A research team at South Dakota State University has been awarded nearly $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support bison managers on the Great Plains and nearby grasslands.
The $1.997 Conservation Innovation Grant is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, and is fully matched by private industry, effectively making it nearly $4 million. The team is using the funds to study bison winter bale grazing strategies and to host educational workshops for bison producers, NRCS agents and university extension agents.
"NRCS agents and extension agents just really haven't worked with bison a whole lot in their history," said Jeff Martin, an assistant professor of bison biology and management at South Dakota State University. "And so we're inviting them to come to us here in South Dakota state to learn more about bison. In particular, Custer State Park is going to be our very first host for those workshops. And so we're excited to have this state, federal and university partnership to bring everybody together to learn about bison so that we can all help each other."
Martin is an Extension Bison Specialist at the South Dakota State University Extension, and is affiliated with the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies. He is considered one of the nation's leading bison experts. Over the next three years, he says the research team will test different methods of supplemental winter feeding for bison, specifically winter bale grazing. Bale grazing is popular with beef cattle ranches and Martin believes it can improve bison body condition and grassland productivity.
Martin said one of the challenges with using this grazing method with bison is that they like to play with the bales.
"Especially big bulls like to play with these bales as if they're a little toy," said Martin. "And if you're on a hillside and there's a fence nearby, that hay bale could break through the fence. That's our biggest concern."
The research team anticipates a more successful winter feeding method is unrolling the bales.
"So you basically are encouraging a swath grazing strategy," Martin said. "And that works really well for the behavior of bison herds, because they all like to eat at the same time. They're very communal in that way."
On the ecological side, Martin hopes that better winter bale grazing strategies improve overall grassland health, specifically by creating more seasonal habitat for dung beetles. Dung beetles bury bison waste, enriching the soil with nutrients and water-holding capacity, and improving plant growth in spring.
"That also helps contribute to our soil organic matter," Martin said. "When you can increase your soil organic matter, especially in the horizon of the soil, that increases your growth potential of the plants and your biodiversity of those plants, as well as water retention. So you don't experience the drought near as bad as places with very low soil organic matter."
Once close to extinction, there are now approximately 44,650 bison in South Dakota, more than any other state. Today, Martin says that around 250 different stakeholders across different sectors are working to maintain healthy and thriving herds in South Dakota.
"They've been the underdogs for a very long time. I always like the underdogs," Martin said. "And they're making a comeback. They're having a moment right now."
