BEHAVE
Facilitators
Network
Guide
Behavioral Education for
Human, Animal, Vegetation
& Ecosystem Management
Version 120805
Our Thanks To:
Western Region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Agriculture) for funding
the start-up phase of the BEHAVE Facilitators Network;
Dr. Fred Provenza,Dr. Juan Villalba, Beth Burritt and many other researchers and
students whose work has contributed to our understanding of animal behavior-;
Our State Coordinators, Robbie Baird LeValley, Roger Banner, Mike Borman, Tracey
Brewer, Jay Davison. Linda Hardesty, Hudson Hill, Larry Howery, Roger Ingraham, Paul
Meiman, and Shannon Williams for their willingness to participate in and support the
BEHAVE Facilitators network, review materials and put on workshops;
Demetrio Vasquez for his enthusiasm and willingness to act as our “International
Coordinator;”
Project Learning Tree for providing an excellent example of how to develop and train a
network of facilitators;
Kathy Voth and Beth Burritt for development of the proposal for funding the BEHAVE
Facilitators network and development of the BEHAVE Facilitators Guide, and the
training materials it includes, and for putting on and supporting facilitator workshops;
and
Rae Ann Hart for coordinating all the details necessary for putting on workshops and
putting together our BEHAVE Facilitator Network Guide.
1
Contents
Welcome to the BEHAVE Facilitators Network .................................................................................... 6
About the Network ............................................................................................................................... 7
About this Guide ................................................................................................................................... 9
What is Behave? ................................................................................................................................. 10
The Seven Principles .......................................................................................................................... 11
Being a Facilitator .............................................................................................................................. 12
Facilitator Skills Checklist ........................................................................................................... 13
Workshop Design .................................................................................................................................... 14
Our Two Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 14
Considering the Audience ................................................................................................................... 14
Adults as Learners .............................................................................................................................. 15
Physical Environments for Adults ...................................................................................................... 16
The Learning Cycle ............................................................................................................................ 17
Learning Styles ................................................................................................................................... 18
Teaching to Learning Styles ............................................................................................................... 19
Why Do People to Adopt New Ideas? ................................................................................................ 20
Workshop Logistics ................................................................................................................................ 25
Location and Time .............................................................................................................................. 25
Room Set Up ...................................................................................................................................... 26
Food and Workshops .......................................................................................................................... 27
Behave Menu, Shopping Notes and Resources .................................................................................. 30
Equipment .......................................................................................................................................... 32
The People .......................................................................................................................................... 33
Co-Facilitating .................................................................................................................................... 33
Co-Facilitating Worksheet ............................................................................................................ 34
Speakers .......................................................................................................................................... 35
Finding Producers and Experts ..................................................................................................... 35
Finding Participants ............................................................................................................................ 36
Workshop Agendas ................................................................................................................................. 37
Creating Your Own Agenda ................................................................................................................ 37
Workshop and Presentation Tips .......................................................................................................... 40
Some Advice From Seasoned Presenters............................................................................................ 40
Encouraging Participation .................................................................................................................. 42
Working With PowerPoint .................................................................................................................. 43
Some Presentation Ideas ..................................................................................................................... 44
Toastmasters tips ........................................................................................................................... 45
Workshop Planning Checklist ............................................................................................................ 47
2
Contents Continued
Workshop Teaching Materials
General Background
About these materials
Intro to BEHAVE Facilitators Network Slides
Handouts
• Innovation Adoption Curve
• Planning to Teach
• Evaluation Forms
- Facilitator Participants
- Producer Participants
- Self-Evaluation
• Certificate of Completion
Activities
• Discussion questions for Learning Styles, Innovation Adoption,
Learning Cycle and Adult Learners
BEHAVE Principles Materials
Principles Overview
Overview of Principles Slides
ForestandRange.org On-line course excerpt - Joe’s Breakfast Platter
Fact Sheets
• The Challenge
• Behavior Depends on Consequences
Articles
“Cows Have Culture Too”
Early Experience Matters Most
Videos You Might Like To Use
PowerPoint Slides
ForestandRange.org On-line course excerpt - Just Like Mom’s Dinner
Fact Sheets
• Mother Knows Best
• Structure Determines Experience, Experience Determines Structure
Examples
• Heifers Train Cows
• Dairy Calves Take Grazing Lessons From Mom
• Dairy Cows Train Calves to Graze
3
Contents Continued
Palatability is More Than a Matter of Taste
Videos You Might Like To Use
PowerPoint Slides
ForestandRange.org On-line course excerpt - Why Things Taste Good or Bad
Fact Sheets
• Palatability - More Than A Matter of Taste
• Nutrients Influence Palatability
• Toxin-Nutrient Interactions Influence Diet Selection
• Toxins Reduce Palatability
• Ingestion of Toxic Plants by Herbivores
• Structure, Quality and Skills Interact to Influence Forage Intake
• Learning About Foods and Locations
• Learning What to Eat and What to Avoid
• Why Do Animals Die From Eating Poisonous Plants?
Examples
• Cows Eat Leafy Spurge
• Sheep and Legumes as Partners to Control Crop Weeds
Variety is the Spice of Life
Videos You Might Like To Use
PowerPoint Slides
ForestandRange.org On-line course excerpt - How Choice Improves Health
Fact Sheets
• Does Variety Matter?
• Ignoring Variation: Are We Missing Opportunities?
• Diet Mixing: Increasing Intake of Unpalatable Plants
Examples
• Bison Take Over Ration-Mixing in Wyoming Feedlot
Old Dogs - New Tricks
Videos You Might Like To Use
PowerPoint Slides
ForestandRange.org On-line course excerpt - Teaching Animals to Do New Things
Fact Sheets
• Introducing Animals to New Foods
• Training Animals to Avoid Foods
• Training Livestock to Leave Streams and Use Uplands
• Preparing Animals for Moving Day
• Using Low Moisture Blocks to Improve Livestock Distribution
and Forage Utilization
• Reducing Losses Due to Tall Larkspur Poisoning
• Livestock as a Tool FOR Biodiversity in the Sagebrush Steppe
Examples
• Should You Kiss Your Cows Tonight 4
Contents Continued
Relationships Make All the Difference
Videos You Might Like to Use
PowerPoint Slides
References and Additional Resources
Additional PowerPoint Slide Resources
Fact Sheets
• Carbohydate Reserves: What You Learned May Be Wrong
• Factors Influencing Grazing Tolerance
Bibliography
Summaries of BEHAVE Research
• Skin defense vs. gut defense: How animals survive in a changing world
• Helping livestock expand their diets and their turf
• Cleaning up the rangeland plate: Teaching livestock to eat noxious weeds
• Noxious weeds: They’re what’s for dinner
• Improving Plant Biodiversity with Fall-grazing Sheep
• Diet Mixing: Teaching Animals to Eat Unpalatable Plants
• Effect of Social Behavior on Habitat Selection
• Improving Economic Viability of Producers and Ecological Integrity of Pastures
• Effect of Social Behavior on Habitat Selection
• Improving Economic Viability of Producers and Ecological Integrity of Pastures
• Minimizing Wildlife Damage
• Agent-based modeling: Describing the rules for real world patterns
Handbook for Running Demonstrations With Animals
E-Materials
• CD with PowerPoint Presentations • Cinema 8 DVD - Videos from Extension CD
• Producer in A Can • Seven Steps for Turning Cows Into Weed Managers
• ForestandRange.org on-line course • USU Extension CD “Using Livestock Behavior
on Your Operation
5
Welcome to the BEHAVE
Facilitators Network!
By participating in the BEHAVE Facilitator’s Network you are
BEHAVE Facilitator helping increase the number of people who are successfully
Network Goals using behavior principles to improve livelihoods, enhance
landscapes and increase livestock productivity.
• Provide participants with
the background and Our primary tool for reaching land and livestock managers is
materials they need to Facilitator Workshops. These are hands-on opportunities for
successfully share participants to 1) understand behavior principles and how to
behavior principles with implement them, and 2) see successful teaching techniques
others. modeled. By providing you with this step-by-step guide for
• Create a network of planning and conducting workshops, we hope to make it as easy
individuals with an as possible for you to:
understanding of and
appreciation for the • Train others interested in becoming facilitators, and
effect of behavior on • Conduct workshops for those who would like to
natural systems. implement behavior principles in their own operations
• Enable facilitators and and/or agencies.
participants to explore
these principles to Conducting workshops takes a lot of time and hard work, but the
resolve animal and work can be rewarding as well. To reduce the work and enhance
landscape management the rewards, you have resources beyond this handbook. The
problems. Network Coordinator and the BEHAVE Core Group are always
• Encourage creativity, available to answer questions and share advice. In addition,
originality and flexibility you’ll have access to your fellow facilitators via phone and
in resolving BEHAVE web site to share your successes and discuss
environmental problems challenges.
and issues.
We hope you will enjoy your association with the Network. You
are an invaluable part of the outreach effort and we appreciate
your dedication!
6
About the Network
This handbook represents the initial stages of a process to de-
velop a national network of individuals trained in behavioral
principles, ready and able to teach others, and capable of helping
producers implement behavioral solutions to problems. This
Practitioners effort is being funded through the Western Region SARE (Sus-
• Implement behavior principles tainable Agriculture Research and Education), whose program
and share lessons learned with goals are to make the most efficient use of natural biological
the network
cycles, promote good stewardship, enhance environmental
quality and productivity, and enhance the quality of life for
farmers and ranchers by increasing income. The BEHAVE
network meets the SARE Professional Development Program
goals by focusing on increasing the knowledge base of partici-
pants in sustainable agriculture methods, providing them with
Facilitators the capacity and skills to provide training to others, and incorpo-
• Train other Facilitators and rating the new information and techniques into their other educa-
support Producers in their
states
tional activities.
The network is based on the highly successful “Project Learning
Tree” model where State Directors train Facilitators, who in turn
train additional facilitators or producers.
Program Leaders, Kathy Voth and Beth Burritt are responsible
for development of materials a training workshop for all State
State Coordinators
Coordinators, and participation in individual State workshops as
• Train/support facilitators
and producers and manage well as ongoing support to network members.
the program in their states.
State Coordinators responsibilities include:
• Reviewing materials to ensure that they will provide the
resources necessary for their success,
• Attending a 3-day training at the end of the first year of the
Program Leaders grant.
• Develop materials • Conducting one training sometime within the second year of
• Support and assist the grant for a minimum of 10 people who might be in turn
network members become facilitators.
• Act as the contact for and provide support to facilitators and
producers within their state
7
More About the Network
Facilitators have participated in a training workshop and are
willing and able to put on training workshops for both
facilitators and practitioners.
We will know that we are successful when Practitioners who
have attended workshops begin to implement behavior principles
in their own operations.
A Learning Organization
By sharing lessons learned throughout the workshop process and
as part of implementing behavior principles on the ground, we
will be able to improve workshops and our understanding of how
to use behavior principles. These lessons will be shared via the
BEHAVE web site and with researchers continuing to study
animal behavior.
8
About this Guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide you with the information
and materials you need to design and present successful
workshops. This is not a cookbook with “recipes” that tell you
precisely how much of each ingredient you must include in order
to create a tasty dish. Instead, consider it a “Menu Planner” with
a variety of dishes to help you successfully serve up a banquet of
new ideas.
Though we do provide sample workshop agendas, don’t think of
these as your only choices. We want you to use your own
background, your special skills and your personal presentation
style to their best advantage. To help you, we’ve provided
information about how adults learn, and how you can address
indvidual learning styles. To assist with the challenges of
logistics, we’ve provided information on choosing locations,
serving up refreshments, gathering equipment and coordinating
with speakers and participants. Finally, we’ve provided a wide
variety of materials that you can draw on when preparing your
presentations - everything from on-line course material to fact
sheets, videos and PowerPoint slide shows.
9
What Is BEHAVE?
BEHAVE stands for “Behavioral Education for Human,
Animal, Vegetation and Ecosystem Management.” The word
is a way of quickly identifying a century of discoveries about
why creatures do what they do, and more recently, two decades
of study on the role of learning in food and habitat selection by
a group of researchers at Utah State University led by Dr. Fred
Provenza, and many others.
The essence of these studies is that by understanding some basic
principles, livestock behavior can be effectively modified and
managed to:
• Enhance and maintain biodiversity of rangelands and
pastures;
• Restore pastures and rangelands dominated by invasive
species;
• Create more balanced use of riparian areas and uplands;
• Improve wildlife habitat; and
• Increase producer profit margins by reducing operating
costs and improving herd health.
With the BEHAVE Facilitators Network, we hope to increase
understanding and use of the principles behind animal behavior.
The Network’s workshops will engage small and mid-sized
producers, land managers, extension, and technical assistance
personnel in education and outreach activities. At the same time
the Program’s Leaders will continue to develop support materials
including fact sheets, booklets, videos, slide shows, and displays.
Our web site - www.behave.net - is an additional resource for
participants to share information on successes and challenges in
implementing behavior principles and suggestions for successful
workshops.
10
The Seven Principles
We have distilled our understanding of the role of learning in food
These seemingly simple and habitat selection into seven major principles:
principles have enormously
complex manifestations. Yet, 1. Behavior Depends on Consequences.
Animals do what they do based on the consequences of their actions.
once mastered, they can pro-
Positive consequences tend to increase the frequency of an action, while
vide an array of solutions to negative consequences decrease it.
the problems people face in
managing to improve the in- 2. Early Experience Matters Most.
Mother knows best. An animal’s mother is the single most important
tegrity of the land and to factor in determining what foods it eats and where it lives. Once trained,
make a living from the land. animals will effortlessly pass new behaviors on to their offspring.
3. I’ve Never Tried It, But I Don’t Like It!
The handouts and mate- Animals are “neophobic” or cautious of new foods and activities.
rials provided with this Thus they may not try unfamiliar foods or be comfortable in unfamiliar
handbook will describe the places even if the livestock manager knows them to be safe.
principles in greater detail, 4. Palatability is More Than A Matter of Taste.
offer examples of how others A food’s taste is a function of its nutrients. Animals learn to eat
have used them, and provide foods that are nutritious and to avoid foods that are either low in nutrients
a framework to assist you in or high in toxins based on internal feedback mechanisms. Nutrients
and toxins in plants change over the course of a growing season, as
sharing these principles with does the amount of those plants an animal eats. ’
others.
5. Variety is the Spice of Life.
Livestock meet their needs by eating mixed diets. Providing animals
with a variety of foods, whether in confinement or on pastures, may
increase intake, reduce stress, and increase efficiency. Animals with
access to a variety of foods may also increase their intake of formerly
unpalatable forages because nutrients and toxins may have offsetting
or complimentary properties.
6. Even old dogs can learn new tricks.
We can change an animal’s behavior by using all of the above and
understanding the effects of reinforcement (want to) and punishment
(have to) and the difference between skin and gut defenses. Positive
reinforcement provides the strongest and longest-lasting changes.
7. Relationships make all the difference.
We live in a world of invisible interconnectedness where parts
influence wholes, and wholes influence parts. Successfully making
changes requires first that we consider multiple elements and their
possible influences on each other, and second that when something
does not work as we anticipated, we reexamine our assumptions.
11
Being a Facilitator
A facilitator serves as a guide, helping workshop participants
gain a better understanding about behavior principles, their use,
and potential impacts on environment, livestock and livelihood.
As a facilitator, you set the stage for learning and encourage
The role of a BEHAVE participants to explore and develop as professionals.
Facilitator is to help
participants understand A BEHAVE facilitator is responsible for:
BEHAVE principles, and • Structuring a positive, hands-on experience that allows each
discover the potential member of the group to participate in activities, and so far as
possible, meet his or her reasons for being at the workshop;
the principles hold.
• Modeling presentation methods that will enhance the success
of facilitators in training, and
• Motivating and assisting the participants in making
application of the principles.
Being a facilitator is also an excellent way to enhance our own
professional development as you acquire new skills and
connections. See the Facilitator Skills Checklist for some of
the attributes you will enhance or develop.
12
Facilitator Skills Checklist
There is no one person who could have all these attributes or do all these things in every single workshop.
As you read this list, note those things that describe you already and give yourself a pat on the back. Then
pick out one or two things that you might like to practice adding to your self-description. The more
workshops you do, the more skills and abilities you’ll add to your list. Keep in mind that this is only
something to aim for, not something that has to describe you completely before you can be a successful
workshop presenter.
Important attributes for an effective workshop facilitator:
• Ability to develop a credible trust level with • Flexible
participants - never putting people down, but • Self-assured
being firm when necessary • Relaxed
• Composed and friendly manner • Motivating
• Sense of humor • Unbiased
• Willing to learn from mistakes and experiences
to improve leadership skills
Important skills for leading a successful workshop:
Organized Listens Well
• Adequate planning and preparation • An active listener
• Attention to timing and sequence of tasks, • Not boxed in by own preconceived notions or
activities, and discussions answers
• Balance between paperwork and verbalizing • Listens to and understands participants’ needs
Pays Attention to Participants’ Comfort Can “Read” a Group and Adjust Accordingly
• Physical setting is appropriate and its temperature Based on:
is conducive to learning, • Verbal feedback - questions and comments
• Provides adequate breaks and food • Non-verbal feedback - noise level, restlessness,
• Equipment works sleepiness
• Materials enhance and supplement workshop
Helps Participants Keep Up by:
presentations and note taking
• Summarizing where the group has been
• Uses the agenda so that participants know what to
• Identifying where the group is going
expect
• Tieing activities together
Promotes Discussion, Group Interaction and
Pays Attention to Timing and Pace:
Involvement by Being:
• Identifying time for each task
• Accepting
• Keeping momentum
• Supportive
• Meeting needs of participants
• Encouraging
• Focusing participants in a positive way
Contributes to the Completeness and Relevancy
Speaks the Participants’ Language
of the Subject by:
• Conveys key concepts without overwhelming
• Extending concepts to local examples
participants
• Clarifying ideas as necessary
• Communicates at their level of understanding
• Providing time to think
• Provides clear instructions
• Helping participants focus/refocus
• Summarizing content
13
Workshop Design
Our Two Objectives
The challenge of designing workshops is that there are two
objectives. First, participants need to acquire a solid
understanding and foundation in BEHAVE principles. Second,
they need to leave with a model for how they can develop and
present their own workshops, or if they are producers, ideas
about how they might apply the principles in their own
operations.
