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Ecologists Turn To Planned Grazing To Revive Grassland Soil

Fox Ranch, outside Yuma County, Colo., is a 14,000-acre nature preserve and working commercial cattle ranch. The ranch is used by the Nature Conservancy to put into practice its panned grazing technique. Luke Runyon/Harvest Public Media hide caption

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Luke Runyon/Harvest Public Media

The Salt

Ecologists Turn To Planned Grazing To Revive Grassland Soil

KUNC

The world's soil is in trouble. Ecologists say without dramatic changes to how we manage land, vast swathes of grassland are at risk of turning into hard-packed desert. To make sure that doesn't happen, researchers are testing out innovative ways to keep moisture in the soil.

Ecologists Turn To Planned Grazing To Revive Grassland Soil

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Zebra And Cattle Make Good Lunch Partners, Researchers Say

Cattle and zebra share a meal in a pasture in Kenya. Ryan Lee Sensenig/Science hide caption

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Ryan Lee Sensenig/Science

The Salt

Zebra And Cattle Make Good Lunch Partners, Researchers Say

In Africa, some ranchers shoot wildlife to keep them from eating the grass out from under their cattle. But it turns out some wildlife, like zebra, actually help cattle graze — by clearing fibrous grass stalks away and promoting the new shoot growth that cows crave.

Zebra And Cattle Make Good Lunch Partners, Researchers Say

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