Monitoring grass growth on the Great Sage Plain
2023/11/19 | Colorado: Montezuma Co.
Monitoring grass growth on the Great Sage Plain
Measuring forage production where land once farmed has become perennial pasture
By Matt Barnes
“Grass is the forgiveness of nature - her constant benediction. Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish, but grass is immortal...Its tenacious fibers hold the earth in place and prevent its soluble components from washing to the wasting sea.” —John James Ingalls
The Great Sage Plain, a broad grassy ridge that divides the canyons of the Dolores and San Juan watersheds, on the eastern Colorado Plateau in view of the San Juan Mountains, was farmed during the 1200s and again in the 1900s. This spot is now perennial pasture, having been seeded when it was enrolled in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program. It’s heavily dominated by intermediate wheatgrass, which isn’t native but is far preferable to invasive cheatgrass; and there are native plants now coming back. The ranch now has a well-thought-out grazing plan, and is mostly grazed in the dormant season by a cattle producer who has combined numerous leases into a functional livestock business. The place has a long and complex history with people, plants, and animals. It would make a great research ranch. It’s also beautiful.
