When it comes to improving pasture and rangeland health, ranch management consultant Dave Pratt says to stay away from agronomic principles and instead apply ecological principles to land management. At the recent Ranching For Profit School held Jan. 19-25 in Billings, Montana, Pratt and his associate Dallas Mount of the University of Wyoming discussed various methods to improve range health, among many other aspects of a ranch business.

Gazing out across rolling hills gently veiled in plush grassland full of constantly roaming cattle, to many, is one of the most picturesque views imaginable. Cowboys, cattle producers and Americans alike are mesmerized by the concept of allowing livestock to graze wide-open ranges. Although this idealized fantasy of grazing is no longer a reasonable possibility, grazing cattle within moderately sized pastures is still a central form of agriculture in the U.S.

For the first time in recent memory, there are horses on University of Tennessee research farms.

Most of our perennial pastures are now in cool-season forages. As their name implies, they perform best when the temperatures are moderate and ample moisture is available. Spring and fall are the glory days for these forages.