Success in meeting workshop objectives depends in part on
how materials are presented and how well we address the needs
of adult learners. Workshops should model effective
presentation strategies that participants can use when
presenting, and should encourage educators to explore new
ways of teaching. Wherever possible, use hands-on
instructional methods and help participants work out any
problems they foresee using new methods when they present.
It is often helpful to have one or more producers in the audience
or as presenters who have experience with working with their
livestock and landscapes in new ways. Check in “Resources”
for contact information for those producers who have already
expressed a willingness to assist us.
Considering the Audience
Before you plan the specifics of your workshop, it is helpful if
you know some of the needs and interests of your participants.
If you have enough lead time, you might prepare a pre-
workshop questionnaire to find out what types of people they
work with, and any special needs they have. If you know
beforehand that the group you will be working with has a
special area of interest, you may want to tailor the entire
workshop to suit their needs. For instance, you might announce
the workshop as “BEHAVE — Using Livestock to Manage
Weeds,” “BEHAVE Principles for Improving Feedlot
Performance,” or “BEHAVE for the Rangeland Manager.”
You could then plan a workshop agenda to fit the special
interests of the audience.
14
Workshop Design
Even if you do not know the specific needs of your audience
Tips for Helping before you begin planning, try to visualize what the audience
Adults Remember:* would want from the workshop. Ask yourself, “Why would the
participants want to attend?” and be prepared to show what they
1. _________________________ can gain from using BEHAVE principles.
You might also consider whether there are any local issues or
_________________________ current movements the participants might be concerned about.
If you identify possible issues or trends, think about how you
2. _________________________ could address these during the workshop.
Adults as Learners
_________________________
Adults as learners are different than children as learners. The
3. _________________________ following characteristics of adult learners were provided by
Project Learning Tree and may help you plan and present your
workshops.
_________________________
1) Orientation to Learning
4. _________________________ Adults will commit to learning something when they
consider the goals and objectives of the workshop to be
important to them — that is, job-related and perceived as being
_________________________ immediately useful.
Adults want to initiate their own learning and be involved in
selecting objectives, content, and assessment.
What you can do: State workshop goals early in the
*Answers are in “Teaching Materials.” schedule and add participant goals not listed. Be prepared to
help participants see the need for learning something new.
Encourage and nurture the seeds of understanding and change.
Assume that each person wants to understand or learn.
2) The Learner’s Self-Concept
Adult learning is ego-involved. Learning a new skill,
technique, or concept may promote a positive or negative view
of self. Adults may fear that others will judge them, which
produces anxiety during new learning situations.
Adults reject prescriptions by others for their learning,
especially when what is prescribed is viewed as an attack on
what they are presently doing.
What you can do: Provide an environment in which the
participants feel safe to try something new or to consider new
ideas. Never criticize participants, but be positive and affirm
each person in some way.
15
Workshop Design
3) The Role of the Learner’s Experience
Adults come to any learning experience with a wide range
More Adult Learning Resources: of previous experiences, knowledge, skills, self-direction,
interests, and competencies. This means that the richest
Knowles, Malcom. The Adult resource for learning is often the group of adult learners
Learner: A Neglected Species, 3rd themselves.
ed. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co. Adults will resist learning situations they believe are an
1984. attack on their competence, thus they may resist imposed
workshop topics and activities.
Sergiovanni, Thomas J. “Human What you can do: Accept and value participants as
Resources Supervision.” individuals with their own experiences, knowledge, and skills.
Professional Supervision for Provide ways for participants to contribute to each other’s
Professional Teachers. Washington, learning through techniques like group discussion, problem-
D.C.: Association for Supervision solving, and peer-helping activities.
and Curriculum Development,
1975. 4) Motivation
The adult learner is the source of his or her own motivation:
Withail, John, and Wood, Fred H. all one can do is encourage and create conditions that will
“Taking the Threat Out of nurture what already exists in the adult.
Classroom Observation and Adult learning is enhanced by behaviors that demonstrate
Feedback.” Journal of Teacher respect, trust, and concern for the learner.
Education (30), January-February What you can do: Show participants that you respect, trust,
1979, pp. 55-58. and are concerned for them. Do not blame participants who do
not pay attention or are reluctant to participate, instead look for
ways to adjust the workshop to increase interest.
Physical Environments for Adults
Remember that as eyes get older larger print and more light
make it easier for adults to read and pay attention. Older ears
require a little more volume and fewer competing noises. Your
adult learners will be more successful if you keep these things
in mind when setting up and running your workshops.
16
Workshop Design
The Learning Cycle
Experiencing
The learning process usually starts with experiencing. The
Learning is a cyclical learner becomes involved in an activity by doing, observing, or
process that builds on the saying something. You are providing the “experience” with
learner’s previous lectures, videos, demonstrations, or group activities.
experiences and knowledge.
Processing
By paying attention to the The processing phase involves learners in thinking about
following phases of the and sharing what happened. Learners first share their reactions,
learning cycle, you can help and then discuss and evaluate their reactions with others.
participants maximize their Questions to help processing include: What was ___ like for
own learning, and in turn, you? What were your reactions to ___? How did others react to
___? What do you think the consequences of ___ were?
the learning of their
Examples of providing for “processing time” include question
students. and answer sessions following an experience, breaks during
which participants have an opportunity to discuss what they
experienced with other participants and colleagues, written
feedback on the experience, small group discussions followed
by presentations to the larger group, and….?
Generalizing
In this phase learners explore what they learned from
the experience. They may also try to abstract generalizations
from it. Questions to help generalizing include: What did you
learn from this? How does this relate to other experiences?
What was the most enlightening part? What would you do if
you could do it again? Generalizing and processing can occur
sometimes almost simultaneously and can result from many of
the same activities described above. You can help participants
focus on this part of the process by altering the questions asked
of them.
Applying
Building on the knowledge they have gained, learners in
this phase confer personal meaning into the abstracted learning.
Questions to help applying include: How could you apply or
transfer that? How could you repeat this again? How will you
use this activity when you facilitate workshops?
17
Workshop Design
Learning Styles
More Learning Style Resources: Learning style indicates how a person learns and likes to learn.
Style characteristics reflect genetic coding, personality
Keefe, James W. (ed.). Profiling development, motivation, and environmental adaptation. Style
and Utilizing Learning Style. is relatively persistent in the behavior of individual learners. It
Reston, VA: National Association can change, but does so gradually and developmentally.
of Secondary School Principals, Learning style has cognitive, affective, and environmental
1988. elements. No learning style is better than another, each is
McCarthy, Bernice. The 4MAT simply different.
System: Teaching to learning styles
with right/left mode techniques. There are many different models of learning styles, but in
2nd ed. Oak Brook, Ill: EXCEL, general most models identify four different learning styles.
1981. Bernice McCarthy, in her 4MAT system, characterizes the four
learning styles as shown on the “Teaching to Learning Styles”
section.
During your workshop, you can help educators use BEHAVE
and learning styles in the following ways:
Model teaching to the four different learning styles in your
presentation. To be sure that you include all four different
styles, when planning your workshop identify the learning
style most prominent for each workshop element. While you
need not represent each learning style equally, be sure that
you exemplify each one.
Using the Teaching to Learning Styles handout at the end of
this section, help each of the participants identify which
learning style seems to best describe him or her. Keep in
mind that most learners use a combination of styles.
Suggest that participants identify a particular student or other
person they know that seems to fit each of the learning
styles. Make sure that participants understand that the point
of this exercise is to help them have a concrete picture of
each of the styles, not to stereotype others.
During the curriculum planning time, have participants
identify ways they can focus on different learning styles.
18
Workshop Design
Teaching to Learning Styles
References: Learning Style 1: Imaginative Learner
I like to: learn through personal experience; have meaning in
McCarthy, Bernice. The 4MAT what I learn; learn about things I value and care about; express
System: Teaching to learning styles my beliefs, feelings and opinions; and understand how what I
with right/left mode techniques. learn affects me. I function best when interacting with others.
2nd ed. Oak Brook, Ill: EXCEL, My goal is to make the world a better place. My favorite
1981. question is “Why?”
Teach by: Giving them a reason; having them create and
analyze an experience.
Learning Style 2: Analytic Learner
I like to: get new and accurate information; deal in facts and
right answers; know what the experts think; formulate theories
and models; and have things exact and accurate. I function best
when adapting to experts. My goal is to add to the world’s
knowledge. My favorite question is “What?”
Teach by: Teaching it to them; integrating the experience
and the material; giving them the facts.
Learning Style 3: Common Sense Learner
I like to: do things; have ideas clear and understandable; find
out how things work; test theories in the real world; and make
things useful. I function best using kinesthetic awareness. My
goal is to make things happen. My favorite question is: “How?”
Teach by: Letting them try it; giving them prepared
materials and have them add “something of themselves”
to it.
Learning Style 4: Dynamic Learner
I like to: connect things together; do things that matter in life;
teach other people what I know; take some risks; and make
what is already working, work better. I function best by acting
and testing experience. My goal is to challenge complacency.
My favorite question is: “So what?”
Teach by: Letting them teach it to themselves and
someone else; having them analyze for relevance and
originality, then share with each other.
19
Workshop Design
Why Do People Adopt New Ideas?
“An innovation is an
idea, practice, or object Diffusion of Innovations Theory
that is perceived as new In 1957 the “Technology Adoption Lifecycle” was developed at
by an individual.” Iowa State College as a result of a study of purchase patterns of
newly introduced hybrid seed corn by farmers. About six years
“ Diffusion is a particular later, Everett Rogers expanded on this model in his book
type of communication “Diffusion of Innovations.” What Rogers and others studying
in which the message education, public health, communication, marketing, economics
content ... exchanged and general sociology have since developed is a theory that
describes:
is concerned with • groups of individuals and their likelihood of adopting a new
a new idea.” technology,
- E.M. Rogers, • the characteristics people look at when considering an
Diffusion of Innovations innovation,
• stages of the process of adoption and the kinds of information
potential adopters look for at each stage,
References: • and how change agents can facilitate adoption.
Elements of the Theory
How to Secure Widespread
Adoption of Pretty Much Anything Adopter Categories
by Michael Perla, April 15, 2003,
http://www.marketingprofs.com/3/ These adopter categories are universally identified by each field
perla5.asp interested in this theory. The descriptions of each category
found here were abstracted from the North Central Rural
Historical Perspective: The Sociology Committee, Subcommittee for the Study of the
Technology Adoption Lifecycle by Diffusion of Farm Practices. The Diffusion Process. Ames:
Warren Schirtzinger, Agriculture Extension Service, Iowa State College, Special
http://www.hightechstrategies.com Report No. 18, 1957
Innovators - 2.5% of the population
Speeding Adoption of New Who they are: Innovators have larger than average
Technology in Rural America by farms, are well educated and usually come from well
Paul Gwin, and H.F. Lionberger, established families. They usually have a relatively high net
University of Missouri Extension worth and, probably more important, a large amount of risk
(http://muextension.missouri.edu/ capital. They can afford and do take calculated risks on new
explore/comm/cm0108.htm) products. They are respected for being successful, but
ordinarily do not enjoy the highest prestige in the community.
Because innovators adopt new ideas so much sooner than the
average farmer, they are sometimes ridiculed by their
20
Workshop Design
conservative neighbors. This neighborhood group pressure is
largely ignored by the innovators, however. The innovations are
Major barriers to be watched by their neighbors, but they are not followed
considered in diffusion and immediately in new practices.
adoption of an innovation The activities of innovators often transcend local
community boundaries. Rural innovators frequently belong to
are “people issues, including
formal organizations at the county, regional, state, or national
cultural traditions, risk level. In addition, they are likely to have many informal
aversion, lack of knowledge, contacts outside the community: they may visit with others
and user acceptance.” many miles away who are also trying a new technique or
product, or who are technical experts.
- K. P. Garland, Diffusion and Questions to Consider: Who are the targets that fit this
adoption of instructional profile and who would be willing to initially try, and potentially
technology, 1991 sell, your innovation?
Early Adopters – 13.5% of the population
Who they are: Early Adopters are younger than the
average farmer, but not necessarily younger than the innovators.
They also have a higher average education, and participate
more in the formal activities of the community through such
organizations as churches, the PTA, and farm organizations.
They participate more than the average farmer in agricultural
cooperatives and in government agency programs in the
community (such as Extension Service or Soil Conservation).
In fact, there is some evidence that this group furnishes a
disproportionate amount of the formal leadership (elected
officers) in the community. The early adopters are also
respected as good sources of new farm information by their
neighbors.
Questions to Consider: Which targets fit this profile and
how can you get them on board to increase the uptake or
adoption of your innovation?
Early Majority – 34% of the population
Who they are: The early majority are slightly above
average in age, education, and farming experience. They have
medium high social and economic status. They are less active in
formal groups than innovators or early adopters, but more
active than those who adopt later. In many cases, they are not
formal leaders in the community organizations, but they are
active members in these organizations. They also attend
Extension meetings and farm demonstrations.
21
Workshop Design
The people in this category are most likely to be informal
rather than elected leaders. They have a following insofar as
“Adoption starts slowly people respect their opinions, their “high morality and sound
because most people want judgment.” They are “just like their following, only more so.”
to see successful local trial They must be sure an idea will work before they adopt it. If the
informal leader fails two or three times, his following looks
results before they adopt.
elsewhere for information and guidance. Because the informal
That takes time. leader has more limited resources than the early adopters and
The rate of adoption innovators, he cannot afford to make poor decisions: the social
increases as people begin to and economic costs are too high.
talk to and persuade each These people tend to associate mainly in their own
other. It picks up until community. When people in the community are asked to name
neighbors and farmers with whom they talk over ideas, these
adopters outnumber the
early majority people are named disproportionately frequently.
non-adopters.” On their parts, they value highly the opinions their neighbors
and friends hold about them, for this is their main source of
- Paul Gwin and H.F. Lionberger, status and prestige. The early majority may look to the early
Speeding Adoption of New adopters for their new farm information.
Technology in Rural America, Questions to Consider: This group is likely to look up to or
http://muextension.missouri.edu/ admire the early adopters, who can be your best allies.
explore/comm/cm0108.htm
Late majority 34% of the population
Who they are: Those in this group have less education and
are older than the average farmer. While they participate less
actively in formal groups, they probably form the bulk of the
membership in these formal organizations. Individually they
belong to fewer organizations, are less active in organizational
work, and take fewer leadership roles than earlier adopters.
They do not participate in as many activities outside the
community as do people who adopt earlier.
Questions to Consider: With this group, it is important that
you look for any barriers or potential risks and help to mitigate
them, while “pulling” the targets with potential value
enhancements (i.e. what’s in it for them?).
Laggards – 16% of the population
Who they are: They have the least education and are the
oldest. They participate least in formal organizations,
cooperatives, and government agency programs. They have the
smallest farms and the least capital. Many are suspicious of
county extension agents and agricultural salesmen.
22
Workshop Design
Characteristics of the Innovation
The time span from When deciding whether or not to adopt an innovation, people
look at the following characteristics:
discovering an innovation
until it is adopted by most Relative Advantage: Is there an advantage to adopting the
farmers varies greatly. innovation?
A totally new concept may Compatibility: Does it fit with my practices and values?
take many years. Adoption Complexity: How difficult to understand or use is the
of hybrid corn, for example, innovation?
took about 14 years. Trialability: Can the innovation be experimented with or used
Hybrid milo, on the other on a trial basis to reduce my risk?
hand, was adopted almost Observability: Can I actually see any difference from the
immediately because innovation?
farmers were familiar with
Stages of Adoption and Information Needs
hybrid corn production.
Awareness: This is the degree to which the population is
- Paul Gwin and H.F. Lionberger, conscious of an innovation. At this stage, information needs
Speeding Adoption of New consist of articles in the media, or discussions with extension
Technology in Rural America, agents or other producers.
http://muextension.missouri.edu/ Interest: At this stage an adopter is somewhat intrigued by the
explore/comm/cm0108.htm innovation and begins gathering more information from the
media, agencies, and fellow producers.
Evaluation: Now the adopter is trying to determine if the
innovation might work for him/her and is looking for
information on potential consequences (economic and social).
Information about the results from others similar to the adopter,
as well as the input of trusted fellow producers are important at
this stage.
Trial: At the trial stage, the adopter has decided to apply the
innovation in his/her own operation and needs “How-To”
information and resources from researchers, experts in the field,
and fellow producers. The adopter looks for a trusted person
who he/she can call with problems and questions.
Decision: Based on experience with the trial stage, the adopter
will decide to continue or quit the innovation.
Adoption: At this point, the adopter has integrated the
innovation into his/her lifestyle.
23
Workshop Design
How Change Agents Can Facilitate Adoption
A change agent is the University of Missouri Extension prepared a paper to help its
link between the potential agents understand how the adoption process works and how
adopters and the innovation. they can facilitate the process. Without an extension agent’s
participation, the normal flow of information would begin with
the Innovator who picked up information from researchers,
progressive producers, or specialty trade magazines. Other
producers subsequently read about the innovation in the paper,
“Multiplying effects will or hear about them on the radio or from neighbors. They
come mostly from people observe what the innovator is doing, and then gather additional
talking to people and information about the innovation from a neighbor or extension
agent. Producers continue to talk about the innovation, and
influencing each other - not
some begin to adopt it. As the more influential producers,
directly from...anything else trusted for their good judgement, adopt the innovation, the
you do. But you can help majority of the rest of the producers will follow, provided the
facilitate the people-to- experience of the innovators and trusted producers has not
people flow by a well turned up negative consequences.
planned use of meetings,
The change agent’s job is to facilitate the flow of this process
demonstrations, tours
by providing information and resources. The change agent can:
and the news media”
• Assist innovators by providing assistance for trials and
- Paul Gwin and H.F. Lionberger, helping them solve problems,
Speeding Adoption of New • Make others aware by setting up tours, and demonstrations
Technology in Rural America, and by communicating successes through the media, and
http://muextension.missouri.edu/ community organizations,
explore/comm/cm0108.htm • Supply details to expand the discussion and interest by
developing materials to answer questions producers might have
and facilitating discussions with successful adopters,
• Provide how to information when potential adopters arrive at
the trial stage, and
• Track consequences of adoption to provide reinforcement for
the change (as appropriate) when adopters arrive at the decision
point about continuing or quitting.
