28 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016
rates, cattle eat more of each plant,
but also broaden their diet to include
plants they wouldn't necessarily eat
under a lower stocking rate. When a
large proportion of a plant is clipped
off, it needs a longer recovery period
than it would if only its leaf tips were
grazed, and recovery takes even longer
if that plant is grazed repeatedly
over several months. That recovery
period, highlighted by the kind of
temporary weedy growth mentioned
earlier, is incredibly valuable for many
wildlife species, and also sustains
plant diversity because it favors
both dominant plants and those that
flourish only when those dominants are
suppressed.
The differing impacts from various
stocking rates give land managers
incredible flexibility in how they
use cattle to manipulate habitat.
Sometimes, even just the walking
paths and patchy grazing by a few
cows across a large area can improve
habitat for wildlife that don't thrive
when vegetation gets too dense. A
Above: The combination of short grass and tall wildflowers is excellent habitat for quail, pheasants, insects, reptiles and many
other species. Only grazing can create that kind of habitat architecture.
Below: It might not look like it, but this cow is creating art.
