By DOUG WARNOCK

For the Capital Press

As the 1.44 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program in Washington state are reduced over the next several years, landowners will be faced with the decision as to how the land coming out of the program will be managed.

Farmers in other states in the Pacific Northwest will face this same question. Should they put the land back into grain production, raise some other crop or put it into pasture and graze it?

While the income from land in CRP has stabilized income for some farmers, it has had negative effects on the economies of many small farm communities. With the land out of grain production, local businesses have much less activity.

Also, after several years in the program the initial benefits, such as reduced soil erosion, are outweighed by deterioration in the health and composition of the plant communities. The originally planted grasses become mature, coarse and lose vigor, while undesirable plants move in and increase in numbers.

A group of folks in the state working with Washington State University have been studying the possibility of converting land coming out of the CRP program into pasture for beef production. A study being done on the Gregg Beckley farm has shown returns from grazing cattle to compete favorably with grain production.

One of those involved in this project is Steve Van Vleet, Whitman County Extension Educator. Van Vleet has conducted a grazing study, which has application to the future of CRP land. He recently reported on the first four years of his grazing study.

Van Vleet used yearling cattle, lambs or a combination of cattle and lambs to graze land that had become heavily populated with undesirable, invasive plants. The undesirables included fiddleneck, Canada thistle, downy brome, tumble mustard, cattail, Reeds canary grass, mullein, catchweed bedstraw and lambsquarters. He applied an intensive, planned grazing approach that focused on moving the animals among the pastures so plants were not overgrazed and had time to recover from grazing before being exposed again.

During the first four years, average daily gains for each animal were as follows:

* 2005 -- 1.75 pounds for steers

* 2006 -- 1.55 pounds for steers

* 2007 -- 1.10 pounds for steers and 0.13 pounds for lambs

* 2008 -- 2.29 pounds for heifers and 0.79 pounds for lambs

In three of the four pastures in this study, Van Vleet documented a 70 percent increase in perennial grasses without applying herbicides. Testing the water of streams flowing through the pastures showed a 2 degree improvement in temperature, which has been sustained to date. In addition, pheasant populations have been re-established in the area.

He points out that managing this type of intensive, planned grazing requires intensive management. Managers who are new to this approach will make mistakes, but will learn from them as long as they keep an open mind. To be successful, managers need to monitor plant and animal health, animal behavior and the overall health of the ecosystem.

Van Vleet summarizes the benefits of planned grazing management on former CRP land as follows:

* Increased vegetation diversity

* Increased weed control

* Limited weed seed production

* Increased soil stability and improved root mass

* Increased grass production and reduced thatch

* Increased soil organic matter and carbon storing

* Improved wildlife habitat

* Natural reseeding of desirable perennials through hoof action

* Increased water infiltration into the soil and less runoff

* Improved nutrient cycling

* More money staying in local communities.