NMSU Rangelands

04/18/2024

A great week for Woody Encroachment Presentations in Clayton and Roswell. Our Extension Specialist Doug Cram did an amazing job explaining how to "Defend the Core". Reach out to your county Extension Agent if you would like us to come to your town. Great Plains Grasslands Extension Partnership

12/16/2023

NEW PUBLICATION!!! ⬇️ CONSIDERATIONS FOR DRONE USE ON A RANCH (https://bit.ly/3RhCq1v): Advances in technology have reduced the size, cost, and data processing limitations of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, have become a popular recreational and professional asset for use on ranches. The most common application of drones on ranches is monitoring land features such as streams, vegetation, and topography, of which a detailed map can then be developed to detect changes over time. Additionally, drones can reduce the time to locate and perform livestock wellness checks, determine water tank levels, or assess wildlife populations.

11/20/2023

Growing the core in tree and brush management.

11/19/2023

Fire was Frequent in the Great Plains Before 1850

Estimated Fire Frequency (Years Between Repeated Fires) shown on the map.

Data for Fire Frequency Model
- Weather & Climate Data
- Fuel Physical Chemistry
- Tree Ring Fires Scars (170 sites)
- Charcoal Deposits

Map from Guyette et al. 2012 Predicting Fire Frequency with Chemistry and Climate
https://bit.ly/GuyetteFireMap

09/18/2023

Having issues with Poisonous Plants or want to learn more about them? The USDA-ARS Poisonous Plants Laboratory has developed a phone App that can help. Download today!

10/16/2022

NEWLY REVISED PUBLICATION!! 👇 MANAGING RANGELANDS AND CATTLE IN DROUGHT-PRONE AREAS OF THE SOUTHWEST (https://bit.ly/3CUqehb): One of the largest management challenges faced on a ranch in arid regions is balancing between grass supply and demand. Grass supply is influenced by the timing and amount of precipitation during the growing season and the grazing management implemented by the ranch manager. Many ranch managers find themselves worrying more about the weather than about implementing a grazing management plan that will focus on maintaining sustainable grazing resources during both normal and dry conditions. Therefore, this publication will focus on developing a better understanding of the impacts of drought on native rangelands and cattle performance, and how to manage rangelands and cattle during and between droughts in arid regions. Also read "Defining Drought on New Mexico Rangelands" (https://bit.ly/3g26nUc).

09/06/2022

NM-ALIRT system: If you run livestock north of the Gila NF between Magdalena and Datil, south from Winston to Reserve, be aware that there have been several sudden deaths of cattle and elk in the area. Suspected seeds of Drymaria (non-native to the U.S.) have been found in rumen content of deceased animals. It takes very small amounts of the plant to be consumed and death occurs within 2-3 hours after ingestion. If you spot this plant, please contact Dr. John Wenzel or Dr. Casey Spackman at NMSU immediately 575-646-3098. NMSU Rangelands will keep you updated on any further developments of this ongoing situation.

08/31/2022

Is a ZiaMet Weather Station in your area? With legislature providing $1.8 million dollars to improve the ZiaMet MesoNet Systems across the state, it is likely one will be coming online near you soon. Check out what information they will provide from the current online stations. https://weather.nmsu.edu/ziamet/

08/30/2022

Excellent read on 30x30 by NMSU's very own Range Specialist Dr. Casey Spackman: Conservation Smoke and Mirrors
https://www.agproud.com/articles/55845-conservation-smoke-and-mirrors

06/18/2022

Good Morning all. Join us next Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 5:30-6:30 pm for our first of five Drought Monitoring Webinar Series. We will have New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois provide a presentation Four Corners Seasonal Outlook and Forecast. Registration is required.

https://nmsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErd-msqT8rE9CHb--k1GfHl_rEbozHR-lX

05/27/2022

Checkout an interesting perspective on w**d management from NMSU's very own Dr. Casey Spackman, Extension Range Management Specialist.

Rangelands comprise approximately 36% of the U.S. Livestock depend on these lands for survival through plant consumption. Balancing forage use with sustained rangeland conditions is the goal of good land stewardship.

05/24/2022

With the abundance of fires across the state, NMSU Cooperative Extension is hosting a Q&A session about Fire Recovery. It's free so come join these experts for a very informative evening.