya where agroforestry has been promoted by various organizations. Four soil samples were collected at 0-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-45cm and 45-60cm depths in a zigzag pattern …

Adaptive, Multi-Paddock, Rotational Grazing Management: An Experimental, Ranch-Scale Assessment Of Effects On Multiple Ecosystem Services, D. J. Augustine, J. D. Derner, L. M. Porensky, H. Wilmer, María E. Fernández-Giménez, David D. Briske

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Decisions on how to move livestock in space and time are central to rangeland management. Despite decades of small-scale research, substantial uncertainty exists regarding the relative importance of cattle stocking rates per se, versus the movement of cattle in both space and time, in achieving desired vegetation and livestock outcomes at scales relevant to livestock producers. We report on a ranch-scale experiment comparing effects of collaborative, adaptive, multi-paddock, rotational management (CARM) versus more traditional, season-long, continuous rangeland management (TRM) on perennial grass density and production, cattle performance, and wildlife habitat, while holding the annual stocking rate the same in …

Revisiting The Concept Of The Planning Region In Settings With Dynamic Spatial-Temporal Conditions: Lessons From Land Use Planning In Pastoral Areas Of Kenya, Ethiopia And Tanzania, H. Musoga, L. W. Robinson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Pastoralist rangeland systems often provide prime examples of scale mismatch—the challenge that arises when the scale and geographic extent of decision-making institutions do not correspond to the scale and geographic extent of problems that need to be addressed. Pastoralist resource use and traditional governance systems operate at multiple levels, and are often characterized by multiple, overlapping claims, rights, and management territories. Scholarship on pastoralist systems suggests that their fuzziness, flexibility, and overlap in territories and rights mean that there is no single scale or level that is optimal for effective resource governance. These characteristics stymie attempts to implement conventional …

Water Use Efficiency And Land Cover Variability On A Native Grassland Ranch On The Pampa Biome Of Uruguay, Diana L. Restrepo-Osorio, Gabriel De Oliveira, James Coll, Daniela Schossler

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Global efforts towards sustainable cattle ranching should be based on comprehensive approaches, targeting physical variables of the ranching process, as well as, the socioeconomic dimensions. Alianza del Pastizal is a non-profit conservation organization that works to preserve the temperate grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America by promoting conservation practices among ranching communities in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Alianza has become a mediator for ranchers exchanging information, resources, and education. Ranchers associated with the Alliance take pride in their property management as they aim to improve the community wellbeing and natural resource sustainability. In a previous study, producers …

Ewe Daily-Weight Gain Grazing Leucaena Leucocephala-Megathyrsus Maximus Cv Mombasa Silvopastoral System And Tropical Native Unimproved Range, L. K. Trejo-Arista, Enrique Cortés-Díaz, P. A. Martínez-Hernández, J. A. Cadena-Meneses

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Silvopastoral systems are a viable option to increase livestock productivity, The silvopastoral arrangement of Leucaena leucocephala associated with Megathyrsus maximus CV Mombasa (LMS) is successfully cultivated in tropical environments.. The objective of the study was to determine ewe daily-weight gain grazing LMS and a tropical unimproved native range. Two LMS were tested: high and low leucaena densities, 4700 and 2383 plants/ha, respectively. Grazing was rotational, lasted 150 d (rainy season) at equivalent stocking rate of 59 ewes/ha/150 d. Experimental design was a completely random design with three replications, the experimental unit was a 192 m² plot. Variables measured on …

Status, Management, And Governance Of The Communal Grasslands Of Ethiopia’S Highlands: A Disappearing Asset For Mixed Crop-Livestock Livelihood Systems, Bedasa Eba, Fiona Flintan, Tesfa Getachew, Jason Sircely

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

There is little documentation about the status, management, and governance of the communal grasslands of Ethiopia’s highlands. However, research being carried out by ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) in northern Shewa, Amhara region, is highlighting their importance as a critical resource for those farmers engaged in mixed crop-livestock livelihood systems across the highland areas. These grassland areas range from 2 to 200 hectares and can be used by up to four different villages or ‘kebele’ and providing on average 10-20% of livestock feed for local farmers. However, this important resource is rapidly disappearing with encroachment of farming and tree-planting with …

