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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095048im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/newheadersmal.jpg)
Kansas Patch Burning
![prairie burn](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095048im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/prairieburn.jpg) |
prairie burn |
Kansas rancher Jane Koger is trying an ambitious new strategy to better
manage her cattle on 4,000 acres of tallgrass prairie. Koger, who raises 85 head
annually in a cow/calf herd, researched ways to ranch more caringly in her rare
prairie ecosystem. The resulting “patch burning” system she developed with
conservation organizations, along with technical assistance from her NRCS field
office and a SARE producer grant, seems a promising alternative for the health
of the prairie and its diverse native species.
Like her ranching neighbors, Koger used to burn her entire acreage of prairie
yearly to improve its nutritional value for cattle. Yet, full-scale burning
destroyed habitat for species like the endangered prairie chicken, as well as
native plants.
Koger learned about a Nature Conservancy patch burning project in Oklahoma that
featured burning one-third of the property each year, with a repeat cycle over
the following three years. After each burn, cattle usually flock to the area
within a few days. Data from Kansas State University shows that yearling cattle
will gain as well under patch burning as with annual burns.
![Kansas cattle](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095048im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/kscattle.jpg) |
Kansas cattle |
“Tall grass is really important for bird nesting,” said Koger, who also rents
land to two other ranchers who raised 550 head of yearlings and 60 head of cows
in the experimentally burned pastures. Patch burning should achieve both of her
goals: raising cattle and preserving the ecosystem. “We know we can produce Big
Macs, but we’re losing some of our bird species,” she said. “This is a better
way to protect them.”
Koger has a long history of working with NRCS dating back to the early 1980s,
when she worked with the former SCS to seed areas of the ranch back to native
grass. In 2002, she began working with district conservationist Gay Spencer on a
range management plan, including stocking rates.
Koger burned two-thirds of her pasture in 2004 after developing a burn plan,
partly with help from Spencer, who works at NRCS’ Cottonwood Falls Field Office.
Using the ArcView mapping system, the plan included ways to segment Koger’s
acreage using “natural” borders like roads and low-lying areas where water tends
to accumulate.
“Jane had been an innovator in the county, and she’s always willing to try new
ideas,” said Spencer, who provided help with range planning and stocking rates
and helped develop burn plans for each pasture. “Her goal has always been to
leave the land in better condition than when she took over.”
Koger received a 2004 SARE producer grant to further her prairie restoration
project – coordinating management of her project team, collecting data and
reseeding about 60 acres of previously cultivated land. Her team includes
representatives from The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Fish & Wildlife.
The fires mimic historic patterns in nature, and the animals seem to know
what to do. The fires themselves control the movement of the livestock, which
migrate to the burned area a few days after the fire is out. The new growth is
more palatable than grasses that typically grow 3 feet high, said Koger, who saw
her herd spend 80 percent of their time in a just- burned patch. Moreover, patch
burning leaves two years of old growth grass, creating more fuel for a hotter
burn in the next cycle to destroy trees and other invasive, woody species..
“It’s what the Native Americans did to attract the buffalo,” she said. “We’re
just following the historical burning to attract the animals.”
About SARE
Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program
has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound
and good for communities through a nationwide grants program. The program,
administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, USDA, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve
agricultural systems and natural resources.
NRCS field office professionals frequently collaborate on SARE-funded projects
and are valuable partners to the SARE program. NRCS staff serve on SARE’s
national Operations Committee, on regional Administrative Councils, on state
committees and are actively engaged as technical advisers and collaborators on
SARE-funded research grants around the U.S.
For more information, visit
the SARE website or for more information about the regional SARE programs, click on the region
area of the map below.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090111095048im_/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/images/SARE%20map.gif)
Your contact is Diana Friedman, SARE research associate, at 301-504-6422, or
dfriedman@sare.org.
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