24
Workshop Logistics
Location
Funding for State Director travel You’ll have a number of decisions to make when selecting the
is provided by BEHAVE. You location for a BEHAVE Facilitator Workshop. The first is its
can find out more by contacting: proximity to prospective participants. Minimizing travel time
and cost will ensure that more of them are likely to attend. At
Rae Ann Hart the same time, you might prefer to hold the meeting in your or
FRWS your co-facilitator’s home town to reduce problems associated
5230 Old Main Hill with packing and transporting your equipment and materials.
Utah State University Once you’ve decided on the town, you can choose a facility. A
Logan, UT 84322-5230 classroom setting is best for the kinds of materials you’ll be
presenting. However, you don’t have to choose a ‘school’
email: raeann.dept@usu.edu location. Large meeting rooms, former dairy barns, airplane
phone: (435)797-2556 hangars, and living rooms have all been successfully used to
present materials these ideas. Many of you have ready access
to satisfactory meeting rooms of some kind through your
organization. But if you’re looking elsewhere, consider the
following:
• Presenter comfort
Is it an “electronic” classroom, or one with the LCD
projector, and TV/DVD player built in?
If not, does the location have the electrical outlets, and wall
space you need to be able to present the materials?
Will you have enough space to spread out your materials so
that you can find them and use them easily?
Will you have the space and access to facilities you need for
food service?
Is catering service available and affordable?
Is there a cost associated with use of the space?
• Participant comfort
Will the location be a comfortable temperature?
Is there adequate room for everyone who will attend?
Are the seating and working facilities appropriate for the
workshop?
Are bathrooms nearby?
Will participants be able to hear well? (Dairy barns and
hangars provide great access to the outdoors, but they are also
echoey, and outdoor noises can be invasive.)
If you’re doing any demonstrations or outdoor activities are
those facilities near the classroom?
Is lodging nearby and affordable?
25
Workshop Logistics
• The Fun Factor
What kind of dining and entertainment opportunities are
there? Many of the people who will be attending workshops
travel often as part of their jobs so it never hurts to try to help
make it as pleasant an experience as possible.
Wherever you plan to conduct the workshop, be sure to reserve
the facility well in advance. Some facilities may book quickly.
Visit the site personally prior to the workshop date to check the
room size, layout, etc.
Time
The time of year you plan a workshop will change depending
on who you are targeting. Academics may have more free time
in the summer when they are not teaching. Extension agents
and producers may have more free time available in the winter
months before calving, lambing, or kidding season begins. One
of the best ways to choose a date is to talk to potential
participants to find out what will work best for them.
Room Set Up
Choose a set up that encourages group interaction. Since
participants need a writing surface, you’ll likely be working
with desks or tables. Consider a U-shaped arrangement with
presenters at the top of the “U.” This allows you to walk
among the participants and lets everyone see everyone else.
26
Workshop Logistics
Food and Workshops:
Tips for Unfamiliar Foods You Because BEHAVE principles address how animals select their
Can Add to Your Workshop diets and habitats, incorporating food and drink in the workshop
can add to your selection of teaching tools. Snacks at breaks, or
Go to ethnic markets and pick up candy passed around in the middle of a presentation can be
foods you don’t normally see used to make points associated with each of the seven
served in your area. principles. For example, you can talk about choices
participants make among familiar and unfamiliar foods in the
Purchase a box of “Larvets context of how animals make similar decisions. Tossing candy
Original Worm Snacks”. A mixed to participants who answer questions/share information, etc.,
box of Mexican Spice, Cheddar reinforces”“Behavior Depends on Consequences.”
Cheese or BBQ fried larva should
be enough for several workshops. Though we provide numerous suggestions on how to
You can order them from: incorporate food in your workshops, always remember that
Hotlix your focus should be on the teaching and not on the food. If
P.O. Box 447 you decide to provide food at breaks,check into catering to
Grover Beach, CA 93483 reduce your work load. Keep in mind that campus locations
1-800-EATWORM and hotel venues often have rules about what kind of food can
http://www.hotlix.com be brought in and served. If you are working with a caterer,
They also offer “Licket Crickets” - you can share the sample menus with them as a source for ideas
lollipops with a crispy cricket they might have about what to serve to meet your needs.
center!.
If you do nothing else about food, make sure that coffee (i.e.
caffeine) and water are available all day long and throw a few
bags of candy into your supplies box. Both can help your
participants stay awake and with you. Pass around bags of
individually wrapped candy such as Hershey’s Kisses,
Hershey’s Assorted Chocolate mini candybars, Starbursts, and
Jolly Ranchers (for people who don’t like chewy candy)
whenever you see folks looking a little tired or listless, or when
AV problems crop up or when you want to encourage
participation.
If you feel you have adequate time and resources, add a variety
of unfamiliar foods to breaks and/or lunches (see sidebar).
Incorporating unfamiliar foods adds opportunities to talk about
learning, neophobia, the influence of peers, and mixing foods.
27
Workshop Logistics
A Few Notes on Catering
Funding for State Coordinator In an effort to be tidy, some caterers may pick up your leftovers
workshops is provided by shortly after the break is over. Let them know that you want the
BEHAVE and includes money food and drinks you’ve purchased from left out all day long.
for snack breaks. You can be
reimbursed for food expenses If you are not required to work with a caterer at your location,
(except for alcoholic beverages) or no one is available, see if a colleague, friend, or student
by sending your receipts to: assistant would be willing to take on the task.
Why You Might Incorporate Food and Drink
Rae Ann Hart
FRWS The number one reason for incorporating food is to enhance the
5230 Old Main Hill participant’s learning. If you decide to incorporate food, it
Utah State University should:
Logan, UT 84322-5230
Enhance the material’s relevance.
email: Food, and the choices that participants make about what
phone: (435)797-2556 they eat at the workshop can help participants make
connections from the materials to their personal experiences.
Help participants focus on their learning.
People who are hungry or thirsty have a hard time focusing
on what you’re saying. People who are tired use food or drink
as a pick-me-up to help them pay attention and stay awake.
Provide opportunities for participants to network and bond.
Sharing food is a non-threatening and common way for
people to get to know each other and develop a relationship.
Make people feel comfortable and special.
Even small candy treats brighten a meeting.
28
Workshop Logistics
Here are some additional things to consider when adding food
to your workshop:
Thanks to Ben Baldwin, Tehabi
Internship Program Clean Up
Coordinator, for providing menu Placing clearly marked wastebaskets and recycling
and quantity suggestions and for containers near food tables will help participants keep trash
his pointers on how to under control. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance. Most folks
successfully incorporate food in a are more than willing to lend a hand.
workshop. Ben’s credentials in
this area are the best. He has Variety is the spice of life.
been coordinating meetings and Those who spend most of their workdays outdoors will
the food necessary to make them have different needs than those coming from an office
possible for over a decade. For environment. In addition, more and more people are paying
the past four years, his attention to their diets. Some are looking for low-fat options,
experience includes the annual others for low-carb options, and others might be vegetarians.
food related logistics for taking While we all might take a break from our diets for a special
care of 40 people for two weeks event like this, providing a variety of foods enhances
in the field, while at the same participant comfort by allowing them to make choices.
time packing a complete
computerized classroom, and Let the outside temperature dictate the temperature of the food.
preparing the curriculum and If it’s cold outside, serve warm foods and drinks. Hot
sharing in teaching duties for the chocolate is a good alternative to cold sodas. If it’s warm, Ice
award-winning Tehabi field tea, bottled water and cold juices are good drinks. If it’s
course and internship program REALLY hot, consider ice cream sandwiches as a mid-
(http://www.tehabi.org). afternoon snack. All it takes is a cooler and a little dry ice and
you’ll see your audience turn into a bunch of twelve-year-olds!
Thanks Ben!
Finger food puts everyone on the same level.
It’s hard to be too prim and proper when you’re eating
without a knife and fork.
29
Workshop Logistics
Food Notes
Sample Menu
Mini-breakfast:
Mini-breakfast Coffee and Hot Tea
Coffee Having coffee and hot tea catered is a great way to enhance
Hot Tea participants’ experience while reducing your own headaches
Cream and Sugar over where to find a coffee urn, how to store the sugar and
Cold Juices cream, etc. If your location does not have a caterer, consider
Pastries your local bagel shop. Many of these places sell carafes of
Mini-muffins, danish, coffee or will rent/loan coffee and hot water urns.
donuts, or 1/4 bagels If you do have to make your own coffee, don’t forget to
Fruit Tray pick up cream (individual creamers or coffee mate), sugar and
Melon, pineapple, grapes, sugar substitute.
strawberries, etc. Cold Juices
Some folks prefer juice to tea and coffee. If you are
Morning break catering, bottles of juices are sold in assortments in grocery
Coffee stores and volume discounters like Sam’s and Costco. Put them
Hot Tea in a bowl of ice to serve them cold.
Cold Juices Pastries
Bottled Water If you’re not working with a caterer, every grocery store
Pastries with a bakery sells pastry assortments. If you serve bagels,
Mini-cinnamon buns they should be sliced. Spreadable cream cheese in a tub is a
and/or banana/zucchini must when serving bagels.
bread to add to what is still
available from breakfast Fruit Tray
Fruit Tray These are available at the grocery store or at volume
Additional melon, pineapple, discounters. As long as fruit is cut up or bite size (such as
grapes and strawberries) people will eat it.
grapes, strawberries, etc.
Morning Break:
Bottled Water
Add it to the mix of beverages mid-morning in the same
ice-filled bowl as the juices.
Pastries and Fruit Tray
You can use remaining pastries and fruit from the morning,
but be sure to add something new to the mix. Consider a bread,
or cinnamon bun type pastry.
30
Workshop Logistics
Food Notes
Sample Menu Afternoon Break:
The afternoon break is all about sugar and caffeine. This is
Afternoon Break the time of day when participants usually get tired, so a special
Continue wth sweet treat is in order. Anything you choose should be
Morning’s beverages. something that can be eaten with nothing more than fingers and
Add assorted Sodas some napkins. Options include:
Special Sweets
Brownies
Even store-bought brownies seem extra special if they’re
warm. If you’re team teaching, one facilitator can pop them in
the microwave and bring them out when ready.
Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, and Sugar Cookies
Not just the packaged kind - but the big, specialty versions
served up at bakeries in most grocery stores.
Ice cream sandwiches and popsicles
Thanks to the miracle of dry-ice and a cooler, you can
surprise folks on the hottest days.
31
Workshop Logistics
Equipment
To present the materials provided, you will need:
Always TEST your equipment Access to a laptop computer with Power Point and a DVD
several days before the workshop player*.
to be sure your cables and sound NOTE: Different versions of PowerPoint may change the
work. Then test again before fonts on your slides and the positioning of elements on them. If
participants arrive to be sure you’re going to use someone else’s computer, make sure your
everything is in working order. slides work on it.
If you don’t test ahead of time, *If your computer does not have a DVD player you can use a
be sure to have a supply of Laffy portable DVD player attached to the LCD projector. If you
Taffy available to entertain folks have a small audience you can also opt to play the DVDs on a
while you work out problems. TV with a DVD player.
An LCD projector
Most of us have access to an LCD projector through our
agency or organization. Be sure to reserve it in advance and
that you have the necessary cables to attach your computer. If
you are not accustomed to setting up all this equipment,
consider putting masking tape labels on the ends of cords to
help you remember where to connect them.
NOTE: Make sure that the LCD projector you use has
sound capabilities so folks can hear the audio associated with
the videos. If it cannot you’ll need to attach speakers to your
computer and run the sound through them.
A screen or large white wall
Your slides and videos will show up best on white.
A Flip Chart/Chalkboard/Whiteboard
This is a good way to keep track of participant input and
questions so you can be sure you’ve covered everything by the
end of each session.
Power strips and extension cords
Have several on hand for your equipment and for laptops
that participants bring along.
Computer “Geek”/Guru
Even if you know everything about setting up your
equipment an IT person on hand can make things go more
smoothly when stress affects your equipment!
32
The People
Co-Facilitating
We highly recommend that you co-facilitate your workshop,
especially if you are a new workshop facilitator. You may co-
facilitate with one or two others who attended your facilitator
training or with an experienced BEHAVE facilitator. A list of
facilitators is available on our web site at http://
www.behave.net.
Co-facilitating has many advantages, both for you as the
facilitator and for the participants. You will have someone to
share ideas with, to help plan the agenda and your delivery, to
help gather necessary materials, to help promote the workshop,
and to share the responsibility for presenting activities and for
fielding questions. Participants will have the advantage of
seeing varying teaching styles and will learn from presenters
with different areas of expertise.
If you do work with a co-facilitator, be as explicit as possible
with each other before the workshop. It is important to identify
what each of your roles will be. You may find it useful for each
of you to complete the “Co-Facilitating Worksheet” on the next
page and discuss your responses. This cooperative planning
early on will allow for smooth transitions between each of your
presentations and will also enhance your working relationship.
33
Co-Facilitating Worksheet
As you begin to plan a workshop with a co-facilitator, think about questions such as these and work through
them with each other to help you clarify your roles.
Which parts of the workshop would you like to be responsible for?
What elements would you really like to include in the workshop because they are important to you, because
they worked well in other workshops, or for another reason?
What signal could you use for interrupting when the other person is presenting?
How will you handle staying on task?
For each portion of the workshop, how will you field participant questions?
How will you make transitions between each of your presentations?
How will you get participants back from breaks in a timely manner?
34
The People
Speakers
Finding Producers and Experts
Workshops are more effective if you can have producers share
their experiences with behavior principles. To find people in
your area, think of those who are particularly innovative and
take a closer look at their operations. You will likely find that
they are incorporating some of the techniques we talked about
here, though they may not have given them the label “behavior
principles.” Invite them to share what they are doing, why, and
how it has affected their operation.
You might also invite NRCS staff who have attended the
BEHAVE short course or ask them if they are aware of
producers or experts in the field who would be willing to share
their thoughts at your workshop. State Coordinators have
names of all NRCS staff in their state who have attended the
short course.
35
The People
Finding Participants
When recruiting facilitators Here is a list of possible sources for new facilitators:
ask interested people to bring
along someone with whom Association of Conservation Districts
they would like to team teach. Natural Resource Conservation Service
Having a ready-made team State Coordinators have a list of those in their state who
increases new facilitator have already attended the BEHAVE short course.
comfort in going out to make Extension Agents at your State’s University
presentations. Division of Wildlife
US Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management
Department of Agriculture Weed Coordinators (WA)
Washington Rangeland Commitee
Grazing Land CI
Livestock Agents
Ag Ed Teachers
State Lands Departments
HRM Educators (Mexico)
State Cattlemen’s and Woolgrowers Associations
36
Workshop Agendas
Creating Your Own Agenda
Here are some things to consider when planning your
presentation of workshop elements:
Elements to Include in
Your Workshop Agenda Welcome, Agenda Overview
Plan how you will welcome the participants, introduce yourself
• Welcome, Agenda Overview, and other presenters, and give a brief overview of the agenda.
• Getting Acquainted People feel more comfortable if they know what to expect —
and when.
• Workshop Goals and
Individual Goals Getting Acquainted.
• About BEHAVE and the Plan how you will have participants introduce themselves. They
BEHAVE Facilitators Network are coming together for the workshop as learners and,
• About the Guide and how to especially if they do not know each other beforehand, the
use it learning environment can be enhanced by creating a friendly
and informal atmosphere at the beginning of the workshop.
• The Seven Principles For example, each participant might say, “My name is ____ , I
• Individual Workshop Planning work with/for ____ , and I am particularly interested in ____
about my work (or about BEHAVE).”
• Evaluation, Certificates and
Feedback Workshop Goals and Individual Goals
As noted earlier, adult learning is enhanced when they
understand the goals of a workshop and when those goals are
A long and short version of a
important to them. Therefore, after describing the goals and
sample workshop agenda is
objectives for the workshop, consider asking them if they
included in the “Teaching
would like to add anything, or if they have areas of interest that
Materials” section. The short
they would like to have addressed during the course of the
version is what the participants
workshop.
saw. The longer version includes
information the presenter Since adult learning is self-motivated, you might state your
wanted to be sure to discuss. individual goals for the day, and ask participants to briefly write
their individual and professional goals for being there. This
should be something that they keep to themselves. Later in the
workshop, take a moment to check in with them — how are
they coming along in meeting their goals? You may also want
to add that while it is the facilitator’s responsibility to meet the
goals of the workshop, it is the participants’ responsibility to
make sure that they leave the workshop having met their own
goals.
37
Workshop Agendas
About BEHAVE Facilitator’s Network
Here you can share:
• an explanation of who and what the network is
• how the BEHAVE Facilitators network works
• the role of a BFN Facilitator
• www.BEHAVE.net as a resource
• the BEHAVE Facilitators Network history within your own
state — how long has it been there, who are its sponsors, etc.
All the background materials for this element are in the
“Workshop Teaching Materials” section of the Guide.
The Seven Principles
It’s important that you introduce all seven principles, but how
you decide to do it is completely up to you and depends on
whether or not you have a particular focus in your workshop.
Their order in the guide is how Kathy Voth feels most
comfortable presenting them. However, your order or your
emphasis may be different.
As you address each principle include examples of how it has
been or might be used by producers and land managers.
