Johnny Appleseed Plant Seed On Remote Rangeland

Johnny Appleseed plant seed on remote rangeland LIVESTOCK Miscellaneous 16-6-31 Range researchers in the Western U.S. have come up with a new way to reseed remote rangelands that have deteriorated due to overgrazing. Kris Haystad and Jerry Bar-row, USDA researchers, put grass and other seed into gelatin capsules which they then feed to young steers. The capsules eventually dissolve in the animals' stomachs and then pass through their systems unharmed. Using animals to reseed barren range eliminates the need to use conventional methods of cultivation in remote areas, which causes too much disturbance and is costly. It takes advantage of the way seed is naturally spread by animals and birds but gets the job done faster. Areas to be seeded can be selected by the placement of fences, salt licks and water supply. The researchers determined which seeds work best through extensive testing and found that seeds with hard coats proved the most successful. They came up with a variety of grasses and brush. Haystad and Barrow have also been testing "gully seeders" which are placed at the upper end of washed out gully areas and are activated by a heavy flow of water. They consist of a seed bottle mounted upside down on a 1 1/4-in. pipe with a slide over the mouth of the seed bottle. In a heavy rain, water flow pushes against a vane at the bottom of the pole, which rotates the slide away from the mouth of the bottle, allowing all the seed to drop into the flowing water. Seed is carried down into the gulley and is buried silt and debris. The presence of moisture initially ensures rapid germination.

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