Duehr, Jeremy P.

Wiebe, Richard G.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress River Restoration and Economic Development through Grassland Management: A Case Study of the James River, South Dakota, U.S.A. Jeremy P. Duehr Westwood Professional Services, Inc. Richard G. Wiebe Westwood Professional Services, Inc. Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/7-1/10 The 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅰ 　 瞯 ]827　 瞯Grasslands/Rangelands Resources and Ecology ———Water Resources in Grasslands/RangelandsRiver restoration and economic development through grassland management : a case study of theJames River , South Dakota , U .S .A .Jeremy P .Duehr and Richard G .W iebe , A SLA , PEWestwood Pro f essional Serv ices , Inc .7699 A nagram Drive , Eden Prairie , MN 55344 .Corresponding author : lrw iebe1＠ netz ero .comKey words :Agriculture , Watershed Restoration , Cellulosic EthanolIntroduction Efforts are currently underway to develop a Watershed Management Plan ( WAM ) for the James River , SouthDakota .The purpose of the WAM is to determine potential actions for flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration .Agricultural uses predominate in the watershed with the river and its tributaries critically important to the region for drainage ,irrigation , recreation , and wildlife habitats . Current economic pressure for corn production has resulted in a １４ million acreincrease in corn planted in the U .S . This pressure has caused corn production to shif t to marginal lands with high erosionpotential .A newly proposed policy by the U .S .Department of Agriculture would allow harvesting of conservation grasslands forthe production of biofuels . The purpose of this study was to determine if an economically viable compromise could exist thatwould allow row‐crop agriculture to continue on prime agricultural land and grassland to exist on marginal lands .Materials and methods The study area is the James River Watershed , which encompasses ３６ ,２６０ square kilometers of SouthDakota . To determine the current extent and potential expansion of grassland , marginal land and land use information wereanalyzed . Marginal land was delineated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) using SSURGO soil survey data . Marginalland was over‐laid with ２００６ land use data to determine existing and potential grass resources on marginal land . The potentialdecrease in stormwater runoff , through conversion of cropland to grasslands , was determined using the Soil ConservationService ( SCS) Curve Number (CN) method as described in Chapter ２ of TR‐５５ ( SCS １９８６) . The curve number is taken froma table in TR‐５５ based on the soil type ( Hydrologic soil group) and vegetative cover . TR‐５５ has equations to calculate therunoff depth for a given parcel based on the CN and rainfall depth . Corn and hay prices were calculated by the South DakotaState University Extension Economics ＋ ( SDSUEE) as the average price per bushel or ton during the month of November ,２００７ .Results A total of １０ ,６０３ square kilometers ( ２５％ ) of the James River Watershed is marginal land . In ２００６ , ６ ,２４２ squarekilometers (５９％ ) of the marginal land was being utilized as grassland while ２ ,６４２ square kilometers (２５％ ) was cultivated forrow crops . Conversion of the cultivated marginal agricultural land to grassland would result in a １０％ decrease in stormwaterrunoff for each converted square kilometer during a typical １０‐year storm event . A runoff reduction of ４０％ , per convertedsquare kilometer , could be realized for a １‐inch rainfall event . In addition to profits from traditional grassland management ,potential profit from grass‐to‐energy production may provide additional economic incentive to convert marginal land to grasslanduses . For example , four million tons of grass could be produced on marginal land in the James River Watershed per year . Earlyestimates for cellulosic ethanol production from native grasses project ８０‐１００ gallons of ethanol can be produced from one ton ofgrass . Thus , approximately ４００ million gallons of ethanol could be produced per year from the ８ ,０００ square kilometers ofmarginal lands . In addition , the ２００６ NET rate of return for nonirrigated cropland and grassland in South Dakota wascomparable at ４ .２ and ４ .０ percent , respectively ( SDSUEE ２００７ ) . Therefore , grassland production of energy crops wouldbecome economically viable with a modification of government programs that would allow harvesting of grasses for energy cropsand provide a modest subsidy .Conclusions The conversion of ８ ,０００ square kilometers to managed grasslands could provide significant attenuation of floodflows and provide additional economic benefits for producers while providing benefits to water quality , wildlife , and carbonsequestration . These grasslands could provide an important , cost‐effective , energy crop alternative that provides greaterecosystem benefits than corn . Changing typical row‐crop land practices to those of perpetual grasslands provides a long term ,sustainable solution to both reduce flood damages and enhance the environmental and economic opportunities of this importantregion .ReferencesSDSUEE ( South Dakota State University Extension Economics) . ２００７ . http :/ / econ .sdstate .eduSCS ( U .S .Soil Conservation Service) . １９８６ . Technical Release ５５ : Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds . USDA ( U .S .Department of Agriculture) .

River Restoration and Economic Development through Grassland Management: A Case Study of the James River, South Dakota, U.S.A.

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2879&amp;context=igc

River Restoration and Economic Development through Grassland Management: A Case Study of the James River, South Dakota, U.S.A.

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