Patch-Burn Grazing: An Economic Analysis of Pyric Herbivory Rangeland Management by Cow–Calf Producers

Rangeland management decisions require cattle producers to select practices that improve the sustainability of rangelands to maintain cattle production while remaining profitable. The invasion of Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) across the Great Plains due to fire suppression is limiting grazeable land for cattle. Woody plant encroachment (WPE), combined with drought impacts and high input costs, becomes expensive for cattle producers who are forced to supplement, destock, or both. Patch-burn grazing is a practice based on the understanding of the interaction of fire and grazing (pyric herbivory) that divides a pasture into sections, burning one section rotationally each year. It offers improved rangeland productivity by providing high-quality forages, mitigation for drought impacts, and control of WPE. Despite these benefits, the adoption of patch-burn grazing by cattle producers is limited. Our goal involved increasing awareness of the benefits of patch-burn grazing by estimating the costs and long-term economic benefits and comparing them to those of one of the more traditional approaches of burning an entire pasture every 3 yr. In building an economic analysis, our objectives were to calculate utilization costs and quantify the benefits of high-quality forages and drought impact mitigation.

Results indicated that patch-burn grazing will cost approximately $5.94 more per hectare per year than burning the entire pasture every 3 yr. The benefit of cows having continual access to high-quality forages in recently burned areas results in savings of $20 per head per year in winter supplementation costs. Additionally, utilizing patch-burn grazing before a drought, not burning during a drought, and resuming after the drought reduce supplementation and burn costs by 4.5% and increase future value of savings by $100.21 per cow compared with those caused by traditional management practices after 6 yr. An economic analysis of patch-burn grazing provides beneficial economic information to aid cow–calf producers in the decision-making process of rangeland management.