Facts on bison grazing
Bison are a relatively common sight on the Prairie, albeit behind fences. They arrived as a form of specialized livestock with their reputation intact. Because they are the original grazers of the prairie, they are environmentally friendly. It is said bison won’t overgraze.
This is a misconception, said Brant Kirychuk, rangeland agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Canora.
“As with any confined livestock, bison will overgraze,” he said. “When bison roamed the prairie, they did not overgraze because of the large area available to them. They would defoliate an area and not come back for several years. By that time, the forage resource would be fully recovered.”
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But it is not possible to maintain fenced grazing land in good condition with season-long grazing and economical stocking rates, said Kirychuk.
“Continuous grazing reduces the stand life, and does not allow a producer to manage for top-quality forage. Greater stocking rates, longer stand life and better feed quality all translate into a more profitable operation, even for bison producers.”
A grazing system is needed, but the high cost of cross-fencing bison pastures and the perception that bison aren’t easy to move between paddocks discouraged rotational grazing.
But some producers are having success with low-cost electrical fencing.
“As for the movement of the bison, a well-planned system would allow them to move themselves by leaving gates open until they find their way to the new field,” said Kirychuk.
Because grazing systems generally improve wildlife habitat by allowing better cover for nesting and hiding, Ducks Unlimited funded a project designed to illustrate Kirychuk’s words. It started on a quarter section of grazing land owned by bison producer Dale Bindig, near Kuroki, about 200 kilometres east of Saskatoon.
Kirychuk, Ernie Patrick and Bazil Fritz of Saskatchewan Agriculture provided advice. He recommended a four-paddock complementary grazing system seeded with one paddock of crested wheatgrass for spring, two paddocks of meadow bromegrass for summer, and one paddock of creeping red fescue for fall. Each paddock will be grazed twice a year.
He suggested a carrying capacity of 273 animal unit months – 30 to 35 bison – for the first three years of production. Later, the carrying capacity will decline unless nitrogen fertilizer is applied.
Bindig seeded the paddocks this spring and will have the cross-fencing in place by freeze-up this fall and a new dugout by spring. The fenced dugout will be central in the quarter-section, with each paddock opening onto it. Dozens of sloughs dot the land, but Kirychuk said the bison will probably prefer the higher quality water of the dugout.
Kirychuk, Fritz and Patrick will discuss this bison grazing system at a Feb. 19 seminar in Yorkton, Sask., and plan to hold a field day later in 1998.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