About the Guide and How to Use It
You can choose to hand out Guides as participants arrive and
register, or you can hand it out when you are ready to talk about
the materials that are available to Facilitators. In any case, it’s a
good idea to flip through the Guide with participants so they’ll
have an idea where the materials you’re using are coming from.
When you’re pointing out the “hows” of presenting, you can
also show them the source in the Guide. When you’re using
BEHAVE materials for teaching about the principles, it may be
helpful for them to take notes on the hardcopies of what they
are seeing and hearing.
38
Workshop Agendas
Individual Workshop Planning
One of the concerns participants are most likely to have when
they attend the workshop is “How will I be able to teach this
material?” Individual classroom planning is an important
component to include to address these concerns and help
prospective facilitators begin to feel comfortable with the
materials and options for presenting them.
Plan adequate time for this component, even if you have to
shorten something else. You might lead a brainstorming session
and ask everyone to share their ideas. Another approach would
be to have participants form groups and devise plans for
developing a workshop, and then come together for discussion
with the whole group at the end. Participants might also work
independently to prepare specific plans for their own workshop.
Planning handouts are available in the Workshop Teaching
Materials section to help participants think about the areas they
might cover, questions and concerns they have, and resources
they have to add to workshop development.
Evaluation, Certificates and Feedback
Plan time for each participant to complete an evaluation form at
the end of the workshop. It is very important that the evaluation
forms are turned in since this is how we can modify and adapt
materials and workshop presentations to best meet the needs of
our audiences. Once participants have turned in their evaluation
forms, you may want to give them a certificate of completion
(see Workshop Teaching Materials for an example). You might
also allow time for verbal feedback and suggestions for
improving future workshops.
Before they leave, make sure you have all contact information
for your participants so we can maintain a database of everyone
trained and potentially available to do workshops.
39
Workshop and Presentation Tips
Some Advice From Seasoned Presenters
Murphy’s Law Project Learning Tree coordinators have years of experience
helping people put on workshops. Here are a few of their
pointers summarized with our workshops in mind:
If something can go wrong,
it will, and it will happen at Be prepared for the unexpected. You can never outguess
the most inopportune time. what might happen, but if you have prepared carefully and stay
flexible during your workshop, you can deal with whatever
comes up.
Arrive Early - This lets you make sure everything is set up,
that your equipment is hooked up and working, and that you
can greet the participants as they arrive.
Pack Your Own Bags - When you are putting your workshop
equipment and supplies together, be sure to pack it yourself so
you will know where everything is. Use a checklist! It’s a
good idea to put all your papers and workshop “goodies” out on
a table when you first arrive. When you need them, they are
right at your fingertips and you don’t waste time or appear
unprepared by searching through boxes.
There’s Safety in Numbers - Whenever possible, work with a
co-facilitator. It gives you someone to share the load, back up
if you get sick or have a sudden emergency, and participants
benefit from a variety in styles, voice levels, and personality in
the facilitators.
Variety is the Spice of Life - Arrange your workshop agenda
so the active parts are interspersed with the “sitting and
listening” parts. Also, be sure to select activities that reflect a
variety of learning styles. Change facilitators from section to
section to provide even more variety. If you have a partner or
team with whom you frequently do workshops together, change
roles from workshop to workshop so that each of you learns
each part, and you don’t get stale.
Break It Up - Be sure to include time for breaks. Short,
frequent breaks can do wonders for reviving everyone’s energy
levels.
Beware the Post-Lunch Doldrums - Consider physical
movement or discussions, or anything involving participation to
prevent napping.
40
Workshop and Presentation Tips
Encourage Creativity - Always treat your participants like the
creative adults and professionals they are. Don’t limit how or
Murphy’s Law what they teach. Just give them options and let them use their
of Workshops own talents to create successful workshops of their own.
Be Not Afraid of Skeptics - Not everyone will “buy” what
The hotter the day, the we’re talking about. Use their concerns as valid points for
more likely it is that the improving upon the points you are making.
grounds crew will arrive, Name Tags - Use ‘em - Even if you are doing a workshop with
backing up their beeping folks who all know each other, you may not now everyone.
minitrucks, mowing lawns, Name tags should be large enough to read from the front of the
and whacking weeds, just room. First names are all that is necessary.
outside the open windows Speak the same language as your participants - Use
of the workshop room. common, everyday language that everyone will understand.
Wrap Up, Wrap Up, Wrap Up! - Build wrap up into your
agenda. A good wrap up session ensures that participants add
their own ideas and suggestions so you can get feedback on
whether they got the points you were making. This also helps
everyone to learn from everyone else.
Questions? - Create an open atmosphere right from the start.
Ask folks to stop you any time they have questions. Be sure to
answer all questions, even if the answer is “I don’t know.” You
can eliminate many questions by briefly going over your
agenda at the beginning of the workshop.
The Eyes Have it - Use good eye contact when facilitating.
This makes you more personable, and helps prevent
nervousness on your part. It allows you to read the body
language of your audience. Are they yawning? They may be
bored, or they may just be too warm. Are their arms crossed
over their chests? They may be antagonistic, or they may just
be cold! Watch the room temperature and watch the people
temperature! If they are getting restless, change the pace.
To Thine Own Self Be True - Be yourself. Don’t try to adopt
a workshop persona or mimic someone else’s style. Use your
own style and be comfortable with who you are.
Have Fun! - If you don’t, they won’t.
41
Encouraging Participation
Here are some ideas for getting folks involved in workshop
activities:
Grazing Through the Guide
When we put the Guides together for our first workshop in
2005, we discovered that some Guides must be missing pages
because we had unexplained extras. We used this to our benefit
by having participants look for particular pages as we described
what was in each section. The person missing the page got both
the page and a piece of candy. Since behavior depends on
consequences, this encouraged participants to look closely at
their Guides.
Sweet Reinforcement
At our first workshop, Kathy and Beth took turns tossing
candy to participants who shared experiences, gave answers, or
even just for making wise-cracks. To keep everyone involved,
one participant was given responsibility for distributing candy.
For the Quiet Folks
Give each person a small stack of 3x5 cards at the
beginning of the workshop and let them know they can use
them to give input or ask questions. This way even folks who
don’t like to speak in public have a chance to add to the
discussion. Go over any cards you receive with the entire
group after breaks and before you go on with new sections.
Reading the Audience
There are hundreds of books out there that can help you
improve your people reading techniques so we won’t cover the
ins and outs here. One thing that you may not find in these
books is that when ag folks stand up in the back of the room, it
may be more an indication of old farm and ranch injuries acting
up than a lack of interest. Nevertheless, watch for this, and
other signs of fatigue to help you adjust breaks to meet the
needs of the group and keep them involved in the learning
process.
42
Workshop and Presentation Tips
Working With PowerPoint
Make the PowerPoint Your Guide contains all the PowerPoint slides and notes for
Slides Your Own! each topic. In most cases, we have included more than one
example for a point so you can choose those that make the most
We’ve put together sense for your particular audience. If you don’t like to use
slides and notes to videos, we have included slides with examples that you can talk
through. Finally, don’t forget to check under References and
make it easy for you Additonal Resources for slides that we chose not to include in
to put together a our general presentations but which you might find useful in
presentation that suits some situations.
your personal style
and your audience. Adding Video On a Slide
1. Display the slide you want to add the video to.
2. On the Insert menu, point to Movies and Sounds.
3. Do one of the following:
To insert a video from the Clip Gallery, click Movie from
Gallery, and then locate and insert the video you want.
To insert a video from another location, click Movie from
File, locate the folder that contains the video, and then double-
click the video you want.
4. A message is displayed. If you want the movie to play
automatically when you display the slide, click Yes; if you want
the movie to play only when you click the movie during a slide
show, click No.
5. To preview the movie in normal view, double-click the
movie.
Types of video files, or movies, that PowerPoint can use:
• QuickTime (QT, MOV)
• QuickTime VR (QTVR)
• MPEG (MPG)
• Video for Windows (AVI)
Note: All inserted movies are linked to your presentation. If
you show your presentation on a different computer, remember
to also copy the movie file when you copy the presentation or
save the presentation as a PowerPoint Package. If you don’t,
you will just have a picture of the poster frame of the movie.
43
Workshop and Presentation Tips
Some Presentation Ideas
Work with your If you’re not a seasoned presenter, there are a variety of web
personal style! sites available that include information on how to prepare for a
presentation or speak in public. The next page contains
You may find that suggestions from I. Lee of Toastmasters International as well as
as you become more a web address where you can go to learn more.
familiar and comfortable Here are some things that work for us:
with the materials, you’ll
want to change the order in Picture slides are entertaining for the audience, but you might
which you present different want to add a few key words to them as prompts to help you
topics to reflect your remember the points you wanted to make.
audience and your own
Print out the “notes” included with the PowerPoint slides and
preferences. put them in your notebook where you can glance down at them
if you find yourself stuck or lost.
Are you particularly nervous when you first begin a
presentation or workshop? Don’t hide by turning down the
lights. Instead, find something to lean against, or sit down.
Sometimes the very act of sitting on a chair, a stool, or a table
edge can relax you and help you make a better connection with
your audience. When you’re relaxed, so are they.
Are you a wanderer? Do you tend to roam the room as you
talk? This can be distracting to your audience. Practice
planting your feet, and talking from one spot.
What’s in your pockets? I sometimes put my hands in my
pockets if I’m particularly nervous because it keeps my hands
from shaking. If you do this too, be sure there’s nothing in your
pockets. Otherwise you’ll find yourself fiddling with
whatever’s in there which is also distracting to your audience.
Breath deeply and remember that everyone in the audience is
rooting for you and no one wants to see you fail.
44
A Research Guide for Students
I. Lee, Toastmasters International
http://www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html
Know the needs of your audience and match your contents to their needs. Know your material
thoroughly. Put what you have to say in a logical sequence. Ensure your speech will be captivating to your
audience as well as worth their time and attention. Practice and rehearse your speech at home or where you
can be at ease and comfortable, in front of a mirror, your family, friends or colleagues. Use a tape-recorder
and listen to yourself. Videotape your presentation and analyze it. Know what your strong and weak points
are. Emphasize your strong points during your presentation.
When you are presenting in front of an audience, you are performing as an actor is on stage. How
you are being perceived is very important. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Be solemn if your topic is
serious. Present the desired image to your audience. Look pleasant, enthusiastic, confident, proud, but not
arrogant. Remain calm. Appear relaxed, even if you feel nervous. Speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and show
appropriate emotion and feeling relating to your topic. Establish rapport with your audience. Speak to the
person farthest away from you to ensure your voice is loud enough to project to the back of the room. Vary
the tone of your voice and dramatize if necessary. If a microphone is available, adjust and adapt your voice
accordingly.
Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or
facial expression is preferred to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared
speech. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary. Master the use of
presentation software such as PowerPoint well before your presentation. Do not over-dazzle your audience
with excessive use of animation, sound clips, or gaudy colors which are inappropriate for your topic. Do not
torture your audience by putting a lengthy document in tiny print on an overhead and reading it out to them.
Speak with conviction as if you really believe in what you are saying. Persuade your audience
effectively. The material you present orally should have the same ingredients as that which are required for a
written research paper, i.e. a logical progression from INTRODUCTION (Thesis statement) to BODY
(strong supporting arguments, accurate and up-to-date information) to CONCLUSION (re-state thesis,
summary, and logical conclusion).
Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is quite acceptable to glance at
your notes infrequently. Speak loudly and clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error,
correct it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologize profusely.
Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look straight into
the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye contact with a number of people
in the audience, and every now and then glance at the whole audience while speaking. Use your eye contact
to make everyone in your audience feel involved.
Speak to your audience, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt. If what
you have prepared is obviously not getting across to your audience, change your strategy mid-stream if you
are well prepared to do so. Remember that communication is the key to a successful presentation. If you are
short of time, know what can be safely left out. If you have extra time, know what could be effectively
added. Always be prepared for the unexpected.
Pause. Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. Don't race through your
presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath.
45
Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep audience interested throughout your entire
presentation. Remember that an interesting speech makes time fly, but a boring speech is always too long to
endure even if the presentation time is the same.
When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation, be sure all necessary equipment is set up
and in good working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an emergency backup system readily
available. Check out the location ahead of time to ensure seating arrangements for audience, whiteboard,
blackboard, lighting, location of projection screen, sound system, etc. are suitable for your presentation.
Have handouts ready and give them out at the appropriate time. Tell audience ahead of time that you
will be giving out an outline of your presentation so that they will not waste time taking unnecessary notes
during your presentation.
Know when to STOP talking. Use a timer or the microwave oven clock to time your presentation
when preparing it at home. Just as you don't use unnecessary words in your written paper, you don't bore
your audience with repetitious or unnecessary words in your oral presentation. To end your presentation,
summarize your main points in the same way as you normally do in the CONCLUSION of a written paper.
Remember, however, that there is a difference between spoken words appropriate for the ear and formally
written words intended for reading. Terminate your presentation with an interesting remark or an appropriate
punch line. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of completion. Do not belabor your
closing remarks. Thank your audience and sit down.
46
Workshop Planning Checklist
Planning for the Workshop
__ Find someone to co-facilitate the workshop.
__ Select and reserve workshop site for the date, time, and number of hours needed.
__ Submit workshop proposal form to State Coordinator at least four weeks prior to the workshop date;
this allows enough time for your PLT guide orders to be processed.
__ Develop and distribute promotional materials such as flyers, pre-registration forms, posters, or articles at
least four weeks prior to the workshop date.
__ Develop workshop design, taking into consideration:
__ the audience __ workshop objectives __ constraints (for example, space or time)
__ strategies for overcoming constraints __ materials and equipment needed for activities
__ If possible, contact/invite a resource specialist.
__ Arrange for food and drinks.
__ Gather equipment such as computer, LCD projector, DVD player and TV and all necessary cables.
__ Gather materials such as Guides, name tags, handouts, etc.
__ Send confirmations and maps to pre-registered participants.
__ If possible, visit the workshop site to check things out.
At the Workshop Site
__ Set up workshop space (if possible, the afternoon or evening before).
__ Check to be sure equipment is working.
__ Locate restrooms, light switches, plugs, and easiest access to the outdoors.
__ During the workshop, orient participants to the restrooms and refreshments.
__ At the end of the workshop, be sure each participant fills out an evaluation).
__ Distribute BEHAVE certificates
Post-Workshop Tasks
__ Complete the Facilitator Survey Form and send it, along with participant names and contact information
and their evaluations to: Beth Burritt, FRWS, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT
84322-5230
47
Teaching Materials Section
About These Teaching Materials
In Each Section You Have:
1. A hard copy of the PowerPoint slides. The electronic
version of the slides is on the CD at the back of the Guide.
2. Excerpts from the on-line course developed for the Forest
and Range web site. The site is federally funded and operated
by University of Tennessee Knoxville to provide private
landowners with information to enhance their productivity and
profitability.
The excerpts were included for those who would like to read
more about behavior. You can find the entire course at:
http://www.forestandrange.org. (October 2005 Note: The
course will be available shortly after final review by UTK.)
3. Fact Sheets developed with producers in mind to describe
different elements of behavior.
4. Examples provided by producers across the country of how
they have used a particular element of behavior in their own
operations.
5. Suggestions for videos you might like to incorporate in your
presentations. Videos are included on DVD/CD in the back of
the Guide.
Replace this page with the hard copy of the slides introducing the
workings of the BEHAVE Facilitators Network.
Planning to Teach
Topic: ___________________________________________
1. What are the key points I want to get across?
2. What materials would I use?
3. What additional resources do I have that would help others get the point?
4. What am I most and least comfortable with?
5. What is the hardest thing about this for me?
6. What made it click?
7. Who could use this information - how and why?
8. Is there something I could suggest to my Facilitator that would improve my ability to teach this section?
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop
(Version the Participants See)
October 4, 2005
7:30 - 8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 – 8:15 Welcome from Fred
8:15 – 8:30 Welcome from Kathy and Beth and get acquainted
8:30 – 8:45 Workshop Goals and Individual Goals
8:45– 9:15 What is the BFN and an overview of the Seven Principles
9:15– 9:30 Grazing Through the Guide
9:30– 9:45 Break
9:45 - 10:45 Learning Styles, Innovation Adoption, Learning Cycle and Adult Learners
10:45 –11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:45 Mother Knows Best
11:45 – 12:15 Teaching Mother Knows Best
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 Palatability is More Than a Matter of Taste
1:45 – 2:15 Teaching Palatability is More Than a Matter of Taste
2:15–– 2:45 Break
2:45 – 3:00 Review of day so far
3:00 – 3:45 Variety is the Spice of Life
3:45– 4:15 Teaching Variety is the Spice of Life
4:15 – 4:30 Wrap-up
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop Continued
(Version the Participants See)
October 5, 2005
7:30 – 8:00 Mini- Breakfast
8:00 Questions/Concerns/Suggestions for the Day?
8:15
– 9:00 Old Dogs, New Tricks
9:00–– 9:30 Teaching Old Dogs, New Tricks
9:30 – 9:45 Relationships Make All the Difference
9:45 – 10:15 Teaching Relationships Make All the Difference
10:15 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:30 Workshop Logistics
Finding Experts and Audience
Food and Breaks
Audio Visual Equipment and set up and testing
Tips and hints on PowerPoint
Using Animals for Demonstrations
Web Site Access
Resources Available to you
11:30 - Noon Closing Workshop
– Evaluations and Certificates
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 5:00 Workshop Critique and Planning (Optional)
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop
(Instructor Version)
October 4, 2005
7:30 - 8:00 Registration
Have table where they can check-in and pick up name tags and materials
Continental Breakfast
8:00 – 8:15 Welcome from Fred
Some points he can cover –
Why we need a BEHAVE Facilitator’s Network
1. He can’t be everywhere
2. Even if he could be, we are stronger if we have a variety of presenters because we
all have different experience that will add to the variety of ways behavior can be
used.