Removal Of The Northern Paleo-Teton Range Along The Yellowstone Hotspot Track, J. Ryan Thigpen, Summer J. Brown, Autumn L. Helfrich, Rachel Hoar, Michael M. Mcglue, Edward W. Woolery, William R. Guenthner, Meredith L. Swallom, Spencer Dixon, Sean Gallen

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Classically held mechanisms for removing mountain topography (e.g., erosion and gravitational collapse) require 10-100 Myr or more to completely remove tectonically generated relief. Here, we propose that mountain ranges can be completely and rapidly (< 2 Myr) removed by a migrating hotspot. In western North America, multiple mountain ranges, including the Teton Range, terminate at the boundary with the relatively low relief track of the Yellowstone hotspot. This abrupt transition leads to a previously untested hypothesis that preexisting mountainous topography along the track has been erased. We integrate thermochronologic data collected from the footwall of the Teton fault with flexural-kinematic modeling and length-displacement scaling to show that the paleo-Teton fault and associated Teton Range was much longer (min. original length 190-210 km) than the present topographic expression of the range front (~65 km) and extended across the modern-day Yellowstone hotspot track. These analyses also indicate that the majority of fault displacement (min. 11.4-12.6 km) and the associated footwall mountain range growth had accumulated prior to Yellowstone encroachment at ~2 Ma, leading us to interpret that eastward migration of the Yellowstone hotspot relative to stable North America led to removal of the paleo-Teton mountain topography via posteruptive collapse of the range following multiple supercaldera (VEI 8) eruptions from 2.0 Ma to 600 ka and/or an isostatic collapse response, similar to ranges north of the Snake River plain. While this extremely rapid removal of mountain ranges and adjoining basins is probably relatively infrequent in the geologic record, it has important implications for continental physiography and topography over very short time spans.

Proposals For Innovation And Improvement Of The Quality Of Life In Caprine Pastoralist Communities Of Subsistence In The Monte Desert, Argentina, E. M. Abraham, C. Rubio, D. Soria, L. Corso, A. Therburg, D. Bran, A. Maggi, P. Maccagno, C. Policastro, S. Verón, V. Pietragalla, M. Wilson

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

In a satisfactory alliance between the main environmental policy organizations and the academy, the National Observatory on Land Degradation and Desertification (ONDTyT) is created. The ONDTyD provides information regarding status and trends of land degradation/desertification in order to promote prevention and mitigation measures used for advising public and private decision-makers in Argentina. It is based in the development of 17 Pilot Sites that constitutes the local level network, providing bio-physical and socio-economic indicators of land degradation.

In this network the pilot site of the Monte, the largest dry region of Argentina (Lavalle desert, Mendoza), aims to improve the living conditions …

Made To Graze: Using Cattle To Regenerate Soil Health, Debby Dulworth

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Beyond being a cattle farm in extreme western Kentucky, Dogwood Farm is part of an ecosystem dominated by the nearby Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Northern Ballard County was still a wilderness of temperate rainforest in 1840, when settlers began clearing trees to convert it to farm land. Almost every year since, more land has been cleared, tilled and planted to crops.

Dogwood Farm pastures offer examples of several different ways to affordably and profitably convert long‐farmed row‐crop land‐‐most of which had previously grown annual monocultures of corn, winter wheat and soybeans for many decades‐‐back to perennials that will keep the …

Circle F Farms--Grazing Into The Future, David Fourqurean

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Circle F Farms is a family operation located in Gracey, Ky roughly consisting of 325 acres of farmland. 120 acres are rented out for row crop production, 130 acres of pasture that are rotationally grazed with the balance in woods. The family operation is a partnership of John, David and John David Fourqurean. John David’s 3 kids will be the 6th generation to operate this farm. We run around 60 pairs on 2 different farms, 10 minutes apart. Steer calves are marketed through CPH or private treating sales off the farm. Heifer calves are marketed through the Guthrie bred heifer …

Usda‐Nrcs Graze Model: An Update Of A Static Pasture Balance Tool For Grazing Planners, Jimmy C. Henninger, Ivelin Denev

