GRAZING & AGRICULTURE
All University Lands teams share a common goal: to be stewards of the land so that its resources and benefits are available for generations to come. This is why range and wildlife management has been an integral part of UL since its inception.
Not only have generations of ranchers settled the area and raised families on the land, it is also home to an array of wildlife and livestock, all of which requires management and protection.
UL monitors livestock stocking rates to ensure grazing leases maintain good range conditions. Proactive grazing management helps maintain other natural processes, including groundwater management and recharging aquifers for future consumption. UL also conducts aerial surveys to monitor the wildlife population to determine the overall health of each species and to provide harvest recommendations to ensure the resource will be there for generations to come. Additionally, UL encourages and enforces conservative management of PUF Lands wildlife. There are many huntable species on PUF Lands, including white-tailed and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, dove and quail. UL invests in these natural resources by putting money back into the Lands. Various projects are completed annually, such as installation of new fencing to protect our boundaries and new interior fencing to promote proper livestock grazing management. New water wells, pipelines, storage tanks and troughs are installed to increase water for livestock and grazing management. Different methods of brush control are implemented on the land to encourage more grass production, which also increases the water quantity and quality that is captured. Water improvements, along with brush control, aid in distributing livestock to all areas of a lease, maximizing the full potential of all 2.1 million acres and increasing stocking capacity.
research project launched:
In FY22, UL launched a research project in conjunction with BCarbon, a non-profit group and part of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The study aims to measure how much carbon the grazing land can store over a three-year period using current principles and management. The project will be complete at the end of 2024.
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