‘Conservation grazing’ uses cattle to protect prairies and reestablish native ecosystems

Cattle graze during a fresh pasture rotation, part of conservation
grazing. (Photo by Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times)

A small group of ranchers in northwestern Washington state are successfully using carefully planned cattle grazing as land conservation. “The idea of cattle trampling some of Western Washington’s most vulnerable landscapes is ordinarily enough to make environmentalists shudder,” reports Sandi Doughton of Pacific NW magazine. But these cattlemen are “practicing a more ecologically sensitive type of grazing that minimizes damage and actually can improve habitat and biodiversity in some situations. . . . You might call it cows for conservation.”

Rancher Jake Yancey is Doughton’s object example: “Working with landowners, agencies and conservation groups, the Olympia-area cattleman deploys his animals with multiple goals in mind. One is to produce grass-fed beef as sustainably as possible. Others include protecting prairies, expanding the range of rare species, and keeping agricultural lands from being turned into condos and strip malls. . . . Yancey laughingly calls his cows "workers," here to do a job. As they fatten up on the lush grass, the cows are helping control rattail fescue, an invasive species that chokes out native prairie plants.”

“Cows for conservation” is formally called “conservation grazing,” and its success is all about the right timing. “When and how long cattle are on specific pastures — to ensure the animals do more good than harm. Rattail fescue is an early-season grass, so Yancey’s cows are here in May to knock it back before it goes to seed,” Doughton explains. “Native perennials bounce back quickly from light grazing, and by the time the desirable species flower and reseed, the cows will be gone."

Taylor's checkspot butterfly
(Wash. Fish & Wildlife photo)

Doughton reports, "Sarah Hamman, science director for the nonprofit EcoStudies Institute, says only about three percent of the Pacific Northwest’s historic westside prairie remains. . . .Several species native to the ecosystem, like Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and the streaked horned lark, are threatened with extinction. Prairie preserves serve as refuges but are mostly small and widely scattered." Hamman told Doughton, “We’ve recognized that if we want to protect and recover these ecosystems, we need to look beyond protected preserves to private lands — farming and grazing lands."