Achieving the Balance: Grazing and Wildlife Habitat

Reed Wildlife Ranch, Navarro County, Texas
Land Ownership: Jim Reed

Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc, in cooperation with the Reed Ranch (a private wildlife and working cattle ranch in North Central Texas), proposes to develop a project to demonstrate the ability of a cow/calf operation to operate in balance with healthy wildlife habitat.

The Reed Ranch consists of 1,780 acres of diversified landscape that has been under Reed Family operation since the mid-40's. The ranch's focus in previous years has previously been on cattle and beef production, but when the management changed 5 years ago, things changed. Since that time, the ranch has taken on a more diversified, holistic approach to operation, utilizing the model set forth by Allan Savory's Holistic Resource Management system.

The Reed Ranch is an excellent choice for this project because of its diversified landscape, consisting of forested wetlands, rolling hillsides, the large riparian zone that surrounds almost half of its border, open marshes and wetlands, and hill land outside the flood plain of the Trinity River.

Additional conservation funds are needed to demonstrate the benefit of this approach to wildlife habitat development. Much work has already been done toward these ends, but the mechanisms need to be established to educate others and show practical steps in working with grazing systems and wildlife habitat.

Many of these techniques have been lost on other ranches due to the fencing in and monoculture approaches to income production. The Reed Ranch can demonstrate how three things can happen simultaneously.

• increased cattle and beef production under a well-planned grazing system and paddock design
• increased income generation for the landowner
• increased benefits to wildlife habitat

MULTI-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT

Ranch is currently in a cooperative effort with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to re-generate a mature native hardwood forest in the ranch's Trinity River bottomlands. In 2001, a selective cut (leaving all mast producing trees) was made to remove overstory and competition for the planting of 15,000 oak seedlings and 400 bald cypress seedlings. This planting was completed in February of this year. Three test plots were laid out and will be monitored to compute seedling survival rate.

Technical support from Holistic Resource Management of Texas, its membership, and its consultants has allowed the ranch to become involved in many programs and projects including personnel from Ducks Unlimited, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Additional involvement is expected from the East Texas Waterfowl Habitat initiative being organized now by DU, NRCS, USFWS, and TPWD.

Also, the ranch expects to be working with the Blacklands Prairie Nature Trail study, a cooperative project between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Department of Transportation. This project seeks to replicate other nature trails that have been established in 3 other areas of Texas. A proposal has been written and presented to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Reed Ranch to be included on the Blacklands Prairie Nature Trail.

STAFFING

Jim Reed is the sole owner of the Reed Ranch. Having previously been the manager of several government projects, he is familiar with project management, development, and reporting. He also has been trained in holistic resource management processes and utilizes these processes on his ranch on a daily basis. Jim has been working on and been a part of the ranch's history since his junior high school days in the 50's.

PROGRAM MONITORING AND EVALUATION

After the project is over, an evaluation report will be submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Periodic interim reports will also be made.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

• mowing techniques of grasses and other plants
• soil manipulation to improve soil health
• planting and re-establishment of native grasses
• use of electric fencing, paddock design, and land design
• re-establishment of marshy, wet areas in pastures previously used for grazing only
• creation of wildlife corridors
• alternatives to spraying and use of herbicides and pesticides
• forestry management techniques to benefit wildlife
• use of animal soil disturbances for pasture improvements (hog rootings and hoof action)

A primary focus of this project will be to create habitat and demonstration areas, so they can be used as an outreach mechanism to be replicated on other private ranches. Also, articles about this project will be written for the HRM newsletter, the Reed Ranch newsletter and website, as well as field days and workshops to show and explain successful techniques.

Reed Ranch Progress Report through the end of February 2002

We have 7 activities to report on.