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The USDA‐NRCS Graze Model is a spreadsheet‐based, pasture budgeting digital tool to assist landowners and grazing advisors assess the pasture balance of current and future forage livestock systems. The tool will assess current stocking rates and help to calculate optimal carrying capacity. The model allows the user to see the impact of changing the forage base and grazing efficiency on the ability of a system to be sustainable. The model will accommodate cattle, sheep, goats, and seasonal grazing livestock. Yield information is based on historic, attainable values for Kentucky and the mid‐South region. Livestock intake is calculated on a percent …

Flexible Fencing And Watering Systems For Rotational Grazing, Morgan Hayes

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Creating proper and watering systems is critical for managing livestock. Not only do farmers need fencing to contain their livestock on their property, but also to ensure the livestock eat down the forage intended rather than areas that are supposed to be rested. With temporary fencing there are many options for laying out flexible fencing which will be discussed below. In many rotational grazing setups access to water is the limiting factor. There are options and considerations that can make a watering system more flexible as well. When trying to develop or improve a rotational grazing strategy being able to …

Selecting The Proper Gps Guidance System For Your Operation, John M. Long

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Computers and other electronics have become commonplace on most newer agricultural equipment. Producers can now collect more information about their operation easier than ever before. Most of this information is commonly tied to the location where it was collected. GPS coordinates are the most common way producers determine this location, so selecting the proper GPS system for the job is critical. Whether a producer has not used a GPS systems and wants to find an affordable entry level guidance system or wants to upgrade to the latest model with all the bells and whistles, there are many different things that …

Precision Ag Isn’T Just For The Row Crop Guys, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Guidance utilizing the global positioning system (GPS) has long been used for various operations in row crop agriculture. However, the high price of these systems has limited use in low input forage‐livestock operations. Reduced prices and the availability of used guidance systems has the potential to increase the use of precision agriculture in ruminant operations. Currently, entry level guidance systems can be purchased for $1,000 to 2,500.

Participatory Observatories To Connect Multifunctional Landscapes, Link Smallholder Farmers, And Collectively Diversify Income, I. Espejel Carvajal, G. Romero, O. Pérez, R. Yaguez, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, N. Martínez Tagueña, C. L. Lauterio Martínez, V. M. Reyes Gómez, S. Lucatello

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Cattle ranching was introduced to Baja California, Mexico (semiarid and arid climates) by the Spaniards, who brought the animals and the techniques. One important activity was moving livestock from the mountains (forests and few kinds of grass) to the coast crossing poor shrublands known as chaparrals. Fire was a common practice to promote grass growth and pastoralists could move through the land freely. Pastoralism became a common practice when English workers built the Ensenada port and became ranching landowners. They followed the practice of livestock movement through the exorreic watersheds. Native Indians, as well as other Mexicans known as ejidatarios, …

Participatory Management Of Rangeland Hydrology – A New Socio-Ecological Technology To Effectively Adapt To And Mitigate Climate Change: Case From Morocco, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, El Hassane El Mahdad, El Hassan Beraaouz, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, Alessandro Rizzo, Mohamed Hssaisoune, Hanane Reddad, Abdelghani Chehbouni, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Morocco’s drylands cover over 90% of the land area; low and irregular rainfall and high potential evaporation contribute to extremely high-water deficits. These phenomena have greatly impacted rangeland hydrology and nomadic and transhumant pastoralism. To adapt to this predominant water deficit, the inhabitants of these areas have developed two forms of lifestyles, which include household and livestock mobility: (i) a pendulum movement for seasonal transhumance between the mountains and their bordering plains; and (ii) random nomadic mobility regulated by the sporadic frequency of rains and thus water availability. In both cases, this mobility is controlled by the degree of development …

Bale Grazing: Feeding Hay The Rotational Grazing Way, Gregory S. Halich

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Imagine a hay feeding system where you did not have to use a tractor for months at a time and that allowed you to build up pasture fertility without applying commercial fertilizer. Would this be of interest to you? What if this same system also kept your cattle clean during the winter without coats caked in mud and manure, allowed you to creep graze fall‐born calves, and built up the organic matter levels in your pasture soils. Would you be even more interested? As far‐fetched as this may sound, all these benefits are possible with an innovative winter‐feeding technique called …

