The importance of carefully monitoring rangeland conditions is essential when working with grazing lands. Conditions or issues can be averted or at least addressed if the grazing manager is closely watching the rangeland and livestock performance. As the picture of Indian grass shows, this once healthy-vigorous plant (Photo 2) has become moribund and has ceased to be a healthy contributor to the rangelands improving health. The dark brown to black area is what used to be a thriving Indian grass plant, due to lack of animal impact or any other disturbance to cause new growth nodes to produce new growth the leaf structure has slowly died. (Note the center of the plant has hollowed out with dead material.) Yet in its struggle to survive green shoots of new growth are occurring. Think what the root structure must look like, probably much like what we see on the surface.

The second picture is of the same plant or plants three years earlier, a dramatic change at best. What happened? Low density grazing? Rest period to long? Drought? Manager needs to step up his management program? Possibly all the above except for drought, which many times is wrongly given the blame for management mistakes. Indian grass and its deep strong root system is one of the most drought tolerant grasses out there, provided the grazing program is adapted to its health requirements. Graze-Rest-Graze-Rest.

The Better it Gets the Faster it Gets Better. UNLESS