We love getting the opportunity for continuous learning during ag conference season and this week finds us in Edmonton, Alberta, for the Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing.
The first speaker was Peter Byck from Arizona State University, who produced Carbon Cowboys and Carbon Nation, documentaries exploring regenerative ag and adaptive management grazing. His latest effort is a big study in the southeastern part of the U.S., and it’s being documented in a new docuseries called Roots so Deep (You can See the Devil Down There).
In his talk he shared some clips from the series, which profiled several ranchers in states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee that are participating in the study comparing operations that practice conventional grazing to others that practice Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) grazing.
The stories of transformation and enlightenment were moving and I’m looking forward to taking some time out soon to watch the entire series.
A few of the statistics Byck shared illuminated the following benefits their project is finding with AMP grazing compared to conventional grazing.
AMP grazing systems:
– Produced 13% more carbon and 25% more microbes in the soil compared to conventional grazing
– Allowed for 3.5 inches of rainfall infiltration per hour vs. 1.5 inches per hour in conventional grazing
– Had 33% more insect diversity than conventional grazing systems (insect diversity was measured by the Ecdysis Foundation)
– Cycled an average of 5.5 tons of CO2 per hectare compared to 1 ton per hectare in conventional grazing
– Sequestered 3.3 tons of Co2 equivalents per hectare per year vs. 0.8 tons in conventional grazing
Besides the biophysical benefits, Byck highlighted some financial wins of AMP grazing as well. For example, he mentioned that AMP grazing supports 3.5 times more carrying capacity than conventional grazing systems while at the same time requiring lower input costs.
Cooper Hurst, one of the ranchers who was profiled in the series, explained one motivation for changing to AMP grazing, saying that prior to making the change he had spent $90,000 to fertilize his pasture, and then getting no growth from it due to a lack of moisture. When he switched to AMP grazing, he cut out that nutrient application completely – and has nonetheless grown more grass than before.
He boiled it down this way: “The more paddocks you have, and the more you move your cattle, the more grass you’ll grow.”
AMP grazing and other adaptive management systems tend to be at odds with traditional approaches to grazing but they’re worthwhile studying, as new research is showing these systems can improve ecological functioning while improving operational profitability and sustainability. Even if you don’t have cattle, you should check out the Roots So Deep series for yourselves. At the very least, it’ll help illuminate the phrase, “It’s not the cow, it’s the how,” as environmental lawyer and rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman said.
