Winter rains have triggered the beginning of the growing season and as last year’s thatch decomposes, new green growth emerges. Grazing animals, wild or domestic, delight in the fresh new salad and the prairie benefits from their work. Their foot-traffic helps break down the dried remains of 2022 and their nibbling helps initiate “tillering” or the production of lateral shoots and greater overall productivity. Soils are soft and young plants are fragile, after a prescribed grazing period animals are moved and the pasture allowed to rest and recover.
