New book from the Center for Native Grasslands Management aims to equip landowners with the knowledge they need to establish native grasses alongside their grazing operations
By Gilbert Randolph
Quail Forever recently spoke with Patrick Keyser, Director of the Center for Native Grasslands Management at the University of Tennessee about his book Native Grass Forages for the Eastern US. The book is a comprehensive guide to understanding and managing native grasses for forage, wildlife, water quality and better soil. Dr. Keyser has worked with native grasses for nearly four decades, and for the past 15 years, he has focused exclusively on this subject. He now wants to bring the lessons he’s learned to a broader audience.
“A lot of this info goes into academic journals and is forgotten,” Keyser said. “This book brings together evidence-based info about native grasses in one place where anyone can understand it.”
Keyser points to the introduction of cool season grasses after the dust bowl as a major negative turning point for wildlife and grazing. While intended to provide better forage for cattle production, these cool season grasses such as fescue and bermuda lose productivity during the “summer slump,” or the hottest parts of the year. They also quickly create monocultures that lead to reduced habitat and soil quality, as well as less available insects for pollination and forage for wildlife.
“In places like the Southeast, we’ve created landscapes that are closed canopy loblolly pine plantations or bermuda grass pastures. It used to be that people would graze cattle in open oak savannas on native grasses,” Keyser said. “Now we have a combination of overgrazing, monocultures and a lack of bugs which is untenable for wildlife such as bobwhite quail.”
Keyser proposes integrating both native grasses and grazing to help recreate the ecological conditions that made the US the icon of abundance it once was. Beyond simply showing the benefits of native grasses, the book goes into depth on management topics such as weed control in established native grass stands, diseases and insects, prescribed fire as well as interseeding legumes and native forbs into native grass stands. This wholistic approach can give landowners the knowledge they need to reap the benefits of native warm season grasses.
“This book is intended for anyone interested in pastures east of the Mississippi who wants to produce more cattle and better cattle,” Keyser said. “As well as anyone who is interested in wildlife, soil quality and water quality.”
For anyone interested in additional information on planting native warm season grasses (NWSG), the USDA’s NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife is a great place to start, according to Nick Schell, the USDA’s NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife Framework Coordinator East/Central.
“USDA’s NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife has resources available for landowners and producers who are interested in incorporating drought tolerant NWSG into their current forage system,” he said. “From pre-planting site preparation, planting, and post-planting. NRCS and their conservation partners are available to provide science driven guidance during each step in the process, ensuring successful establishment.”
The Working Lands for Wildlife Program (WLFW) focuses on empowering landowners to incorporate conservation practices into their agricultural operations. From technical assistance to cost sharing, WLFW programs can make implementing conservation work an attainable reality.
Keyser’s book, Native Grass Forages for the Eastern US, can be purchased here. To learn more about programs available for establishing native warm season grasses, contact your local Quail Forever Biologist or USDA-NRCS office.