Right Rate, Timing, Source And Placement: More Bang For The Pasture Fertilizer Buck, John H. Grove, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

As we write this paper for the conference, fall fertilizer prices continue to increase, albeit at a slower pace than earlier this fall for most materials. The latest DTN retail price survey https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/10/06/fertilizer‐price‐gains-losing‐steam has urea (46‐0‐0) at $620/ton, DAP (18‐46‐0) at $722/ton and potash (0‐ 0‐60) at $647/ton. This gives $0.675/lb N, $0.52/lb P₂O₅ (after the N value in DAP price was accounted for), and $0.54/lb K₂O. Compared to this time last year, urea, DAP and muriate of potash are 71, 64 and 92% higher, respectively. Other important materials used in Kentucky are also higher: …

An Integrated Approach To Weed Management In Pastures, Jonathan D. Green

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Weeds reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants in pastures and diminish the palatability and quality of the forages available for livestock grazing. In some situations, certain weed species are potentially poisonous to grazing animals. The aesthetic value of a pasture is also impacted by weeds. Therefore, it is often desirable to implement weed management strategies that reduce the impact of weeds on pasture productivity.

Long‐Term Weather Trends And Implications For Grazing Operations In The Mid‐South, Matt Dixon

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Weather plays a large role in determining our agricultural production and management-related decisions throughout the growing season. In a couple examples, it controls when we can cut hay or when we are able/not able to graze (drought 2019). The short‐term shift in the weather pattern is always on the back of any farmers mind and how it’ll impact their own operation, but what about long‐term changes? These can be just as important. This can be tracked by looking at our climate, which is the average weather conditions over a specific period of time (usually 30 years). Unlike weather, which tells …

Introduction To Pasture Ecology, Ed Rayburn

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Pasture‐based livestock production is an integrated process. Plants intercept solar energy, take up soil water and minerals, making carbohydrates and proteins to feed themselves. Animals graze the pasture. Microbes in the animal’s rumen digest the forage and are then digested by the animal to provide energy, protein, and minerals for animal maintenance, growth, and milk production. Dead plant tops and roots along with manure and urine provide energy and protein to soil organisms. The soil organisms maintain soil pore space and structure, provide water infiltration and soil water holding capacity, and cycle nutrients into forms that can be taken up …

Foreword And Conference Information [2021], Christopher D. Teutsch, Jimmy C. Henning, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Elastic Thickness And Crust-Mantle Interface Models Of Tharsis Bulge On Mars And Surrounding Areas, R. T. Ratheesh-Kumar, Dhananjay Ravat, Paul Morgan

Earth and Environmental Sciences Research Data

The datasets contain the final models of spatial variation of elastic thickness (Te) and the depth to Moho or the Crust-Mantle Interface (CMI) of the Tharsis Bulge and the surrounding regions derived from the software package LithoFLEX. The models are based on the crustal density of 2900 kg/m³, which was selected from analyzing results of a range of densities, and other standard lithospheric parameters. The models are useful for understanding the nature and evolution of the Tharsis Bulge and the surrounding regions.

A Network Of Transdisciplinary Observation Mechanisms As A Digital Source Of Knowledge On Rangeland, To Communicate And Exchange At Local, Regional And Global Scales, Alessandro Rizzo, El Hassane El Mahdad, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, S. Lucatello, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

For several decades, interventions geared towards the development of drylands have been the catalysts of much change in a rapidly evolving world, and learning how to build sustainable trajectories that take into account both cultural and contextual variations is becoming of increasingly great import. As local problems become intertwined, and given the difficulty of large-scale collective action, understanding these dynamics requires cognizance of all levels of knowledge governance systems and their interactions. So far as rangelands are concerned, the lack of easily accessible documentation encompassing all knowledge to date is a major impediment to their sustainable development. With this in …

Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research In The Biosphere Reserve In Mapimi, Mexico: A Multidimensional Participatory Observatory Of Rangeland/Pastoral Systems, V. M. Reyes Gómez, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, N. Martínez Tagüeña, I. Espejel Carvajal, S. Lucatello, M. A. Bowker, C. L. Lauterio Martínez

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Since the creation of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mapimi (BRM) in Mexico 45 years ago, pastoralism has undergone a series of transformations. Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, horse breeding flourished until 1900; thereafter extensive cattle production lasted for six decades. Only recently, farmers have adopted alternative management types for organic meat production. National and international efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require basic, applied, and participatory research efforts. In the socio-ecological pastoral system BRM, first halophytic ecosystems were examined for their ecohydrological role in rangeland productivity. In 1996, a long-term ecological research site was installed to monitor …

Re-Envisioning Global Rangeland Stewardship: An Ecosystem Services Assessment Framework, David D. Briske

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Rangeland stewardship may be enhanced by transforming the global narrative from one of ‘resource scarcity and unpredictability’ to one of ‘global rangeland value’. This may be accomplished by devising a stewardship strategy founded on a more complete accounting of rangeland ecosystem services to inform land use planning and decision making. An ecosystem services framework may provide the necessary feedbacks to identify and assess potential tradeoffs among ecosystem services prior to implementing land use actions and policy. The ultimate goal of this alternative stewardship strategy would be to provide optimal combinations of ecosystem services to meet the needs of global citizens, …

Mongolian Herders’ Evaluation Of Rangeland Ecosystems Services, Values, And Changes Over The Past Decade, T. Ulambayar, B. Yunden, N. Davaasuren, S. Balt, D. Davaajav, B. Zambuu

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Mongolia's rangeland is one of the largest remaining contiguous ecosystems encompassing 2.6% of the global grasslands, and almost three-fourths of the country's territory provides essential ecosystem services (ESS) for over 3 million Mongolians and 71 million livestock. The well-being of 171,605 pastoral households directly depends on the rangelands receiving provisional services in the forms of nutrition, material use and energy, regulatory services, and cultural services. This study explored herders' perceptions of these ESS, their evaluation for ESS values, and observations of ESS change for the last decade. The study found that Mongolian herders have more benefits from provisional ESS (on …

Conceptualizing Pastoral Development Based On Carbon Sequestration: The Case Of Yabelo District In The Southern Ethiopian Rangelands, D. L. Coppock

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Major challenges for rangeland stewardship in the developing world include how to mitigate the spread of pastoral poverty and environmental degradation. Arresting such trends requires a scale of investment, policy incentives, and institutional commitments not previously observed in pastoral development. Indeed, such a rangeland revolution requires several global events to set the stage, namely: (1) Creation of markets for diverse ecosystem services; (2) recognition that improved rangeland stewardship is vital to mitigate climate change; and (3) distribution of green climate funds in support of local projects. New approaches for pastoral development projects are also needed. Previous projects have largely focused …

Wildlife Conservation And The Role Of The Indigenous Communities Living Around Conservation Areas, N. Parmisa, K. A. Galvin

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The Indigenous Kenyan Maasai community has coexisted with the wildlife surrounding it for decades from Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara and Amboseli. These parks border Maasai lands. Although the northern, eastern, and western perimeters of the Nairobi National Park are fenced, the southern part is not. It is at this point that the Maasai community’s land meets the park. This area also acts as a wildlife dispersal area where wildlife can freely migrate to other parks, including Maasai Mara and Amboseli. The park is only 117sq kms and its vitality depends on the plains to the south where the Maasai …

Whose Knowledge Counts?: Irrigation Development In Turkana, Kenya (1963-2019), G. L. Akall

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Irrigation has long been promoted in Africa’s drylands as a means to improve food security and livelihoods. Turkana County, one of the driest regions of Kenya, has a long history of irrigation interventions, extending from the colonial era to the present. The recent discovery of two huge water aquifers in the arid Turkana region, Kenya’s Vision 2030 and devolution has fed into enthusiasm for irrigation as an excellent solution to the multiple problems in the region against other activities like pastoralism. This is in spite of a history of failed irrigation developments in Turkana (Hogg 1987). This paper explores the …