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Kansas Grasslands Issue Brief
The Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts are pleased to share a new foundational report on Kansas Grasslands that highlights the importance of grasslands to the state and identifies action steps to continue and enhance the conservation of those grasslands for the future of Kansas.
KDA has been working in partnership with the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, with the support of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, on a joint project to determine action steps to encourage and support efforts to assist Kansans in the conservation of their working grasslands. The initiative included a series of in-person discussions around the state and a public survey. The input received from ranchers, landowners and other interested Kansans was compiled into a final Issue Brief which was shared with project participants and posted on the KDA website.
Native grasslands make up more than 15 million acres of agricultural land in Kansas. In addition to other ecological and economic benefits, these grasslands serve a critical role as grazing land for cattle. As the state’s largest agricultural industry, the beef industry provides income and economic prosperity to thousands of Kansas ranchers, businesses, and workers throughout the state.
The Kansas Grasslands Issue Brief outlines actionable steps to keep this valuable natural resource in healthy working condition. It includes information to help educate a broad audience about the importance of working grasslands, as well as action steps that could be taken to improve and conserve working grasslands for future generations. The final product has been reviewed by a technical team of researchers to make sure the science is strong, and it has been informed and reviewed by ranchers to make sure it is accurate and reflects their work and experience.
“This Issue Brief will be an important resource to make sure we can continue to help ranchers and landowners with their work to ensure the long-term sustainability of rangelands,” said Dan Meyerhoff, executive director of the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts. “It is a great example of what can happen when ranchers, researchers, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations come together to pursue long-term change.”
The contributors of this project encourage all Kansans to read the report and learn how we can all work together to ensure that grasslands continue to be a productive, valuable resource for generations of Kansans to come. Find the Issue Brief and other materials related to the Kansas Grasslands project at www.agriculture.ks.gov/grasslands.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts are pleased to share a new foundational report on Kansas Grasslands that highlights the importance of grasslands to the state and identifies action…
October 2025- Brian Rast: Nature-Based Solutions and Modeling
Follow along with the above presentation by using the PowerPoint slides at the end of this page. Additional resources for this webinar can be found below.
Additional resources:
Kansas Healthy Watersheds Presentation- https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll2/id/7640
Nature-Based Solutions Final Report and ID Cards- https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/division-of-water-resources/water-structures/floodplain-management/mapping/nature-based-solutions-805
Silver Jackets- https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Silver-Jackets/
KDHE- Kansas Watershed Management Section- https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/974/Watershed-Management-Section Email Scott Satterthwaite with questions- scott.satterthwaite@ks.gov
Soil Health and Water Quality Story Map- https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1efcfe1924fc4daf85a7958c0a41fa5a
Follow along with the above presentation by using the PowerPoint slides at the end of this page. Additional resources for this webinar can be found below. Additional resources: Kansas Healthy Watersheds Presentation- https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll2/id/7640 Nature-Based Solutions…
Livestock Pasture Use & Plant Preferences
Does your livestock match your pasture?
Cattle, sheep and goats use pastures differently.
– Terrain: Goats and sheep tend to use steeper areas than cattle.
– Plant Types: Cattle eat mainly grasses while goats browse more shrubs and trees. Sheep are intermediate and have less preference for a specific plant type.
– Selection for Plant Parts: Cattle have large broad mouths and cannot select specific plant parts well, instead they typically take large bites of plants. Sheep and goats have small mouths with prehensile lips which allow them to select specific plant parts
Grazing multiple species can often be complementary, resulting in broader use of available plant types and pasture terrain.
Illustration: John McQuaig
Source: The Prairie Project The Prairie Project
Data:
McDaniel & Tiedeman (1981). Sheep use on mountain winter range in New Mexico.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3898122
Pinchak et al. (1991). Beef cattle distribution patterns on foothill range.
https://doi.org/10.2307/4002956
Does your livestock match your pasture? Cattle, sheep and goats use pastures differently. – Terrain: Goats and sheep tend to use steeper areas than cattle. – Plant Types: Cattle eat mainly grasses while goats browse…
Cover Crop Response to Herbicides
Cover crop response to herbicides will be influenced by a number of factors, including biological and biochemical characteristics of the plant, chemical characteristics of the herbicide, and weather conditions since herbicide application. The table linked below summarizes the response of selected cover crops to selected herbicides. For simplicity, no herbicide premixes are included in the list. The responses are cautious/conservative estimates based on published field research, herbicide labels, and a recent publication from the Take Action campaign (see below). A field bioassay is the most reliable method to determine crop response to potential herbicide residues.
Cover crop response to herbicides will be influenced by a number of factors, including biological and biochemical characteristics of the plant, chemical characteristics of the herbicide, and weather conditions since herbicide application. The table linked…