Resilient Rangelands

We are learning how to increase the vigor and overall health of our landscape by following regenerative grazing and land management practices that support robust native grass species and minimize noxious weeds. 

LIVING SOILS

We have learned the importance of essential elements of living soil systems. We believe in order to have a healthy landscape, people, and wildlife, we must maintain and improve our living soils by managing our ranching practices for what we would like to see (diverse grass species and healthy, living soils) in a holistic and regenerative approach. 

Following the Bison

For centuries past, bison roamed much of North America and specifically used Tom Miner Basin as summer range. Bison work together as a herd, grazing one area, impacting the land through their hooves and fertilizing the land with their dung as they move. Our goal in Tom Miner is to have our cattle mimic bison as much as possible. The way in which bison utilized the range was beneficial to enhancing rangeland health and productivity. By grazing the grass once (taking one bite of each grass plant) and moving on and not returning to that area, bison evenly impacted the area and did not over-utilize the resource while knowing instinctively their return to the area would once again be lush with native grasses and healthy soil. Over grazing occurs when a single grass plant is grazed too low or too often in a grazing season thus weakening the root system. When grass is weakened the land compensates by covering the open or weak space with weeds or less desirable forage. In addition, hoof impact concentrated in a small area helps to break up the soil crusts and trample all old standing plant matter into contact with the earth. The more organic material in contact with the soil, the more easily decomposition happens and nutrients are added back into the earth. When land is under-grazed, old plant growth tends to suffocate new growth coming up from underneath. Bison trample the old growth down, thus making space for new, palatable plants to come in. Dung and urine act as fertilizer and are the key factor in motivating bison to move on to fresh ground and not continue to graze one area. This cannot be accomplished if bison functioned as a scattered herd of individuals.

Weevils

Three of the five ranches in the Tom miner Basin have been experimenting with releasing biological agents onto noxious weed like knapweed. Weevils have been released constantly throughout the years with B Bar Ranch paving the way in this experimentation. We’ve seen successful treatment sights in multiple locations and hope to continue this in the coming years.