Description
In the eastern US, managed hayfields and pasturelands represent a significant portion of remaining available grassland bird habitat, hosting several declining species including the eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and the grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum). However, these working landscapes have deteriorated in their ability to support grassland birds in recent decades due to more frequent and early hay cuttings and intensive grazing. Since the conservation of grassland birds is inextricably linked to agricultural systems, for conservation to be effective, land management must aim to benefit both producers and birds. Regenerative agriculture is an emerging approach that incorporates land management practices that benefit agricultural ecosystems and increase efficiency and profitability. Regenerative grazing has demonstrated associations with greater bird abundance, but there is a significant gap in research that investigates whether these practices contribute to successful nesting. Collaborators from Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, American Farmland Trust, and George Mason University set out to explore the effects of regenerative grazing practices on forage quality and the reproductive success of grassland birds. We established four experimental grazing and haying treatments on private working lands. For each treatment, we collected forage samples for nutrient analysis and quantified reproductive success using a combination of territory mapping and systematic nest searching. Our preliminary analysis suggests that grazing pastures early and stockpiling for fall and winter grazing results in standing forages suitable in quality for several different production classes of livestock while reducing producer reliance on harvested feeds such as hay. Our observations also identified this system to provide the greatest propensity for fledgling success of grassland birds due to the lack of disturbances during peak nesting periods which traditionally are due to trampling, haying, and predation.
Included in
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Bird Friendly Beef: Exploring the Impacts of Regenerative Forage Production
In the eastern US, managed hayfields and pasturelands represent a significant portion of remaining available grassland bird habitat, hosting several declining species including the eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and the grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum). However, these working landscapes have deteriorated in their ability to support grassland birds in recent decades due to more frequent and early hay cuttings and intensive grazing. Since the conservation of grassland birds is inextricably linked to agricultural systems, for conservation to be effective, land management must aim to benefit both producers and birds. Regenerative agriculture is an emerging approach that incorporates land management practices that benefit agricultural ecosystems and increase efficiency and profitability. Regenerative grazing has demonstrated associations with greater bird abundance, but there is a significant gap in research that investigates whether these practices contribute to successful nesting. Collaborators from Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, American Farmland Trust, and George Mason University set out to explore the effects of regenerative grazing practices on forage quality and the reproductive success of grassland birds. We established four experimental grazing and haying treatments on private working lands. For each treatment, we collected forage samples for nutrient analysis and quantified reproductive success using a combination of territory mapping and systematic nest searching. Our preliminary analysis suggests that grazing pastures early and stockpiling for fall and winter grazing results in standing forages suitable in quality for several different production classes of livestock while reducing producer reliance on harvested feeds such as hay. Our observations also identified this system to provide the greatest propensity for fledgling success of grassland birds due to the lack of disturbances during peak nesting periods which traditionally are due to trampling, haying, and predation.
