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Kansas committee hears plan to curb woody encroachment on grasslands
Summary
Secretary Mike Beam told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee that eastern red cedar and other woody species are converting grasslands, threatening water supplies and the beef ranching base; a recently released issue brief and proposed budgeted ‘grassland partnership manager’ would coordinate education, prescribed‑burn support and targeted conservation. HB 2063 may fund working‑lands assistance.
Secretary Mike Beam, secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee that Kansas grasslands are economically vital and face accelerating “woody encroachment,” particularly from eastern red cedar.
Beam said the beef sector “contributes directly $22,900,000,000 to the Kansas economy” and that the state has about 6,000,000 head of cattle, which underpins demand for grazing land. He described grasslands’ wider public benefits — improving water quality and stream flow, reducing erosion and wildfire risk, and providing wildlife and pollinator habitat — and warned scientists estimate annual grassland loss in Kansas is large enough “that would support 157,000 cows.”
The department released an issue brief last week based on listening sessions and a public survey. Beam said staff held listening sessions in the…
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