3. Confidence in and appreciation for Beth and Kathy
a. Beth has twenty years of experience with this. She’s also an animal
nutritionist, and that really adds to her understanding of behavior. She’s
been doing some fine outreach and is a great resource for everyone. He
just can’t say enough about her level of expertise.
b. Kathy has been working to implement behavior on the ground and her
work teaching cows to eat weeds is evidence of what can happen when
you bring new people into the mix. She’s also been doing some fine
outreach. The idea of the Facilitator’s Network came from Kathy, and I
really think its an important avenue for getting this information out.
4. Really appreciate the time that participants have agreed to commit to this. Their
help getting information out about behavior has the potential to make a huge,
positive difference in the way farmers, ranchers and land managers work.
5. Would love to be here the whole workshop – but its just indicative of how much
he needs them that he can’t be because of other engagements. Then if he wants he
can tell them where he’s going and what he hopes that will contribute to the
overall effort.
8:15 – 8:30 Welcome from Kathy and Beth and get acquainted (All)
1. Intro from Kathy and Beth
2. Brief overview of agenda (Adults as Learners #1)
3. Make this workshop yours – ask questions throughout, or write them down and turn them in at
breaks and we’ll go over them. (Adults as Learners #2)
4. Please add to the workshop based on your expertise. (Adults as Learners #3 and 4)
5. Have everyone introduce themselves (Adults as Learners #2)
8:30– 8:45 Workshop Goals and Individual Goals
1. What we’re trying to accomplish and the kinds of inputs I hope they will provide as we go along.
(Adults as Learners #1)
a. Make sure State Facilitators feel they have a solid enough understanding of behavior
principles that they will feel comfortable developing their own workshops.
b. Improve the Guide
i. Fill in blanks for: Finding Producers and Experts, and Finding Participants
ii. Find out what additional materials might be necessary to enhance participants’
ability to put on their own workshops
c. Improve the Process
i. Find out what kinds of barriers there might be to putting on workshops and what
potential solutions are for those barriers.
d. Demonstrate an example of what we think a sample workshop might look like
i. Using comments from participants make additions, modifications, develop additional
sample agendas
e. Get input on how to improve the guide and the process to better provide for a variety of
personal facilitator styles.
f. Set a range of dates and locations for each State Facilitator’s Workshop and do some initial
coordination.
2. Product they have before them is still in draft form. We’ll have a facilitated discussion on the last
day to work out changes and improvements to it. (Adults as Learners #3 and 4)
3. Everyone has a personal style and what we’ve tried to do is give you some materials and framework
to make it easy to put on presentations that fit your personal style. Please share what works and
what might improve the product for you or for others you anticipate working with. (Adults as
Learners #2, 3, 4)
4. Are there any goals for workshop you’d like to add or things you’d like us to be sure we cover?
(Adults as Learners #1)
5. Kathy’s Individual goal
6. Beth’s Individual goal
7. Time for them to think about their individual goals and write them down. (Adults as Learners #1 and
4)
8:45 – 9:15 What is the BFN and an overview of the Seven Principles
9:15
– 9:30 Grazing Through the Guide
This is where we’ll point out all the different resources they have for their own presentations
like:
1. Hard copies of slide shows
2. Electronic copies of slide shows
3. Videos on DVD and CD with and without sound and instructions on how to
incorporate them into slide shows or use them separately.
4. CD version of on-line course
5. USU sponsored Extension CD
6. Examples of how others have used behavior
7. Setting up demonstrations with animals
8. Web Site Access (in progress)
The point to get across is that we have included a wide variety of materials so they can pick,
choose and modify for their personal presentation preferences and to meet the needs of many
different audiences.
Pre-break – sum up where we’ve been and where we’re going after the break. (Adults as
Learners #1 and 4)
9:30 – 9:45 Break
9:45 - 10:45 Learning Styles, Innovation Adoption, Learning Cycle and Adult Learners
1. Who Am I?
a. Find ourselves on the Learning Styles Handout
b. Do you know folks who are different learning styles?
i. Do you have examples of how you’ve reached folks different from yourself?
ii. What do you find are the hardest parts of trying to reach those different from
yourself?
iii. What kinds of tools might help you better reach the “different” people?
2. Why don’t people pick up new technologies?
a. Find ourselves on the Categories of Innovators
b. Discuss the Innovation Adoption Curve Handout
i. So – which are the folks we want to talk to?
3. The Learning Cycle as a tool to enhance innovation adoption.
a. Put up poster of learning cycle and go over it
b. Have them use their multi-colored highlighters to highlight which parts of the learning cycle
different parts of the agenda are covering as we go along.
4. Presentations for Adult Learners – Pay Attention to the (wo)man behind the curtain!)
a. Have them turn to “Adults as Learners” section and hand out the “extended” version of the
agenda for the welcome section showing how we attempted to meet needs of adult learners
from the beginning.
b. Describe how we attempt to meet the needs of older eyes and ears with good lighting and
good sound, and of older minds by turning Principles into easily remembered slogans,
alliteration, and stories.
c. Fill-in-the blanks quick activity – tips for helping adults remember: Slogans, alliterations,
stories.
Pre-break – Tell them where they can find all the stuff we just did in the Guide. Ask them to pay
attention to the wo(man) behind the curtain through the rest of the workshop and to help us improve
how we present by giving suggestions. Remind them where we’ve been and where we’re going after
the break. (Adults as Learners #1, 3 and 4)
10:45
–11:00 Break (Need some separation from the
“Intro” section and the”“Principles”
section)
11:00
– 11:30- Mother Knows Best
Before we start – a note about the PPTs you’ll see – different types for different
personal styles.
In each teaching section point out to them that there are examples of how this was
used by producers included in each materials section.
11:30 – Noon - Teaching MKB
The “Teaching sections” are an opportunity for the participant to get familiar with the
materials and to begin to put together his/her own presentation. If they already know they
will be working with someone else, I would like them to work in groups. We might also go
over some of their thoughts in this section, particularly as they repeat the exercise.
Worksheets will take them through the following:
What are key points I want to get across
What materials would I use
What additional resources do I have that would help others get the point?
What am I most comfortable with?
What am I least comfortable with?
What was the hardest thing about this for you?
What made it click?
Who could use this information – how and why?
Noon–– Lunch
1:00–– 1:45 Palatability is More Than a Matter of Taste
1:45 – 2:15 Teaching Palatability
2:15 Break
This break is an opportunity for them to test out the principles of Mother Knows Best, and
Palatability. A variety of familiar and unfamiliar foods will be provided.
2:45 – 3:00 Responses to break and to lunch
What did they choose to eat?
Did peers affect their food choice?
What other food choices can they suggest that would be good for this break?
3:00 – 3:45 Variety is the Spice of Life
3:45–– 4:15 Teaching Variety is the Spice of Life
4:15 – 4:30 Wrap up for the day.
Ask them where they’re going for dinner – see what kind of connections they’re making
between what they learned today and what they’re planning to eat.
October 5, 2005
7:30 – 8:00 Mini- Breakfast
8:00 Do you have any Questions/Concerns/Suggestions for the Day?
8:15 – 9:00 Old Dogs, New Tricks
9:00 – 9:30 Teaching Old Dogs, New Tricks
9:30 – 9:45 Relationships Make All the Difference
9:45 – 10:15 Teaching Relationships Make All the Difference
10:15 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:30 Logistics
Finding Experts and Audience (Ask them to share at this point)
Food and Breaks
Audio Visual Equipment and set up and testing
Tips and hints on PowerPoint
Like how to add video to a PowerPoint show
Using Animals for Demonstrations
Web Site Access
How to share suggestions for improvement, success stories, overcoming challenges,
and asking for assistance via our web site.
Resources Available to you
Facilitators
Money
11:30 - Noon Closing Workshop
Suggestions from participants for improving process, Evaluations, Certificates
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00
– Workshop Critique
– carries over to morning of October 6, 2005
Kathy Facilitate Discussion (?)
Ask them to help put together schedule for afternoon and next morning so that we can cover
everything.
My suggestions
Workshop schedule
What works, what doesn’t?
Barriers and solutions
Materials
What works, what doesn’t?
Barriers and solutions
Experts and Audience – What additional input can participants provide?
Workshop scheduling, and some work time
So if they are thinking of coordinating with someone else they can actually
take care of the initial coordination at this meeting.
Close-out
– Who’s going to do what (probably it will be Kathy and Beth J) and what are the
deadlines?
Questions/Activities for Discussion of Learning
Styles, Innovation Adoption, Learning Cycle and
Adult Learners
Learning Styles:
1. Where do you fit among the learning styles?
2. Do you know folks who are different learning styles?
3. Do you have examples of how you’ve reached folks different from yourself?
4. What do you find are the hardest parts of trying to reach those different from yourself?
5. What kinds of tools might help you better reach the “different” people?
Innovation Adoption:
1. Can you identify where you fit in the Categories of Innovators?
2. Discuss the Innovation Adoption Curve Handout. Which are the folks we want to talk to?
The Learning Cycle as a tool to enhance innovation adoption.
1. Put up poster of learning cycle and go over it.
2. Have them use their multi-colored highlighters to highlight which parts of the learning cycle different
parts of the agenda are covering as we go along.
Answers to Fill In the Blanks on page 15:
Ask participants to write the answers into the blanks.
1. Slogans
2. Alliterations
3. Stories
4. Writing it down!
Innovation Adoption
Figures and information from: Speeding Adoption of New Technology in Rural America by Paul Gwin
and H.F. Lionberger, University of Missouri Extension (http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/comm/
cm0108.htm)
“Adoption starts slowly because most
people want to see successful local
trial results before they adopt. That
takes time. The rate of adoption
increases as people begin to talk to
and persuade each other. It picks up
until the adopters outnumber the non-
adopters. That’s what puts the hump
in the adoption curve. If people did
not talk to and influence each other,
the curve would look like a straight
line.”
“Those earliest to adopt make heavy
use of research and expert sources of
information. Late adopters rely
heavily on other farmers as sources.
The majority use mass media chan-
nels heavily for information but turn
to peers (mostly fellow farmers) for evaluation and advice.
The time span from discovering an innovation until it is adopted by most farmers varies greatly. A totally
new concept may take many years. Adoption of hybrid corn, for example, took about 14 years. Hybrid milo,
on the other hand, was adopted almost immediately because farmers were familiar with hybrid corn produc-
tion.”
Sociologists have identified groups of people
who are inclined to adopt new ideas at different
rates:
For new farm practices coming from agricultural
research in colleges and industry the steps are
often like this:
When local planners or others start with a prob-
lem and begin searching for alternatives, the
pattern looks like this:
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop
Facilitator Participant Evaluation
Facilitator(s): ______________________________ Dates: _________ Location: ___________________
Thanks for attending! We’d like to ensure that future workshops are as useful as possible for participants. Your
input would be helpful in making improvements. Please take a few minutes to tell us what you think.
What were your reasons for coming and did you achieve them?
What would improve future workshops?
What additional assistance, information, materials or tools would be helpful to you for putting
on your own workshops?
What sections/concepts would you feel most comfortable presenting?
Help us rate some elements of the workshop:
Strongly Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Comments
Facilitator(s)
Were well-informed 1 2 3 4
Encouraged interaction 1 2 3 4
Were clear and organized 1 2 3 4
PowerPoints
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Were informative 1 2 3 4
Videos
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Were informative 1 2 3 4
Handouts/Notebooks
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Will be useful for putting on
my own workshops 1 2 3 4
Help us rate our success by telling us how well you feel you understand the Seven Principles
I Don’t I can review I Undestand
Understand the Guide to Completely
Understand
Behavior depends on consequences 1 2 3
Early experience matters most. 1 2 3
I’ve never tried it but I don’t like it. 1 2 3
Palatability is more than a matter of taste. 1 2 3
Variety is the spice of life. 1 2 3
Even old dogs can learn new tricks 1 2 3
Relationships make all the difference 1 2 3
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop
Producer/Manager Participant Evaluation
Facilitator(s): ___________________________Dates: ___________Location: ______________________
Thanks for attending! We’d like to ensure that future workshops are as useful as possible for participants. Your
input would be helpful in making improvements. Please take a few minutes to tell us what you think.
What were your expectations of this workshop? Were they fulfilled?
What would improve future workshops?
What did you like? What didn’t you like?
What are you already doing that uses this information?
What might you do to implement other principles in your operation?
What do you think makes it difficult for others to use this information?
What additional information, materials or tools would be helpful for implementing behavior
principles?
Help us rate some elements of the workshop:
Strongly Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Comments
Facilitator(s)
Were well-informed 1 2 3 4
Encouraged questions and
audience interaction 1 2 3 4
Were clear and organized 1 2 3 4
PowerPoints
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Were informative 1 2 3 4
Videos
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Were informative 1 2 3 4
Handouts/Notebooks
Added to the presentation 1 2 3 4
Were informative 1 2 3 4
I will use this information 1 2 3 4
BEHAVE Facilitators Network Workshop
Self Evaluation
Facilitator: _______________________________________
Dates: __________________________________________
Location: ________________________________________
Now that you’ve finished putting on a workshop, we’d like to know how you thought it went so we can be sure
we’re providing you with the support you need. Your ideas will also be important for other facilitators, so please
take a few minutes to tell us what you think. Use additional pages if there isn’t enough room here.
Who were the workshop participants? (i.e. potential facilitators, producers, land managers,
etc.)
What went well for you?
What do you think participants found most interesting or useful?
What do you think participants found least interesting or useful?
What challenges did you encounter either in presenting the materials or in working with
participants?
What would you do differently next time?
Are there additional materials that would make future presentations easier?
Do you have recommendations for other facilitators based on your experience?
This is a copy of a certificate you can give to participants in your workshops.Print certificates from the “certificate.jpg” file on the BEHAVE
Facilitators Network Presentation Resources CD.
Behavioral
Education for
Human
Animal BEHAVE Facilitators Network
Vegetation &
Ecosystem Management
Welcome to our team!
_______________________
has successfully completed
a Facilitator Workshop.
We look forward to your participation in our network:
• Training others interested in
becoming Facilitators, and
• Helping producers and land managers
who would like to implement behavior principles.
Overview of Principles
Replace this page with the hard copy of the slides for an overview
of behavior principles.
Follow that with the hard copy printout of “Joe’s Breakfast Platter”
from the ForestandRange.org on-line course.
Cows Have Culture Too
Understanding Livestock/Landscape Interactions
By Jim Howell
In Zimbabwe, one of the protein staples of the native human population is mopane worms. They
are big, fat, black, caterpillar-looking critters. When Daniela and I are down there with our tour groups, we
always make sure our clients are presented with the opportunity to munch on this local delicacy. After all,
getting in touch with native custom is one of our big draws. Amazingly, most of our adventurous travelers
decline the privilege, turning their noses up like a five year old presented with a plate of broccoli. The local
folks, on the other hand, eat ‘em like potato chips.
Why is this? How can a food item so readily devoured by one group of humans be so repulsive to
another? What does this have to do with managing livestock? Actually, the principle(s) involved transcend
the species gap like you wouldn’t believe. It turns out that food preference has just as much to do with
culture as it does with nutrition. Culture encompasses the norms, traditions, and accepted code of conduct
between members of a population. Taken together, they contribute to a population’s success at surviving
within a given set of environmental constraints. In humans, just about every bit of it is learned. We learn to
eat, or not eat, worms. Most of us figure that groups of animals don’t really have culture. We think they do
everything innately, by instinct’– that they don’t learn to eat things, they just know what to eat.
Well in early December, I attended a one day workshop by one of the more grounded and practical
academics I’ve met – Dr. Fred Provenza from the Department of Rangeland Resources at Utah State
University – which greatly expanded my appreciation of what makes a cow a cow. Turns out that cows
have culture too. In the case of many of us managing holistically, this whole issue of herd culture has huge
implications as we begin to plan our grazing and develop our ranch infrastructure. In my opinion, it goes a
long way to explaining why so many of us have struggled as we transition to this new style of
management. If we can understand the components of culture and more deeply appreciate the ways that
animals interact with their environments, I think we might be able to smooth out these discouraging
learning curves.
A Change of Scenery
Most of us who manage livestock realize that it’s hard to take a bunch of critters from one
environment to another and expect them to keep on breeding back and weaning big calves without
missing a beat. There’s always the dreaded adjustment period. Depending on how different the
environments, the pain of this transition can be highly variable, but it pretty well always happens, even
when moving from relatively tough country to what looks like easy street. This adjustment period also
happens when we decide to change our management for the benefit of our land. When we start
amalgamating animals that don’t necessarily want to be with each other, and then make them go into
areas that they don’t particularly fancy being in, a uniform chorus of bovine protestation often results.
Well, what would you do if you were unwillingly plucked off of your pretty farm in the green hills of
Missouri, transported to a new ranch in the badlands of Wyoming, given a brand new set of friends, all
new food, different weather, a novel landscape, and salty water? You most likely would protest and
perform below your potential, at least initially. What if you had been on that same Wyoming ranch your
whole life, and had been in charge of the winter country down in the Red Desert all that time. You know
every square foot of that place – where all the winterfat and best grass patches are, the good places to
take shelter in blizzards, how far you can ride out and still get back before dark (or how to get home in the
dark), etc. You are intimate with the land. Now your foreman has decided to move you to the summer unit
in the Green Mountains. How long will it take you to learn that place and become as intimate with it as you
are with the winter country? Probably a long time, but if you have to do it, you will. You can adapt. You
have the capacity to change your culture to enhance your prospects for survival.
Such scenarios are equally as applicable to your animals, including this ability to learn and adapt to
new circumstances. That’s good news for those of us who realize we need to change our management.
Riparian zone blowouts, overrested mesas, and sagebrush monocultures are not acceptable in the
modern West. To begin to rectify these problems, we need to change the behavior of our animals, which
means we must change their culture.
How do Cows Get Cultured?
Now, to get to the point, what exactly constitutes bovine culture, and how do we change it?
