After decades of cheatgrass-fueled wildfires across Nevada, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are testing whether cattle can help restore damaged rangelands by spreading native seeds as they graze.

Cheatgrass, an invasive plant common across the Great Basin, dries out early and can fuel larger wildfires, making it harder for native vegetation to return. UNR postdoctoral scholar William Richardson said the plant helps create a self-reinforcing cycle.

“Cheatgrass grows, it creates more wildfires, that allows more cheatgrass to grow, and it becomes a bigger and bigger issue. That’s why we’re seeing all these mega fires spreading across the Great Basin,” Richardson said.

The challenge continues after flames are out. In Nevada’s arid climate, native plants can struggle to reestablish, while cheatgrass often returns quickly.

“We struggle with getting five to eight inches of rain a year. Trying to restore a native community in those very arid conditions are extremely difficult,” Richardson said.

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Ranchers already use targeted grazing to reduce cheatgrass. Now, UNR researchers are studying whether cattle can also help reseed the landscape. The approach mixes native grass seeds into protein supplements cattle already eat. Researchers then track whether the seeds can survive digestion and be spread naturally across the range after being deposited in manure.

“We’re already using cattle to combat cheatgrass through targeted grazing, and the ultimate goal is to bring native species back across the landscape, so why don’t we combine those two ideas?” Richardson said.

In lab testing, researchers evaluated special seed coatings designed to help some seeds survive a cow’s digestive system. The results showed certain species could make it through the process and still germinate after being deposited in manure, Richardson said, though some seeds need more protection than others.

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

“Some species naturally have a very thin seed coat and require more protection, while others can go through the gut of a cow easy peasy lemon squeezy,” he said.

The project is expected to move into field testing this fall at Horseshoe Ranch near Eureka, where researchers will track whether seeds can not only survive digestion but also establish new plants on the landscape.

“It’s a passive way to restore the landscape. Instead of having to go in with a tractor or seed from an airplane, you can use cows that are already there,” Richardson said.

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

Researchers said the method is not intended to replace traditional restoration work, but to add another tool for land managers and ranchers. If the field trials are successful, they said the approach could eventually help restore thousands — or even hundreds of thousands — of acres across the Great Basin.

The Oregon Country Fair is right around the corner and got an up-close preview of the annual event with generations of revelers expected to return yet again.

Vendors and construction teams were busy setting the venue up on Wednesday. It opens to the public on Friday, and organizers are expecting a big turnout.

For over fifty years, people have come together to enjoy live music, art, food and community at the event in Veneta.

“It has definitely changed and evolved and it’s definitely still holding true to the magic that has started the fair,” said fair attendee Jill Carter.

Carter has been going to the fair for about forty years, but throughout her time there, there’s always one thing on her mind.

“I’ve had a lifelong dream to do the poster, and I’ve been working on applying for a long time, and I got to do it and I’m so excited!”

Carter says over the years, she’s fine-tuned her design proposal to accurately capture the whimsey of the fair.

“In our day-to-day world, we really don’t get to connect on this kind of level of art and whimsey.”

This curated space of art and whimsey is what keeps generations returning to the fair.

“I was at a meeting the other day and somebody was a third generation Oregon Country fairgoer. Their parents were babies here. They were babies here. Now, they’re on crews that help manage the safety of this community,” says Kate Gillespie, the White Bird Rock Medicine crew coordinator.

Gillespie has been working within medical response at the fair for sixteen years.

Before fair goers even arrive, White Bird Rock Medicine works on setting up for the two hospitals provided on site as well as staffing medical crew – which consists of almost 300 medical professionals and mental health crisis workers.

“We are prepared to deal with first aid things like scrapes, bumps, bruises; injured feet are a big thing that we see – all the way up to things like cardiac events and strokes,” Gillespie explains.

And for the attendees they serve, the event is a yearly tradition that is more than just a fair – it’s a chance to catch up with old friends and make new memories.

“I think it’s really like a reunion for a lot of the people that are out here on this property,” says Gillespie.

The Oregon Country Fair runs Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the intersection of Suttle Road and Bus Road in Veneta.

For more information, visit the fair website.