Dillon P. Golding^1,2, Francis A. Reith^1,3, and Jonathan O. C. Kubesch^1,3 

1. Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Blacksburg, VA 

2. Hoot Owl Hollow Farm, Woodlawn, VA 

3. Country Home Farms, Pembroke, VA 

Editor’s Note: The imperial data in this article applies to Virginia, but similar results can be expected in Kentucky. 

Native grasslands in the Midsouth previously existed in a mosaic of plant communities across moisture and fertility regimes (Noss, 2013; Campbell, 2012). These grasslands persisted through a variety of edaphic, moisture, fire, herbivory, and human dynamics. The arrival of Europeans brought land use change, the removal of elk (Cervus canadensis) and bison (Bison bison) herds, and the arrival of cattle. These shifts in the fundamental drivers of these grassland ecosystems led to shifts in many native grasslands. While many native plants disappeared from the landscape, some persisted in modern plant communities. 

Some of the native species that make up remaining grasslands persist despite the deleterious effects of early European settlement. These species survive because of their anatomy, management, or ecological strategy. For instance, species with lower-positioned meristems can regrow more effectively following overgrazing than species with higher-positioned meristems. Given that most pastures are managed at shorter heights than most traditional grasslands, these low-growing native grasses can persist within modern grazed ecosystems.  

Similarly, native grasslands only used seasonally are more likely to persist following a grazing event than grasslands subject to year-round grazing (Figure 1). These grasses display either competitor or ruderal ecological strategies where they can handle the disturbance inherent to cattle grazing as well as the limited resources in herbaceous plant communities. Some especially persistent competitor or ruderal species might even disperse to other pastures from native grasslands.  

Two of these species include splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). In Virginia, both species have a coefficient of conservation of 5, which suggests moderate conservative ecological behavior (DeBerry et al., 2020). These species are thus more so competitor species than ruderal ones. These species are seen on drier soils with acidic to average soil fertility throughout the Upper South (Campbell, 2012). Their meristems are closer to the soil level than species like big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) or Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), which allows them to survive intense grazing events. Cattle are known to graze these grasses (Leithead et al., 1971).  

Jonathan Omar Cole Kubesch, an associate editor and contributor to The Ladyslipper, graduated with his PhD in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech on December 15, 2023.

Jonathan has been an advocate for native plants and ecosystems in unconventional spaces throughout the Midwest and Upper South. His doctoral work was part of a National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant regarding bee-friendly beef. Jonathan’s work focused on the establishment of complex native grass and wildflower mixtures in grazing systems to enhance livestock productivity and welfare as well as provide resources to native pollinators.

Jonathan’s dissertation abstract is presented below:

“Tall fescue grasslands are the dominant form of grasslands in the North American transition zone, however, warm-season forages provide necessary forage for livestock in the summer. Pollinators require steady forage availability in the same fashion as cattle. Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) and wildflowers (WF) could be incorporated into tall fescue (TF) grasslands to improve pollinator resources within agricultural landscapes without sacrificing livestock production. This balance of ecosystem services can be considered bee-friendly beef. Previous establishment experiments suggest that bee-friendly beef is a possibility, although establishment and persistence of NWSG-WF stands warrants additional research. Three small plot experiments were conducted to evaluate different planting methods designed to optimize establishment of NWSG-WF stands. Additionally, a grazing study examined whether NWSG-WF pasture enhancement could improve animal performance in TF grazing systems. The small plot experiments experienced extreme weed competition in the establishment year, although plots with higher NWSG content had fewer weeds over time. Floral production was comparable across treatment, which suggests lower WF seeding rates can generate comparable pollinator resources. Major findings from these experiments suggested that spatial or temporal separation of NWSGWF was unnecessary to generate successful establishment, varying the ratio of NWSG-WF in seed mixtures produced similar establishment outcomes, and that adding companion crops to NWSG-WF mixtures did not improve establishment success appreciably. In the grazing experiment, animal performance was improved in the biodiverse grazing systems when heifers 3 had access to the NWSG. Biodiverse and shaded grazing systems modified animal behavior and reduced body temperature relative to control grazing systems, although only biodiverse grazing systems improved animal performance. Native WF species failed to establish within the biodiverse grazing system, but white clover provided all subsequent floral production. Establishing WF in pastures is challenging and warrants additional study on more effective weed control strategies and systems to ensure establishment success. Selecting WF for agronomic performance or breeding such plant material will be necessary to improve emergence and establishment dynamics. Ideally trait data can identify the optimal WF species for specific grazing systems. Biodiverse NWSG-WF can be highly effective at improving summer weight gain in beef cattle. Future studies should focus on finding a more optimal balance of NWSG, WF, and TF that can benefit beef cattle production, pollinator services, and ecosystem services regarding soil and water quality, as well as pasture resiliency to dynamic conditions.”