Complexity is the rule, but here are some basics. Young animals learn what to eat and how to eat from
their mothers. Sounds simple, but its impact on how animals use the range is huge. If a calf or lamb
doesn’t see its mother grazing larkspur, it won’t eat it either. If it sees its mother munching fallen mesquite
beans, or sagebrush, or taking a bit of snakeweed every now and then, by golly it will too. By following
their mothers, young animals learn which toxic plants to avoid, which toxic plants they can eat some but
not a lot of, which grasses, forbs, and browse are most nutritious at certain times of the year, etc. It’s not
innate knowledge. It’s learned; it’s part of their culture.
Once mother becomes less of a focal point, peers start to have an important impact on foraging
behavior. If you buy a load of yearlings and stick them in with your weaned heifers, the new kids on the
block will watch what the experienced locals are eating, and they’ll gradually take on those habits.
All this begs another even more fundamental question: What exactly tells the mother cow that it’s
safe to eat this, a little bit of that, and none of that? She probably learned from her mom, too, of course,
but this knowledge had to start somewhere. I often think of the poor Fleckvieh Simmentals from the lush
pastures of Germany that first set foot in Namibia, in southwestern Africa. Those first bulls were lowered
into the icy Atlantic, swam ashore onto the Namibian coast, and were then lined out in a forced march
across the blazing Namib Desert to the scrubby arid savanna of the country’s interior. Talk about culture
shock. How did those poor critters learn what to eat?
Satiation vs. Palatability
For many years now, Allan Savory has been saying that animals don’t select their diet based on
which species are palatable as opposed to unpalatable. They simply select from all the plants on hand to
meet their energy, protein, mineral, and vitamin needs. Sometimes this correlates to a particular species,
but oftentimes it doesn’t. Things such as growth form (young and tender vs. old and fibrous) and growing
site (highly mineralized vs. leached soil) often have just as much or more to do with a plant’s
attractiveness as the species itself. The animals know how to select what they need. Many academics
have said that’s hogwash.
Dr. Provenza disagrees. In fact, his trials indicate that animals can figure out what they need. It’s
not a conscious choice, but the result of a complex web of interrelated physiological and cognitive
processes. In one trial, as lambs were given an energy infusion into the rumen during the consumption of
straw, daily intake of straw increased steadily. The body sensed that its energy needs were being met, the
lambs associated this sensation of satiation with the flavor of the straw they were eating, so they kept
eating straw. In the control group without the energy infusion, daily consumption of straw steadily dropped.
The straw was not satiating their energy needs, so they quit eating it. These two groups were in pens side
by side, and Dr. Provenza had parts of the trial on video. By the third day, when the straw was placed in
the pens, the energy infusion group was diving into the feed rack with incredible enthusiasm, while the
control group was looking at them through the fence, with looks on their faces that seemed to wonder,
“What on earth do you guys see in that crap?”
And not only do they know what they do need, they also know what they don’t need. The emetic
system is the body’s defense mechanism against overconsumption. Animals can eat too much of a good
thing, like protein or energy, or too much of a bad thing, like toxic compounds. In either case, when too
much goes down the hatch, the emetic system kicks in and makes us feel sick to our stomachs. Usually
we can sense this coming before we need to head for the bathroom, and we naturally stop eating the thing
that’s making us full or starting to make us nauseous. When an animal overeats on a particular plant, it
remembers it for a long time. Humans can relate. The unique sensation just prior to losing one’s cookies
tends to stick with us. Your brain associates that sensation with the food you just ate, and maybe even
with the restaurant or room you ate it in. Chances are that food or restaurant will be unpopular for years to
come. Same goes for animals. A bad eating experience can last a lifetime.
Diversity – the Spice of Life
From a practical management point of view, this is both good and bad. If the plant is indeed highly
toxic, we want the animal to avoid that plant for the rest of its life. More often than not, however, the plant
has the potential to play an important part in meeting the animal’s needs as long as not too much of it gets
consumed at any one time. Dr. Provenza has demonstrated that when presented a variety of different
plants, livestock will consume more total nutrients per day than with only one or two plants available. This
isn’t because the high variety diet contains more nutrients per pound than the simpler diet; it’s because an
animal will only eat so much of one plant type before it becomes satiated on that plant and wants to eat
something else. Usually the satiation is caused by toxic compounds in the plant. Essentially all plants
contain these compounds and are potentially toxic if overconsumed. The emetic system starts to tell the
animal to slow down on one plant and switch to another.
Most rangeland landscapes support a broad diversity of species, especially those in which the
ecosystem processes are functioning effectively. Most of those species can be used by our domestic
livestock to one degree or another. We often assume that broad, uniform utilization of our ranges can only
be achieved by a mix of livestock species. That of course is one way to do it. Some species have higher
tolerances for some toxic compounds than others. Goats, for instance, will tend to browse sagebrush more
readily than cattle. But oftentimes, a particular species has the potential to feed over a much broader
range of plants than we give them credit for. The reason they don’t, typically, is because they’ve never
learned to. This learned behavior can take years to evolve, but there are things we can do as managers to
help it develop faster – more on that in a minute.
Culture Shock
This brings us back to culture. The Fleckvieh Simmentals in Namibia know how to make a living in
their very un-German environment. Over the past hundred years, the animals that have figured out which
combination of plants they can best make a living on have been the ones to survive and pass that
behavior on to their offspring. They have evolved a new culture.
A population of animals that is intimately familiar with a ranch, and that has been managed the same way
for years, decades, or even centuries, will have developed a very strong culture
– a culture of survival molded by history and dependent on a diversity of plants. When we change that
culture by mobbing them up into bigger and bigger herds, for example, and into tighter and tighter units of
land, we have to expect a culture shock. Many of the little bunches that formerly occupied their own
smaller home ranges are now being forced into areas of the ranch where they seldom venture, and
possibly exposed to plants they’ve never seen. The foraging patterns or habits of each original little bunch
will change drastically, because the land they have access to on any given day will be totally different to
what they’re accustomed to, and it will take time before the animals learn a new grazing pattern that meets
their nutritional needs. If the animals are moving through lots of pastures, they’ll have to go through this
learning curve in every pasture. This is stressful.
Smooth Transitions
Be prepared for trouble, but be patient, observant, and don’t give up, because the good news is
that the animals will learn. They will change their culture, and there are some things we can do to help
them along. One of those is to take things slowly. Expecting to turn a desert into the Garden of Eden in
one season is wishful thinking. Initial enthusiasm wanes quickly when animals aren’t happy.
As you start to amalgamate herds, think about the best way to do that from the animals’ point of
view. For example, scattered groups of animals that are already using one ecologically distinct region of
the ranch (and therefore already know each other and the plants) can be combined into one herd and
managed under that new social and spatial context before they’re taken into completely new country and
combined with totally unfamiliar animals into even larger herds. When planning the development of new
pastures or grazing units, try to make sure each area has as much plant diversity as possible. Remember
that the more plant types an animal has to select from, the more able will it be to meet its needs. You may
already have animals that know how to meet their needs from the range of plants on your ranch, but if you
mob them up into smaller pastures that lack that diversity, expect trouble. I have had personal experience
with this exact challenge on a fairly degraded ranch that I managed in New Mexico. If I would have
understood the importance of “access to plant diversity”, I would have urged our management group to do
our land planning and subsequent infrastructure development much differently.
When bringing new animals onto a property, remember that younger animals will more readily
adapt to the new environment than older individuals. The old adage that”“you can’t teach an old dog new
tricks” applies to cows as well. Also, those new animals, regardless of age or history, should always be
mixed with animals that know what to eat and where to go, and an effort should be made to keep them
mixed. The new ones will tend to segregate themselves, but the quicker they integrate, the faster the
newcomers will learn how to make a living in their novel surroundings.
Fine Tuning
And finally, for those of you who have survived the inevitable performance dip and now have
culturally sophisticated livestock that prefer to be bunched and constantly moving, here’s another tidbit Dr.
Provenza threw out. He is now experimenting with different levels of protein and energy supplements
designed to stimulate animals to eat plants that they normally don’t select (or at least don’t select
aggressively), like sagebrush and other plants that dominate vast tracts of land in the West. If we can get
animals to go after these plants, we’ll have a much better chance at healing many severely degraded
landscapes. Heavy browsing pressure on sagebrush, in combination with hoof action, will help open up
these sagebrush monocultures and stimulate new forbs and grasses to start filling in bare ground. If the
animals refuse to eat sagebrush, there is little chance of making this happen.
With two groups of lambs that were familiar with sagebrush (i.e. it wasn’t a novel plant to them), he
offered one group a restricted amount of an energy supplement (200 grams per day) and a protein
supplement (also 200 g/day), along with all the sagebrush they wanted. Another group was offered both of
these supplements ad lib – meaning they could eat all they wanted, in addition to the sagebrush. The
restricted group ate 1500 g of sagebrush per day, while the ad lib group only ate 800 g per day. The ad lib
group wasn’t stupid. The alfalfa and barley in the supplement met their needs more readily than the
sagebrush, so without the restriction, they ate more of it and less sagebrush. The 200 g each of protein
and energy was enough of a complement to the sagebrush, however, that the restricted group really put
away the sagebrush – lots more than they would have without the supplement. Roughly 75% of their daily
dry matter intake was composed of sagebrush. That’s pretty good. This indicates that restricted use of
strategic supplements, in combination with sound grazing planning, might just be the trick to the utilization
and healing of vast tracts of otherwise worthless rangeland, or to getting animals to eat any plant that is
potentially useful but greatly underutilized. Anyway, they’re currently trying it out on the Deseret Ranch in
northeastern Utah on a commercial scale, so we’ll have a better idea of how this works in the real world
pretty soon.
One last thing. It’s awfully important to remember that most of us, when starting to manage
holistically, will not only be changing the culture of our animals, but our own as well. Give yourself time, be
clear on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it (holistic goal), and keep a positive attitude. If you think
the transition to a healthier ranch, a healthier lifestyle, and a healthier bank account is going to create
more pain than it’s worth, you’ll probably be right. If you know you’re going to make it work and be
successful no matter what happens, you’ll also be right. It’s up to you. Now go get cultured.
Replace this page with these Fact Sheets:
The Challenge
Behavior Depends on Consequences
Early Experience Matters Most
Videos You Might Like To Use
Early Experience Matters Most
Lambs Eat What Mom Eats and Avoid What She Avoids -
2:47
This video is a demonstration of two groups of sheep. In one
group, the ewes have been averted to Russian Olive and when
they are let into the pen with their lambs, they eat only
Carragena. Their lambs follow their lead. The other group of
ewes has been averted to Caragena and when let into the pen
with their lambs, both the ewes and their young eat only
Russian Olive. The demonstration ends when the young lambs
are let into the pen without their mothers with a choice of
Russian Olive and Caragena. The lambs whose mothers were
averse to Russian Olive eat only Caragena, and those whose
mothers were averse to Caragena eat only Russian Olive
demonstrating that young animals learn to eat what Mom eats.
Challenges of Moving Animals to New Places - Producer In
A Can - 5:01
An agency staffer and a producer describe what happens when
they move upland cows to the marshlands of Louisiana, and
what happens when they try to change grazing habits of herds
from open range to pasture rotations.
Experience Counts
Replace this page with:
1. The hard copies of the slides “Early Experience Matters Most.”
2. The printed version of the section “Just Like Mom’s” from the
ForestandRange.org on-line course.
3. The Fact Sheets:
Mother Knows Best
Structure Determines Experience, Experience Determines
Structure
Dairy Calves Take Grazing Lessons from Mom
By Ron Daines
Wisconsin dairy farmer David Mayenschein says he can hardly wait until next spring. That’s when
the dairy animals he’s raised using principles of animal behavior will freshen, and he’s excited to see how
well they’ve learned to graze.
For the past eight years, Mayenschein has grazed his cows intensively on pasture. But his calves
consistently failed to learn to eat grain and grass. In 2002, he heard animal behaviorist Fred Provenza talk
about the principles of animal behavior, and the light bulb flashed on.
“As soon as I heard Fred, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do this,’” says Mayenschein. “Fred says
cows teach them, so I put these calves out there amongst the cows, and the cows taught them what to eat
and how to eat it,” says Mayenschein.
He had tried to persuade his calves to eat grain from his hand. They’d eat while he fed them but
ignored the grain when he left. “Then I remembered that Fred said the mother would teach them.” So he
cut 15-gallon drums in half, filled the troughs with grain, and put them on the ground where the calves
could see what the cows were eating and could imitate them. Before long the calves were eating the grain
right alongside their mothers.
Mayenschein’s dairy is one of a growing number of pasture-based dairies. Twenty years ago, many
Wisconsin dairies continuous-pastured their cows, but few, if any, used managed grazing. Today, it’s more
than 20%, and the number continues to grow, opening the door for further adoption of behavioral principles
in the dairy business. Mayenschein’s cows stay outdoors year round on pastures that include a New
Zealand ryegrass (BG 34), white clover, Ladino, trefoil, blue grass, quack grass, timothy and even a few
dandelions. The only time the cows are on concrete is when they come in for milking twice a day.
Mayenschein says his grazing cows are healthier and lasting longer. Their average productive life is now
10 years, and he just sold his oldest, a 16-year-old that had borne 14 calves.
In the summer of 2004, Mayenschein observed that these same mother-trained calves grazed his
pastures much better than their mothers, which would bunch up and dead-end in a corner of the pasture.
Mayenschien now leaves his calves on the cows, rather than weaning them as part of using
behavioral principles. He says the benefits are clear:
* There’s virtually no work with calves left on their mothers.
* There’s no need for a calf hutch or pen.
* The calves grow faster.
* The calves are much healthier.
On the negative side, a dairy that leaves calves with cows will lose valuable milk production, plus
the calves are more difficult to wean.
“The bad part is when you wean them the mother is bellowing for her calf. But it’s only a problem
for three to four days tops,” says Mayenschein. “They’re hard to wean but, boy, they know how to graze.
It’s like a lawnmower came through there. They even eat the burdock.”
One challenge for Mayenschein is deciding whether to buy or raise his own replacements. When
milk prices are low, he’s not troubled by leaving his calves on the cows. But when milk prices are high, as
they have been in recent months, a sucking calf is sucking profits. He observes that after three weeks of
age, a calf is drinking 30 to 60 pounds a day of mother’s milk.
A solution, he says, may be to segregate the herd by level of mastitis, putting calves on cows with
high somatic cell counts. However, he says he doesn’t know whether calves nursing cows with high
somatic cell counts will develop a propensity toward mastitis.
This year, because of the high milk prices, Mayenschein has been trying a different tack, using the
behavioral principle that says young animals also learn from their peers – he calls these peers “surrogate
mothers.”
He raised his own replacements and put some of them in individual hutches until they were two
months old. Others were placed in pens with calves that already knew how to eat grain. The hutch-raised
calves took much longer to catch on to eating grain and were much more work to train. Meanwhile, the
group-raised calves quickly and easily learned on their own from watching their pen mates.
“You mingle them with another calf that eats well and it doesn’t take long for the young calf to
learn,” he observes.
Mayenschein says he’s happy to preach the virtues of grazing pasture using concepts of animal
behavior. ’“I would suggest it to anybody,” he says. “I think Fred does great work. A lot of people should
really read more about what he’s doing and try to understand what he’s doing.”
Dairy Cows Train Calves to Graze
By Ron Daines
Dairy operator Vance Haugen was in the audience when David Mayenscheim spoke a couple of
years ago at a winter grazing conference. He listened as Mayenscheim talked about how he let his calves
graze with their mothers on his Wisconsin pasture-based dairy, about how the mothers taught their
offspring how to graze.
Mayenscheim’s talk, discussing principles of animal behavior he’d learned from Utah State range
scientist Fred Provenza, planted a seed in Haugen’s mind. ’“We had a cow that was going to fall freshen,”
said Haugen, “so we let her calf run with her, and it worked.” The calf quickly learned to graze the Haugen
dairy pastures.
In the spring of 2004, Haugen expanded his experiment with the 100 cows scheduled to freshen.
The bull calves and half of the heifers were left with their mothers. The other half of the heifers were raised
the traditional way in calf hutches. The calves left on their mothers remained with them till weaning –
about eight weeks – then were pulled off and put out to graze in their own paddocks.
“Some of the calves were nibbling on grass at two or three days old,” said Haugen. “I’m not sure if
they were actually eating, but they were certainly mimicking their mothers.”
For the most part, the experiment had positive results, he said of the calves raised with their
mothers. The calves had slick coats and somewhat fewer problems with illness. He said the illness levels
were less noticeable than the growth differences – the calves left with their mothers were 3 to 4 inches
larger than the bottle-fed calves.
Haugen said the process did require minor adjustments in labor, mostly to build some corrals for
vaccinating the mother-raised calves. Another difference he noticed was in “wilier” nature of the calves
raised with their mothers.
“They’re not exceedingly wild, but they’re very wary,” he said. “It’s a little harder to get them
collected, but they’re still approachable. It’s certainly much easier to catch a bottle-fed calf, but I don’t think
it’s going to be a problem in the long run.”
So what does Haugen think of using behavioral principles to manage his grass-based dairy?
“In the spring of 2005,” he said, “we’ll do all of them that way,” and he’s spreading the word about
what he’s doing.
And what about losing marketable milk to hungry calves.
“We use expensive milk replacer anyway,” he said, “so we figure it’s a tradeoff.”
Heifers Train Cows
I just finished reading the article in this months edition of The Stockman Grass Farmer
regarding the work Dr Provenza has done on livestock diet, acclimation, familiarization etc. This is
interesting to me, as I recently brought a few head of Red Angus heifers in from Central Oklahoma
to my leased property, about 65 miles North X Northwest of Houston, TX. This is approximately
500 miles due South of their birthplace.
In fact I just picked up 3 more head yesterday from Northern Oklahoma. I had reasoned
that weanlings would be easier to adapt to my area, as opposed to more mature heifers or young
cows. Glad to see my thinking was correct in that regard.
