Five Fun Facts Showing Why Rangelands Are Important!

Good morning everyone! Today I am sharing ten facts about something less thought of which is rangeland! Like I have said before, I am currently a student at Chadron State College in the Nebraska panhandle and I am double majoring in Rangeland Management and Agricultural Education, so this is something that interests me!

1. Rangeland makes up 62% of the land area in the Nebraska Panhandle.

That is equivalent to about 5.5 million acres! Nebraska is known as "The Beef State"because we have a unique set of resources to aid in producing a large quantity of beef. Every year cattle graze on about 24 million acres of grass and turn it into protein for consumers. Nebraska is also home to the top three top cattle producing counties in the U.S, Cherry county is the #1, Holt County is #2, and Custer County is #3!

2. Range science wasn't a thing until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The rangeland science profession didn't become an area of study until there were severe droughts and overgrazing in the late nineteenth century that led to significant livestock loss. The USDA sent a group of agents to assess the damage and find the cause of it. The work that they did has helped shape the range science study as well as many laws to protect rangelands.

3. Rangelands always have more than one use besides grazing.

The Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act was passed in 1960, and it declares that all public rangelands need to have more than one use. That means that many rangelands are not just used for grazing but also for recreation, hunting, water, renewable energy, and timber. Having multiple uses for rangelands prevents degradation, keep the land healthy, and maintain a good habitat so the land can be preserved for the future!

4. Rangelands benefit from being burned.

Yes you read that right! Responsibly burning rangelands in what is referred to as a prescribed burn is very beneficial. Farmers and ranchers try to mimic nature as best they can and fire is something that has naturally occured in rangelands long before it was being used. However, after the vegetation is burned up, it comes back better and stronger after withstanding the fire!

5. Rangeland Ecology is the study of how rangeland organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems interact with one another.

Rangelands are often the home of many different species, plants, and insects. Because of this, many different interactions happen naturally in order for there to be a good balance in maintaing the ecosystem! Livestock interact with the plants and soil, insects interact with vegetation, soils interact with plants, humans interact with wildlife, and so on. There are many disciplines within ecology such as soil ecology, physiological ecology, plant-animal interactions, evolutionary ecology, biogeochemistry, ecosystem management, and human ecology!