In Boulder County, the main offender is cheatgrass, which was likely introduced to the area alongside agriculture and ranching, according to the U.S. “Climate change more than doubles the likelihood of fire, human ignitions triple the fire season, and now we can add invasive species fueling fires.”
“This work shows that invasive species are one of the big three ways that people are changing fire regimes,” said senior author Bethany Bradley, a terrestrial ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Other than visual assessments on disease pressure and lodging, the combine yield map will be our way of quantifying any yield differences.īut, as I alluded to earlier, my gut feeling is telling me this is the right thing to do, just as it was all those decades ago.Invasive grasses have changed the landscape of America’s open spaces, out-competing native species in areas across the country.Īs a result, according to a new study from The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, these aggressive plants have increased the likelihood of wildfire by anywhere from 27% to 230%. The theory being that disease pressure has been reduced, the canopy and tillers have been “regulated” and fertility cycled. The wheat has sprung back surprisingly quickly, throwing out a new, clean leaf within a matter of days. We stocked 116 ewe lambs at a stocking density of an acre/day (0.4ha/day), which ate the top growth down nicely, while trampling in the older leaves. Mildew and low levels of septoria are present, with a few older leaves yellowing off, perfect for another split-field grazing trial. Our wheat was drilled on the 9/10 October and has grown well this winter – too well in most fields. The visual results and general gut feeling are enough, just like they were for my grandparent’s generation. In 2022, we often feel the need for statistical data to justify any decision we make, and I’m as guilty as the next person of wanting something concrete.Īlthough I have been trying to quantify “The Golden Hoof” with split-field trials over the last two years, I’m beginning to get the gut feeling that in this instance, I do not need the statistical data to realise the benefits of overwinter cereal grazing.
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