Also, interestingly enough, the leased property that I put the first set of heifers on is almost
evenly divided between Coastal Bermuda, native annuals and scrubby brush. The few head of
cattle that were on it already were only grazing the Coastal, even though Little Bluestem and
Brown Seed Paspalum were abundantly available. They had come from a place that was entirely
bermuda and/or bahia grass. The Red Angus heifers had been grazing Midland Bermuda and
mixed Bermuda / native grass pastures in Oklahoma. Within a week of their being placed on the
property the older cattle began to graze the native grasses, too. I suppose they learned to graze
these grasses from watching the heifers. This has really started me thinking about what I had
been doing in the past.
Thanks,
Stephen Rogers
Bellville, TX
Palatability is More Than a
Matter of Taste
Videos You Might Like To Use
Palatability Is More Than A Matter of Taste
Tastes Great! - :34 and Tastes Awful! - :33
These are two “animations” showing how feedback affects
whether a food has a good or bad flavor.
Sheep Who Love Straw! - 1:44
This is a demonstration showing how feedback from nutrients
affect an animal’s willingness to eat a food. Two groups are
given straw, a food very low in nutrients. The first group
refuses to eat it. The second group eats it like crazy. The
reason? Researchers had gavaged them with nutrients every
time they ate straw to provide positive feedback.
I’ve Never Tried It But I Don’t Like It...Yet! - 2:05
This video demonstrates he concept of neophobia. First lambs
are given Russian Olive, and they sample it tentatively. After a
week, they eat it well. They are then given a choice between
Russian Olive (a familiar food) and Caragena (a novel food).
They choose to eat only Russian Olive. After a week, they are
familiar with both foods and they eat both.
Food Aversions Are Learned - 3:43
This is a demonstration showing that when an animal receives
negative feedback from toxins it no longer eats that food.
Researchers gave lambs who ate a particular plant lithium
chloride which causes nausea. When they were offered that
food again, they refused to eat it.
Replace this page with:
1. The hard copies of the slides “Palatability is More Than a Matter
of Taste.”
2. The printed version of the section “Palatability is More Than a
Matter of Taste” from the ForestandRange.org on-line course.
3. The Fact Sheets:
Palatability is More Than a Matter of Taste
Nutrients Influence Palatability
Toxin-Nutrient Interactions Influence Diet Selection
Toxins Reduce Palatability
Ingestion of Toxic Plants by Herbivores
Structure, Quality and Skills Interact to Influence Forage
Intake
Learning About Foods and Locations
Learning What to Eat and What to Avoid
Why Animals Die From Eating Poisonous Plants
Cows Eat Leafy Spurge
Think cows won’t eat leafy spurge? Don’t tell that to the cows on the Rex Ranch in Nebraska. One
year, employees marked spurge for spraying. They were going to spray it as soon as the cows moved to a
new pasture. But when they went back to spray, the spurge was gone. It was grazed right down to the
ground.
The ranch uses high-intensity short duration grazing forcing cattle to eat plants they
wouldn’t normally eat. Ranch manager John Young’says that four factors are critical. 1) The Rex
Ranches use high stock densities for short periods to encourage cattle to eat a broad variety of plants. 2)
Leafy spurge occurs in patches, it does not dominate the landscape, so cattle do not have to eat only
spurge. 3) Other plants on the ranch complement leafy spurge biochemically, which better enables cattle
to eat spurge. 4) The Rex Ranches keep their replacement heifers so young animals learn to eat leafy
spurge from their mothers’– it has become part of the culture.
Sheep and legumes as partners to control crop weeds
Dean Thomas, The University of Western Australia
Understanding the grazing behavior of livestock can help producers control weeds in crop fields. In
Australia, annual ryegrass invasion is a persistent problem in many wheat fields, and herbicides are
becoming less effective due to an increase in herbicide-resistant weeds. Producers can reduce the
abundance of weeds by planting cropland to pasture with a legume that is not preferred by livestock.
Livestock grazing the legume-ryegrass pasture eat more annual ryegrass and less legumes, thus reducing
the number of ryegrass weed seeds produced. When the legume, Casbah biserrula, was planted in a
ryegrass infested pasture and then grazed by sheep, seed set of annual ryegrass was reduced by 90% in
one year compared to pastures where other legumes were planted. The additional nitrogen and organic
matter produced by the legume also benefits the subsequent crop.
Casbah biserrula is avoided because it may contain secondary compounds that are aversive to
sheep. Sheep grazing pastures containing a high proportion of biserrula avoided biserrula, while those
grazing pastures with a low proportion or no biserrula had a higher preference for biserrula when offered a
choice. In addition, biserrula has been reported to cause photosensitization in sheep, although this is rare.
Growth is not adversely affect in sheep grazing biserrula pastures.
Choosing the right species for the pasture is essential for effective weed control. These
researchers recommend using a legume that is not highly preferred by livestock, tolerates grazing, and is
suited to the climate and soil of the area. It must grow vigorously and compete effectively against weeds.
Where animals have difficulty selecting preferred plants from those that are less preferred,
pastures might need to be sown to allow animals to easily select the target plant. Planting the legume in
rows spaced far apart may increase control because animals can easily graze grass sprouting between
the rows. Researchers recommend that sheep are most effective at controlling ryegrass when forage
availability is between 1000 to 1500 lbs/acre. If the legume is too abundant, sheep have difficulty finding
and grazing ryegrass. On the other hand if the pasture becomes overgrazed, animals will consume all
forage making the legume less competitive
Variety is the Spice of Life
Videos You Might Like To Use
Variety is the Spice of Life
What Happens When Animals Get Nothing But the Best -
Producer in a Can - 3:33
A producer and NRCS staffer discuss their discoveries about
the importance of variety in an animals diet after their
experience with giving them a pasture of the “candy” of
forages.
Seven Steps for Turning Cows Into Weed Managers - 16:08
Kathy Voth of Livestock for Landscapes, LLC describes the
step process and why it worked in a pilot project to teach cows
to eat Canada thistle, leafy spurge and spotted knapweed.
Replace this page with:
1. The hard copies of the slides “Variety is the Spice of Life.”
2. The printed version of the section “Variety is the Spice of Life”
from the ForestandRange.org on-line course.
3. The Fact Sheets:
Does Variety Matter?
Ignoring Variation: Are We Missing Opportunities?
Diet Mixing: Increasing Intake of Unpalatable Plants
Bison Take Over Ration-Mixing in Wyoming Feedlot
The bison are in charge of ration-mixing at Iron Mountain Bison Ranch’s feedlot and they’re doing a great
job. Average daily weight gains have increased a quarter to a half pound per head per day. In addition,
acidosis and scouring problems have been eliminated and labor and yardage costs have dropped.
“I just love this system because I let them do their own nutrition work, and I’m seeing daily gains I thought
were impossible,” says Ranch Manager Kent Fullerton. When he was bunk-feeding a total mixed ration,
the bison averaged 1.75 pounds gain per day and he thought 2 pounds per day was the best he could
ever hope for. “Right now we’re averaging 2 pounds per day. I’ve had yearlings that gained 2.3 and 2.4
pounds per day.”
The changes began in 2003 after Ranch Manager Kent Fullerton attended a meeting where Utah State
University’s Dr. Fred Provenza described a study showing that feedlot cattle performance improved when
they were offered a choice of feeds rather than a total mixed ration. When Fullerton got back to the ranch,
he decided to give the new system a try by finishing off a small group of long-yearlings. He had some
portable bulk self-feeders on hand so he filled one with corn, another with dry brewers grain from the local
Budweiser plant and his bulk hay feeder with alfalfa hay.’“That was the group that did two and a third
pounds per day. They just looked fantastic,” Fullerton laughs.
The entire feedlot now runs on the new system which has reduced costs and solved a wide range of
problems. Fullerton and his crew no longer have to grind and mix rations, and they only feed twice a week,
freeing up other days for other projects. Instead of spending days digging out after a blizzard, the crew fills
feeders before storms so that the bison can keep on eating while the crew holes up. Feed waste is
reduced because the Wyoming winds no longer fill the bunks with dirt or blow rations away and bison don’t
sort through their rations for what they like best. Illness from acidosis and scours, common problems in
bison feedlots, has been eliminated along with the strong ammonia scent commonly associated with
feedlots. Finally, timid animals finish as well as the more aggressive ones.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone according to Fullerton. The bison are healthier, costs are down, and
without feeding chores every morning he can sleep in on Sundays and still make it to church.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Videos You Might Like To Use
Old Dogs New Tricks
Moving From Barn Feeding to Pasture Grazing - Producer
in a Can - 3:22
The NRCS’s Darrell Emmick describes the process of helping
dairies transition from feeding cows in barns to pasture-based
operations.
Using Animal Behavior to Meet Land Management Goals -
4:04
Jim Winder of Heritage Ranches in New Mexico discusses his
use of reinforcement and punishment to move cattle to meet
land management goals.
Training Cows to Use Uplands and Leave Streams and
Ponds - 9:00
Bob Budd of The Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon Ranch
describes his success in using a rider to train cows to use
uplands and how it has increased cow numbers and weights as
well as the economics of the ranch.
Replace this page with:
1. The hard copies of the slides “Old Dogs, New Tricks.”
2. The printed version of the section “Old Dogs New Tricks” from
the ForestandRange.org on-line course.
3. The Fact Sheets:
Introducing Animals to New Foods
Training Animals to Avoid Foods
Training Livestock to Leave Streams and Use Uplands
Preparing Animals for Moving Day
Using Low Moisture Blocks to Improve Livestock
Distribution and Forage Utilization
Reducing Losses Due to Tall Larkspur Poisoning
Livestock as a Tool FOR Biodiversity in the Sagebrush
Steppe
Should you kiss your cows goodnight?
Ben Bartlett, DVM
Extension Dairy Agent
Upper Peninsula, Michigan
If you were “married” to your cows, would they be filing for divorce? I am sure there are times when
you have wanted out of the cow business, but have you ever considered your cows’ perspective? If you
have read any farm magazines or listened to the news in the last 6 months, it’s obvious that both the
public and the dairy industry are very interested in animal welfare. Given the current increase in concern
for cow comfort and improved animal handling techniques, I thought it would be interesting to “eavesdrop”
on some cow conversations. Are your cows thinking positive things about their current state of affairs or
are they thinking “divorce?”
(Disclaimer: The following comments may not reflect your cows’ opinions. Your best bet would be
to ask them yourself.)
As we pick up the conversation of Bossie and Bessie, Bos and Bes for short, Bos says:
“I am so stressed out! The new milker, Sammy, is driving me up a wall, literally. I am not eating
right, getting my needed rest, and I’m scared to death to get into the parlor with him.”
Bes says: “Well the stress is not all in your head. Jeff Rushen from Quebec did research and found
that your milk production could be down 10% if Sammy was in the parlor and he doesn’t even have to be
doing the milking1. What’s worse is that Sammy has us all on edge. Have you noticed how milking is
taking longer? We are all stepping around and kicking off the milking machines more often. To make the
situation worse, the owner is getting uptight because milking is taking longer, and now she is doing more
yelling. Ed Pajor of Purdue found that yelling is as aversive to cattle as using a hot shot2. It sure has
gotten more stressful around here.”
Bos replies, “What I can’t believe is that Sammy is supposed to be a college-trained milker! He
doesn’t know anything about working around us cows. You would think the owner would put all new
employees through a training program for animal handling. People should notice that we have our eyes on
the sides of our face and we can see over 300 degrees but have really poor depth perception.”
“Yeah,” says Bes, “Why can’t they just give us a second or so to look over where we are going and
not be in such a hurry all the time? It was OK for the owner to slow down when she got bifocals, but we
are supposed to run everywhere even if we can’t see our feet.”
“My pet peeve is the noise. Sammy is always yelling and hollering,” says Bos. “He can’t wait a few
seconds for me to walk into the parlor. He gets right behind me where I can’t see him and starts screaming
and pushing. And then he is surprised when he gets kicked. I don’t think Sammy appreciates being
tailgated by another car when he is driving.”
Bes chimes in, “No one ever tells us anything. I just hate it when things are new or novel and
people won’t give us time to sort it out. How are we supposed to know if it’s dangerous or going to hurt us?
People should know that cows are creatures of habit and a new gate, a coat hanging on the fence, or
anything new takes us a few positive experiences to be comfortable with it.”
Bos says “If profit margins are down, I sure don’t understand some things people do. That new
heifer, Betty, just calved the other day. I hear they paid $2000 for her and she had never been in a milking
parlor before. Three people hollered and pushed her into the parlor and then slapped a ‘can’t kick’ and a
milker on her. Kate Breuer from Australia found heifers that were hit or rushed into and out of a parlor
produced 3 pounds less milk per day compared to more gently handled heifers3. Betty is so afraid that I
don’t think she will last even one whole lactation. She is so afraid of people that she slipped and fell three
times when they sorted her out for a post-calving check. It’s sad, a great heifer with all that potential and
people don’t have time to make her first experience in a parlor a positive one.”
“Bes, if you could talk to dairymen, what would you tell them?” asked Bos.
Bes replied “The first thing would be, handling cows more gently will make them more milk and
more money. Hemsworth from Australia did a study with 14 dairy farms and measured fearfulness in cows.
He found that 30% to 50% of the variance in milk production between farms could be explained by the
level of fear shown by the cows to humans4. Seabrook found in a study of 12 very similar farms that a
change in stockman could change production by over 1250 pounds of milk per cow per year5. Gentle
handling pays.”
Bos asked, “That’s great for the dairyman but what about us? How can dairymen do things ‘more
gently’?”
Bes replied, “We could tell dairymen lots of things but they are so busy they will just forget. Gentle
cattle handling boils down to having knowledge of cow behavior, practicing good handling skills, and
having and maintaining adequate facilities. Cows see and hear differently than people. We are prey
animals and people are predators to us. We need to learn not to fear humans. Hollering, hitting, and doing
things in a hurry only increase our fear of humans. Cows are creatures of habit. If only people would give
us a kind word and a gentle stroke when we are calves and treat us with understanding and respect. We
do pay the bills after all, we could work as a team. Gentle handling can benefit both the dairymen and
cows.”
Cows don’t need a kiss goodnight. If dairymen and their helpers would just remember, Slow and
Quiet, it would be a great first step to building a better relationship. It could also decrease the divorce rate.
References:
(1) Rushen J., de Passille. A.M.B., and Musksgaard,L. 1997; J. Dairy Sci.80(Suppl.1):202
(2) Pajor, E. A.,Rushen,J.,& de Passille,A.M.B.; 2000; Applied Animal Behavior Sci., 69:89-102
(3) Roenfeldt, S.;2001, Dairy Herd Mang. September, 2001, page 34
(4) Hemsworth, P. H., Price, E.O., & Borgwardt, R.,. 1996 Applied Animal Behavior Sci.,50:43-56
(5) Seabrook, M.F.; 1984, The Veterinary Record, 115:84-87.
Relationships Matter
Videos You Might Like To Use
Relationships Make All the Difference
Any of the videos from Old Dogs New Tricks would also be
appropriate here because they describe how people are using
relationships between many elements to make environmental
and economic improvements. Seven Steps for Turning Cows
Into Weed Managers could also work here.
Replace this page with:
1. The hard copies of the slides “Relationships Matter.”
References
Replace this page with:
1. The Fact Sheets:
Carbohydrate Reserves: What you Learned May Be Wrong
Factors Influencing Grazing Tolerance
2. The BEHAVE Bibliography
3. Training Animals for Demonstrations
Improving Economic Viability of Producers and Ecological Integrity of Pastures
Green acres: Aiding dairy transition from confinement to pastures 2004 Report
An increasing number of small to mid-sized dairies in the United States rely on high-quality pastures to
meet nutritional needs of lactating cows and cut production costs. Given a choice livestock can balance
their diets for energy and protein but few studies have been conducted with dairy cattle. Graduate student
and NRCS, New York State Grazing Land Management Specialist Darrel Emmick and USU professor Fred
Provenza are investigating: 1) how the nutrient composition of a ration fed in the barn affects forage
preference on pasture and 2) if lactating dairy cows can discriminate between forage patches varying in
nitrogen content and use this information in forage selection.
In the first study, two groups of cows were supplemented with a ration containing either 10% or 19.7%
crude protein. After receiving their supplement, one group of cows grazed a pasture planted in alternate
strips of orchardgrass alone, orchardgrass - clover (red and white) mix and clover alone while the other
group grazed a pasture planted with alternate strips of tall fescue alone, tall fescue - clover mix and clover
alone after receiving their supplement.
Preliminary observations indicate that grazing patterns differed between the two treatment groups
depending on grass species. The cows grazing orchardgrass spent more of their time grazing in the clover
patches than did the cows grazing tall fescue regardless of the protein content of the ration fed in the barn.
Cows in both groups spent a greater proportion of their grazing time in the clover patches when fed the
low protein grain concentrate. When fed the high protein grain concentrate, the cows in both groups
decreased the amount of time spent in the clover patches and increased the time spent grazing in the
grass patches. Data analysis from this study is currently underway.
In the second study, nitrogen was applied in strips to an orchardgrass pasture a the rate of 0, 50 and 150
lbs of actual nitrogen/acre and crude protein content of each strip was 24%, 28% and 32%, respectively.
Forage strips increased incrementally in brightness of color with increasing rate of nitrogen.
Cows grazed approximately one-third of the time in each of the strips and consumed similar amounts of
forage from each strip. Thus, if the cows are able to discern differences in brightness of color, they did not
appear to use this information to select forage. Nitrogen content of the forages were well in excess of the
cows nutritional needs and thus may not have been a factor in their diet selection because nitrogen was
more than adequate to meet needs.
Cleaning up the rangeland plate: Teaching livestock to eat noxious weeds
Web Site: Livestock Grazing for Invasive Plant Control
Invasive weeds are intruding on millions of acres across the Western United States, pushing out native
plants and devastating ecosystems. Most of these plants were introduced from Europe and Asia, where
they are a small part of natural systems. However, in the United States, the vegetation dynamics and
grazing regimes have contributed to their explosive spread.
Cattle and sheep will consume moderate amounts of virtually all plants, including invasive or noxious
weeds, during one part or another of their growing cycle. Karen Launchbaugh, a BEHAVE collaborator and
assistant professor in the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management at the University of Idaho,
is working with other researchers to study the relationships between animal condition and circumstance
and their propensity to consume weedy plants. This research has made enormous progress toward
understanding methods of reducing noxious weeds using grazing animals.
