Southern Alberta ranchers keep environment in the forefront of farm management
Photo Credit: Alberta Beef Producers
Photo Credit: Ducks Unlimited Canada
Proper management of the environment and proper management of the beef herd really go hand-in-hand on Taylor Ranches of southern Alberta.
As their management practices benefit diverse native plant and wildlife species, it in turn leads to an efficient, productive, and sustainable beef operation that is able to roll with the punches under varying growing season conditions.
It is their ongoing commitment to sound environmental practices over the years that has earned Taylor Ranches recognition as the Alberta Beef Producers winner of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for 2024.
"Good stewardship practices that recognize the value of the land and wildlife is just something that I grew up with," says Robert Taylor, who, along with his wife Audrey, own and operate the cow-calf operation in Warner County south of Lethbridge. "I need to give thanks to the generations of ranchers who came before us and offer encouragement to the generations to come. We wouldn't be where we are today without their efforts."
"I believe our job is to look after the land so that what has been here for the past 100 years is maintained and where possible hopefully improved for the next generations over the next 100 years," says Audrey.
Taylor Ranches with headquarters on the Milk River Ridge, southwest of Warner is a family run cow-calf operation. Robert and Audrey are joined in the daily management and operation of the 800 head commercial Black Angus herd by the two youngest of their four children, Clayton, and Courtney.
Along with about 3,500 acres of deeded land, they also manage about 12,000 of crown grazing lease land, made up of mostly rugged native grass prairie. The Taylors ranched with Audrey's parents at High River, just south of Calgary before moving to their current location on the Milk River Ridge in 2001.
Taylor Ranches is a blend of multiple unique locations in southern Alberta. Along with the Home Place located near the Milk River, they also have deeded and lease land about two and a half hours north near Milo, Alta., as well as a grazing allotment on the Waldron Grazing Cooperative about two hours to the northwest near the Porcupine Hills. All aspects of their beef operation, rely on the productivity of native mixed grass prairie.
Each ranch location has similarities, but also specific management requirements. The Home Place on the Milk River Ridge is predominantly a native mixed grass prairie landscape, with approximately 700 acres of tame pasture hay. On top of the ridge, are numerous wetlands, which provide critical habitat for many sensitive or threatened wildlife species. These wetlands provide some of the highest value Pintail breeding habitat in North America. While herds of deer and elk rely on the premium fescue grass throughout the year.
The Milo Place, which receives an average of about 12 inches of annual moisture, is classified as a dry mixed grass native prairie. The Taylors’ water developments have greatly improved the ability to graze more effectively here.
The Waldron allotment is primarily used for fall/winter grazing, which has immensely helped with reducing winter-feeding at home. It is in a Foothills Fescue natural sub region.
A priority for Taylor Ranches is water management. Decisions around water developments consider water security, quality, availability, and disbursement. The Taylors have fenced off multiple dugouts and installed solar off-site watering systems, which has improved the quality of the water and habitat.
They have also developed springs to supply continuous flow tire waterers to help keep the riparian areas from being overgrazed, and to increase the efficiency of water use by the cow herd.
Having water developed in strategic locations around The Home Place and The Milo Place has greatly improved the flexibility and adaptability of the grazing systems. These improvements allow for flexibility in plans, so herds can move around based on moisture, pasture recovery, and seasonal changes has been a benefit to the animals as well as the Taylors’ labour requirements.
Already established troughs on Taylor Ranches are monitored via game cameras where possible to always ensure a consistent supply of water to the cattle, and Taylors have gone as far as to include ramps in troughs so any insects, small mammals, and birds that fall into the water can get themselves out.
Drought in the last few years has posed challenges in water management. They have recently had reliable dugouts dry out completely, or enough that the become dangerous to cattle. Taylors have made great strides in working through water challenges and have plans to continue that work.
Both The Home Place and Milo Place provide critical habitat for species that are listed at risk such as the Ferruginous Hawk, Sprague’s Pipit, and grizzly bear as well species listed as sensitive such as Pronghorn antelope, Sharp-Tailed Grouse and Common Nighthawk. The Home Place is a major migration stop and breeding ground for most species of waterfowl that migrate into Canada. It is also some of the highest-ranked breeding habitat for Pintail Ducks with over 15 breeding pairs/square mile. And these locations also share the native range with local herds of elk and high mule deer densities. While they are nice to see, the wild ungulates can pose a challenge to fencing and feed stores at times.
The Taylors do their best to manage for wildlife in many ways, including:
Ensuring adequate nesting sites for hawks and eagles by installing man-made nests.
Prioritizing trees and shrubs to keep the nesting habitat in as healthy condition as possible.
Haying late in the season, leaving ample time for mother ducks and other ground nesters to successfully nest and get their fledglings to water. (This is absolutely crucial as Taylor Ranches is situated on some of the highest value waterfowl (specifically Pintail ducks) nesting habitat in the country.)
By responsibly and carefully managing their ranch, the Taylors are stewarding critical habitat for Alberta’s species at risk, sensitive species, and popular game animals.
Having three separate grazing locations (Home, Milo, and Waldron) provides the Taylors with a unique opportunity to move animals around depending on moisture, range conditions, animal conditions, and rest/recovery periods.
"Our overall objective with our grazing management is to use 50 and leave 50," says Clayton. "That involves watching the grass daily, moving salt blocks and managing water to get as much even distribution of the cattle. It is not always perfect, but we aim to use about 50 per cent of the available forage, which in turn means leaving 50 per cent of the forage before moving cattle to the next range area. That gives the grass time to recover."
Depending on weather patterns, one place in the operation may get a big shot of rain that somewhere else may not. By utilizing their different locations, Taylors can increase the rest period of the range where there’s less moisture and keep range health in good condition.
To address many of these challenges, the Taylors have synced their mother cows with nature to calve in the late spring. This allows them to match cattle nutritional requirements with available nutrients on the range. They also utilize the different locations to the strengths, avoiding the harsh winters on The Home Place.
One of Taylor Ranches’ main principals is working with nature. Their cattle grow with limited resources and limited human assistance, which leads to a positive impact on the land. By calving in May and June when the weather is fair and disease risk is low, the forage is at its prime nutrient density during peak milking periods for the mother cows. They keep the cattle out of the riparian areas during sensitive seasons and utilize that forage resource when the impact is limited.
The ranch has partnered with multiple organizations to increase their conservation and stewardship efforts. That includes, for example, working with Ducks Unlimited Canada on a large-scale wetland restoration project on The Home Place.
The ranch also partnered with MULTISAR (Multiple Species at Risk) to increase on-ranch conservation of species at risk. MULTISAR, which is a branch of Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), has also helped the Taylors develop multiple off-site watering systems on The Home Place and at The Milo Place. Alberta Fish and Game Association has also recognized the Taylor family for their outstanding active stewardship efforts for wildlife preservation.
Both Clayton and Courtney say they have been fortunate that their parents have encouraged them to be actively involved in the management of the ranching operation.
"We have been raised with an appreciation for looking after the environment which in turn benefits our beef operation as well," says Clayton. "We have developed a beef herd well suited to the environment we live in. It is certainly an honor to win an environmental stewardship award, that reflects our efforts to produce beef cattle in harmony with nature. "
And Courtney says it is always important to be open to new ideas. "We are very proud of the beef herd that we have developed, and our overall management helps maintain healthy and sustainable native grass pastures," she says. "But we need to always be open to new ideas and try things differently. Technology and genetics are always changing and improving so we need to be open to that. Change is often scary but that's also how you find ways to improve."
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