Missouri Dept. Conservation
at a Glance
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RAINFALL
43 inches per year
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
Some native tallgrass prairie; mostly restored native grasslands or recovered cropland
PROPERTY SIZE
18 sites, 300–1500 acres each
ACRES IN GRAZING LANDS
11,500 in patch burn grazing management
PLANNED GRAZING SINCE
2004
SPECIES
Cattle stocked at low density, average 1 AU per 5.5 acres
GRAZING SEASON
May–August, all cattle gone by 9/1, the start of fall hunting seasons
PARTNERS
3-year contracts with 8–15 private graziers
DOES THIS SAVE YOU MONEY?
Yes, by reducing staff time and increasing the effectiveness of invasive plant control efforts
GRAZING PERIOD
90–120 days
LENGTH OF RECOVERY
2 years of no grazing follow a 3-year patch-burn grazing cycle
MANAGING FOR
- Increase the health of the grassland through disturbance
- Improve wildlife habitat
- Reduce maintenance, mowing and haying; be more efficient with resources
- Increase plant diversity