• October 2001 Field Day. A Ranch Nature Fest was held on the Reed Ranch with 31 people participating. Activities included were an orientation to wetlands birding activities and bird identification, identification of wetlands habitats and casting animal tracks, hunter education by Texas Game Warden, youth hunts, a meal, tour of the ranch wetlands, animal tree rubs and scrapes, and duck calls.
• Wetlands Water Distribution System. A water gravity flow system is partially completed with about 1 1/2 miles of 2" polypipe being laid for distributing water for use in tanks, ponds, and low watering areas in the bottomlands and on some of the hills. The gravity flow system has been created by floating a 55 gallon barrel attached to 2" polypipe in a 10 ac lake, and attaching a series of valves and troughs for watering of animals. It's expected that about 5 miles of polypipe will eventually be laid for the purpose of flooding sloughs and low-lying areas on the ranch.
• Electric Fencing. The electric fencing system on the Reed Ranch continues to increase the use of the cattle for the ecological health benefit of the ranch. Current plans are to add another 3 miles of fencing on the ranch this year, and further decreasing the size of the paddocks to provide more intensity to the grazing of our cattle.
• Forested Wetlands Reforestation, Beginning with a selective cut over approximately 215 acres of mature bottomland hardwood forest, approximately 16,000 oak trees and 400 bald cypress trees were planted in the Reed Ranch wetlands during 2001. The purpose of this effort was to reforest much of a mature wetlands forest that did not have the capability of producing large amount of mast for animal habitat and nutrition.
• Three test sites were set up to monitor the survival rate. The first formal evaluation of these test sites will occur and will be reported on during the spring of 2002.
• Planting of native wetlands grass species. Three plantings (of about 50 ac in size each) have been made to restore some of the native grasses to the bottomlands of the Ranch. The most recent one was done in December of 2001. Another planting is on schedule for the spring of 2003.
• So far, this native grass planting has involved two species of grass, eastern gamagrass and alamo switchgrass. Two of the plantings are not mature enough for the Ranch to evaluate but appear to be successful. We have high expectations that the 3rd planting, which was done in December 2001, will be successful also.
• East Texas Wetlands Project. The East Texas Wetlands Project is a cooperative effort of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the NRCS, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• At this point in time, survey and planning work is to begin on April 16th on two different spots on the ranch. Both spots are old sloughs that once were active and held water during long periods of the year. Primarily because of erosion, these two spots now hold water infrequently and for short periods of time.
• This project is a component of Ducks Unlimited's "Conservation of Agriculture, Resources, and the Environment" Program, otherwise known as Texas CARE.
• HRM and Ranch Wetlands Field Day, May 4, 2002. This field day has been advertised and registrations are being taken now. See attached article written to advertise the Holistic Management Field Day at the Reed Ranch, as well as the flyer about the event, which was distributed at the HRM of TX annual meeting.

An HRM of Texas field day was held on the Reed Ranch on Saturday, May 4th, 2002. A total of 35 people attended, 27 registrants and 8 of the Reed family members.

Jim and Judy Reed, winners of one of Texas' 2001 Lone Star Land Stewardship Awards, were the hosts for the event. Thanks!!, Jim and Judy!

What a beautiful day-clear and so cool all who had them wore light jackets!

The day began with introductions so everyone could get to know one another. The attendees were asked to talk about their interests and their familiarity with holistic resource management processes. They gave several areas of interests and many of these were discussed during the day:

• mixing of cattle grazing and wildlife habitat
• wildlife habitat enhancements
• native grasses
• using the HRM decision making process
• planning of grazing and relation to goals and finances
• how to have a low-cost, fun ranch operation
• economical approaches to prickly pear and mesquite
• grazing program, economics, and positive cash flow
• managing for wildlife
• enhancement of natural resources

After a history of the ranch was presented, Jim and Judy discussed a list of items separated by (1) those things they felt they've done pretty good on (2) those things they're trying to do, but haven't done yet, and (3) those things they haven't done yet at all.

The Reed Ranch holistic goal was distributed and discussed, along with the Holistic Management Model and the Reed Ranch's version of the Seven Testing Questions.

Prior to lunch, Judy Reed gave a seedball demonstration showing one of the ways that seeds are distributed on the Reed Ranch. Each attendee was given a bag of seedballs to throw during the afternoon tour. Jim Reed noted that he'd welcome all the free labor he could get,,,[smile]…

After lunch, the group loaded up on 2 gooseneck trailers and took a tour of the ranch. There were nine stops included on the tour.

• at the top of a scenic hill, the group threw seedballs and was able to see the results of hillside Reed Ranch seedballing. Several varieties of clovers, vetch, peas, and broad leaf grasses were identified during a pasture walk led by Jim and Judy.
• at Shark Lake, the ranch's gravity flow water distribution system was discussed
• at the mesquite tree site, Jim explained the trimming of mesquite trees and the creation of mesquite savannahs
• at the crawfish pond, more grasses were identified, and a water control structure was shown
• at the main gate stop, wetlands were discussed and a presentation was made by Jay Whiteside, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, about wildlife and whitetail deer habitat
• at the Bearman Lake site, fishing and lake management was discussed
• at the cattle trough site, Pat Richardson discussed dung beetle ecology and a trough was shown where the Reed Ranch cattle were being fed minerals mixed with switchgrass seed for planting
• at the Alamo Switchgrass and Eastern Gamagrass site, attendees discussed the management of clump grasses and various other native grasses
• at the pecan graft site, the group saw the results of Jim and Judy's Choctaw pecan grafting.

After the tour was over, the group gathered for last minute comments and good-byes, and everyone was wished a safe trip home.

Thanks!!, Jim and Judy, for hosting our field trip! It was both fun and educational!

Glimpses

Hornsby Bend

La Copita

Mitchell Lake

PlanIt Texas

Reed Ranch

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