PLC: What’s Good For The Herd, Is Good For The Bird

Last week, the University of Idaho in partnership with the Public Lands Council, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and others, released a 10-year study exploring the impact grazing livestock has on sage grouse populations. That study concluded grazing provided a host of benefits, including: 

• Increasing the biomass and diversity of insect species for food
• Reducing the risk of wildfire that can kill sage grouse and destroy habitat
• Reducing the volume of cheatgrass and other invasive grasses that degrade the sagebrush biome  

“And after 10 years, I'm very pleased to say that the work that was recently published demonstrates that not only is grazing by cattle not harmful to these sage grouse populations, but we actually see a positive corollary effect on how grazing helps improve those habitats overtime," said Executive Director of the Public Lands Council and NCBA Natural Resources Kaitlynn Glover.  "The short version here is that grazing is good for the birds. So what we've been saying for the last 10-15 years ‘what is good for the herd is good for the bird’ really proves out.”

University Study Has Been Peer Reviewed

Glover added while the results come as no surprise to those in the cattle community, it’s important to have science on your side when debating environmental and policy issues.

“With this study, its peer reviewed the USGS [U.S. Geological Survey] has reviewed this science," Glover said.  "It's gone through rigorous evaluations, and it means that what we know about our good grazing management now has basis not only in traditional knowledge, but also in science as well.”

Glover added this University of Idaho study had more than 30,000 project locations that were surveyed over the decade time period.

Click Here to read that entire study from the University of Idaho.

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