Research in 2003 focused on how age and body condition of goats affect consumption of invasive juniper
species. Initial results confirm that the body condition of grazing animals can dramatically affect the
amount that an animal will eat of a plant containing toxins called monoterpenes. Goats in low body
condition ate 4 to 5 times more juniper than goats in high body condition. They also found that young
animals ate significantly more juniper than mature animals regardless of body condition. Research is
continuing to determine what internal factors enable animals to safely ingest toxic plants. Their research is
important because many rangeland plants contain monoterpenes, including sagebrush and juniper.
Additionally, the age or body condition of an animal could be managed to improve the effectiveness of
prescribed grazing practices for vegetation management.
Rangeland scientists at the University of Idaho are also actively engaged in helping land managers and
livestock producers understand the potential role of livestock grazing in controlling weeds and to achieve
other vegetation management goals. They maintain a web site to gather and disseminate information on
livestock grazing practices for weed control. This weed control web site is a repository for published
information and livestock manager experience to integrate grazing into weed management strategies. The
Weed Grazing Web site can be accessed at http://www.behave.net under Links or at the University of
Idaho web site http://www.uidaho.edu/range/weeds/.
Publications:
Frost, R.A. and K.L. Launchbaugh. 2003. Livestock grazing: a useful tool for managing noxious weeds.
Web Page. . Accessed 10-Nov-2003.
Launchbaugh, K.L, and L. Shipley. 2003. Stories of Applied Animal Behavior. Prepared by students of a
graduate level foraging ecology class. Accessed
10-Nov-2003.
Launchbaugh, K.L. 2003. Managing grazing behavior to accomplish livestock production and
environmental goals. In: Proceedings of Second National Conference on Grazing Lands. Nashville.
December (In press).
Frost, R.A. and K.L. Launchbaugh. 2003. Prescription grazing for rangeland weed management: A new
look at an old tool. Rangelands. 25: (In press).
Launchbaugh, K.L. and L.D. Howery. 2004. Understanding landscape use patterns of livestock as a
consequence of foraging behavior. J. Range Manage. 57: (In press).
Launchbaugh, K.L. and C.T. Dougherty. 2004. Grazing animal behavior. Chapter 45. In: Barnes, R.F., C.J.
Nelson, K.J. Moore and M. Collins. Forages: The science of grassland agriculture. Iowa State Press,
Ames, IA. (In press).
Noxious weeds: They’re what’s for dinner
Some view invasive exotic species as one of the most significant threats of our era, rivaling concerns like
ozone depletion, global warming, and loss of biodiversity. Indeed, rangeland weed invasions often reduce
biodiversity, increase soil erosion, and degrade wildlife habitat. They also affect livestock operations by
reducing carrying capacity and increasing weed-control costs.
While invasive species threaten the ecological integrity and productivity of pasture, range, and forests,
their control is hindered by vast roadless areas that limit access and by the low economic value of lands
they invade, making chemical and cultural control too expensive. Meanwhile, recent success using sheep
and goats to control some rangeland weeds has fueled interest in using grazing as a weed-control
measure. Carefully managed, grazing has the potential to control weeds in lieu of mechanical, cultural,
biological, or chemical methods constrained by environmental or economical concerns. By the same
token, managing weeds and vegetation with grazing may become a new revenue opportunity for livestock
managers.
Most invasive species contain plant chemicals that are aversive or toxic to livestock. Animals deprived of
nutrients often have difficulty detoxifying compounds so they may avoid weeds due to negative post-
ingestive feedback caused by the effects of toxins on the microbial activity or composition in their rumens.
The composition of rumen microbial populations varies with diet, requiring time to adjust to changes in
diet. All of this suggests that enhancing the animals’ abilities to tolerate these chemicals - perhaps by
supplementing their diets with vitamins, minerals, amino acids or carbohydrates - may allow them to
tolerate the weeds.
In 2002, Bret Olson, a professor of range ecology in the Animal and Range Science Department at
Montana State University, working with collaborators, observed that rumen populations given time to
adjust to specific weeds express greater microbial activity than those not given time to adjust. Olson is
expanding that study using a simulated rumen environment and donor sheep. This will be followed by pen
trials, and then field trials, to determine if feeding sheep small quantities of weeds allows microbial
populations to adjust so that the sheep can increase their consumption of weeds.
In 2003, research focused on two topic areas: 1) providing appropriate incentives (molasses) to get
animals to eat weeds, and 2) supplying anti-toxicants to counteract the negative effects of weeds on
animals. Researchers sprayed weeds in heavily infested areas with either a dilute solution of molasses or
plain water. Sheep use of weeds in treated (molasses) and untreated (water) areas were observed during
dawn and dusk grazing periods. Time spent grazing and bite counts were recorded. Researchers tested
molasses treatment on three weeds (spotted knapweed, sulfur cinquefoil, common tansy) at three different
sites in early summer. In mid-summer, they returned to two of the three sites to determine if molasses
increased consumption by sheep when plants were less palatable. Overall, effects of molasses were
minimal, possibly because molasses was too dilute, it was an inappropriate grade, or the animals had
never been exposed to it.
At Montana State University’s Nutrition Center, Olson and others are also conducting a series of laboratory
trials using a simulated rumen environment to determine background microbial gas production and
microbial nitrogen levels in the presence of spotted knapweed, sulfur cinquefoil or common tansy. With this
system, they are testing two anti-toxicants (polyethylene glycol and activated charcoal) that may
counteract negative effects associated with toxins in these plants. Different weeds, and different plant
parts of these species (leaves, stems, flower heads) affected rumen microbial gas production compared
with a low quality grass hay control. Adding activated charcoal enhanced microbial response. Results from
the polyethylene glycol study are forthcoming.
Agent-based modeling: Describing the rules for real-world patterns
Sericea lespedeza is an invasive weedy species in the tall grass prairie region. Over 700,000 acres in
Kansas are infested sericea and widespread infestations are also reported in Northeast Oklahoma and
Southwest Missouri. At high densities, it crowds out native plant species. The economics of controlling
sericea with herbicides are debatable and herbicides also damage many species other than sericea. Cattle
avoid eating sericea because it is high in tannins, compounds that bind to protein and cause food
aversions in ruminants. In studies conducted in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Utah State University graduate
student, Greg Mantz, research assistant professor, Juan Villalba, and professor, Fred Provenza, are
investigating supplementing cattle with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to increase consumption of sericea
thereby decreasing its spread. PEG binds to tannins and renders them inactive.
In stall trials, steers supplemented with PEG doubled consumption of the sericea compared with steers
that did not receive PEG. Moreover, when steers supplemented with PEG were offered a choice between
sericea and grass hay their preference for sericea was more than double of steers not receiving PEG.
In pasture trials, PEG seems to be most effective in increasing sericea consumption during late August
and September when sericea is flowering and the forage quality of the tall grass vegetation is declining.
Thus grazing sericea-infested pastures with supplemental PEG during August and September may offer
the potential to both control this invasive species and provide high-quality forage when forage quality of
native tall grass vegetation is poor.
Diet Mixing: Teaching Animals to Eat Unpalatable Plants
Ray Banister, a rancher in eastern Montana, uses a grazing management style he calls boom-bust
management. It involves short, intensive periods of grazing followed by two growing seasons of rest.
When Ray changed from rotational to boom-bust grazing, his Hereford cattle were no longer allowed to eat
only the most palatable plants. Instead, they were forced to eat all of the plants.
Ray monitors the least palatable plant species – shrubs such as snowberry and sagebrush and various
weeds including leafy spurge–– to decide when to move his cattle to a new pasture. Cattle are allowed to
move only after they eat most of the unpalatable species. Ray’s boom-bust management style reduces the
competitive advantage unpalatable plants normally have over more palatable species.
It took Ray’s cows three years to adapt to boom-bust grazing, during which the weaning weights of calves
plunged from over 500 pounds to 350 pounds, but then rebounded to over 500 pounds.
Today under boom-bust management, cattle eat unpalatable species like snowberry and sagebrush as
soon as they enter a new pasture. The cows evidently have learned how to mix their diets in ways that
better enable them to eat both palatable and unpalatable species. Eating palatable plants high in nutrients
likely lessens the negative effects of toxins in unpalatable species.
Research assistant professor, Juan Villalba, graduate student, Ryan Shaw, and professor, Fred Provenza
at Utah State University are conducting an ongoing project to determine: 1) if animals can learn to mix
their diets to eat plant species high in toxins, 2) how nutrients influence ingestion of toxins and 3) ways to
help animals learn to mix their diets to ease the transition from eating plants low in toxins to eating
combinations of plants low and high in toxins.
Results:
Thus far, researchers at USU have conducted six studies on diet mixing. Listed below are the major
findings of the research. Visit the web site: http://www.behave.net for details on the studies.
* Sheep with experience eating toxins increases the likelihood that they will eat substantially more
high-toxin foods both voluntarily and when forced than inexperienced sheep.
* Sheep prefer to eat different types of toxins depending on the nutritional composition of the diet.
* When foods contain terpenes lambs prefer foods with moderate amounts of protein (9-15%) and
high levels of energy (3.5 Mcal/kg).
* Lambs preferred foods low in terpenes regardless of the amount of experience lambs had eating
foods with terpenes unless the low-terpene food was lower in nutrients than the high terpene food.
* Lambs prefer diets with energy that is degraded slowly in the rumen when eating diets high in
terpenes but prefer diets with energy that is degraded quickly when eating diets without terpenes.
* Managers can affect the likelihood that herbivores will eat unpalatable plants on rangelands by
limiting alternative foods.
* Initial experience with toxins and the nutrient content of diets interact to affect preference for and
intake of toxins.
In summary, animals can eat substantially more toxins than once believed. Furthermore, experience and
context are important forces driving food preference and intake. Managers may be able to use context and
experience as tools to influence the composition of plant communities and increase animal productivity.
Baraza, E., Villalba, J.J. and F. D. Provenza. Nutritional context influences preferences of lambs for foods
with plant secondary metabolites. Submitted to Oikos.
Villalba, J.J., Provenza, F.D. and G. Han. Experience influences diet mixing by herbivores: Implications for
plant biochemical diversity. Submitted to Oikos.
Atwood, S.B., F.D. Provenza, J.J. Villalba, R.D. Wiedmeier, K.C. Olson, and L.E. Dziba. Intake and
performance of lambs offered one of three iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets or all three diets
simultaneously. In preparation.
Villalba, J.J., and Provenza, F.D. Foraging in chemically diverse environments: Concentrations of energy
and protein, and food alternatives influence ingestion of plant secondary metabolites by lambs. In
preparation.
Villalba, J.J., Provenza, F.D, and Olson, K. Terpenes influence intake and preference for foods of different
fiber content. In preparation.
Improving Plant Biodiversity with Fall-grazing Sheep
Many areas in the Western United States are dominated by sagebrush. Declines in diversity over the past
century are generally attributed to: 1) reduced numbers of mixed feeders and browsers such as deer,
antelope, goats and sheep, 2) increased numbers of cattle and elk, 3) repeated use of the same grasses
and forbs, particularly during spring on sagebrush-steppe landscapes, and 4) control of naturally caused
fires. The combined effect gives sagebrush an advantage over grasses and forbs.
Grazing can enhance plant diversity in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. Grazing by sheep during the fall,
when herbs are dormant, can increase diversity by reducing sagebrush’s competitive advantage.
Supplemental nutrients can improve the effectiveness of fall grazing. For example, sheep and goats
supplemented with energy and protein eat nearly twice as much sagebrush as unsupplemented animals,
evidently because energy and protein enable sheep to better detoxify the toxins found in sagebrush. Thus,
intake of sagebrush may be increased, and the adverse impacts of sagebrush on sheep mitigated, if large
numbers of supplemented sheep graze sagebrush for short periods during the fall.
Graduate student Tyler Staggs and professor Neil West in the Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife
Sciences at Utah State University are conducting studies to determine if supplementation and short-
duration fall grazing will increase diversity in plant communities dominated by sagebrush. Their study was
conducted in Rich County, Utah, at Deseret Land and Livestock Company. In fall of 2001, sheep
supplemented with additional nutrients (energy and protein) and sheep that did not receive additional
supplements grazed sagebrush pastures. Sheep supplemented with nutrients spent more time browsing
sagebrush than sheep not supplemented.
While data analyses are not yet completed, West and Staggs say it appears that the amount of native
grasses increased on the grazed pastures when compared to the ungrazed pastures and the pastures
grazed by unsupplemented sheep. They noted that many of the grasses in the grazed plots are young
plants that produced few seed heads. They also observed that forb species were not as plentiful as
expected. This could be a result of low precipitation. In 2002, less than 3 inches of moisture fell at the site.
Finally, many of the sagebrush plants that appeared dead after grazing recovered and produced
reproductive twigs the following season. Statistical analyses are currently underway.
Fall grazing by sheep supplemented with nutrients shows promise as a biological control of sagebrush.
Unfortunately, after grazing in 2001, sagebrush plants were not grazed as extensively as West and
Skaggs had hoped and too many of the shrubs recovered after grazing. Therefore, in fall of 2003,
graduate student Ryan Woodland turned sheep onto the plots again. Woodland doubled the stocking rate
used in 2001 and offered sheep more supplement. The amount of vegetation was measured prior to
grazing and will be measured again in summer of 2004.
Helping livestock expand their diets and their turf
Animal behavior results from genetics and history. An animal’s genetic makeup and its history of learning
experiences both from mom and individual feedback influence its diet and habitat preferences. On
rangelands, these preferences can translate into markedly different land-use patterns and ecological
outcomes.
Derek Bailey, associate professor at the Northern Agricultural Research Center in Montana, leads a group
at Montana State University’s Experiment Station in Havre that is exploring the degree to which these two
factors – genetics and history – influence where cattle graze, whether on steep slopes or upland areas of
gentler slopes and their associated riparian areas. Their goal is to assess the behavior of offspring whose
genetic mothers’ habitat selection differed dramatically from the habitat selection of their foster mothers’.
In earlier studies conducted from 1997 to 2001, Bailey found that cattle breeds developed in mountainous
terrain such as Tarentaise (from the French Alps) used higher elevations and steeper slopes than breeds
developed in more gentle terrain such as Herefords (from England) when grazed on rangelands together.
When cows were separated by breed and placed in separate pastures, he found that they continued to
use different areas of the rugged pastures, which demonstrates the potential for selection and/or training
to be effective for protecting sensitive rangeland such as riparian areas.
Embryo Transfer Studies
In 2002, Bailey and his associates initiated a series of cross-fostering experiments with cattle using
embryo transfer. Embryo transfer is used because learning begins even before an animal is born. Based
on evaluations of grazing patterns for 300 Hereford and/or Tarentaise cows from 1997 to 2001, they
selected as embryo donors cows exhibiting hill-climbing traits and cows labeled as “bottom dwellers.” All
donors were bred to the same Simmental bull. Embryos from hill climber and bottom dweller donors were
placed into both hill climber and bottom dweller foster mothers (recipients). Ten heifer calves were born in
spring of 2003 from embryos transferred in 2002. In 2003, researchers transferred embryos to 75 cows
and have 41 possible pregnancies (potential for 20 heifer calves). Grazing patterns of the heifers will be
evaluated beginning in 2004 to determine the degree to which genetics and history affect diet and habitat
selection.
Herding and Supplement Studies
Anecdotal work at The Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon Ranch south of Lander, Wyoming, managed by
BEHAVE Advisory Board member Bob Budd, suggests that riding has tremendous potential to retrain
animals to increase use of uplands and decrease time spent in riparian areas. Bailey’s group initiated a
three-year study to determine if riders herding cow-calf pairs from stream banks during midday using low-
stress handling will protect riparian areas. Data from the study’s first two years support Budd’s contention.
Preliminary data show increased plant cover near and at stream banks in pastures where cows were
herded. Additionally, strategic placement of supplements (low-moisture blocks - 20% crude protein)
appears to be a useful complement to herding. Another study evaluating the effectiveness of supplement
placement without herding on summer cattle grazing patterns was completed in September 2003, and the
data are being analyzed.
These studies suggest that the cattle can be trained to expand their habitat and diet selection, protecting
sensitive lands such as riparian areas.
Recent Publications
Bailey, D.W., M.R. Keil, and L.R. Rittenhouse. 2004. Research observation: Daily movement patterns of
hill climbing and bottom dwelling cows. J. Range Manage. 57 (1): (in press).
Skin defense vs. gut defense: How animals survive in a changing world
Diet and habitat selection by herbivores has a huge effect on ecosystem processes. Research on these
processes tends to focus on habitat suitability in terms of diet selection and nutrition or in terms of physical
influences, like those from predators. However, little work has been done to quantify effects of the
mechanisms that enable animals to find food or to avoid becoming food.
Behavioral research shows that an animal’s “skin defense” systems are triggered by sights, sounds, or
smells that signal the safety or suitability of an environment. “Gut defense” mechanisms, on the other
hand, integrate the flavor of a food with the effects that food has on cells and organs in the body, relaying
to the animal information about the quality or quantity of the food’s nutrients.
BEHAVE collaborator Larry Howery, associate rangeland extension specialist at the University of Arizona,
is working with research assistant Andres Cibils to explore the importance of skin and gut defenses in
herbivores. Their work is bridging the gap between the traditional view of how animals select habitat and
the idea that learning plays a role in habitat selection. The work may help us better understand wild
systems and provide insights into ways to keep wildlife from damaging crops or to keep livestock from
damaging ecosystems.
Figure 1In 2002, Howery and Cibils launched a study to compare the strength and duration of negative
physical stimuli (skin defense) on behavior with that of aversive food conditioning (gut defense). Cattle
were placed into one of four groups. In one group, an electric shock collar was placed on each steer
(figure 1, right ). Visual cues (large orange cones) marked the area of the pasture where steers were
shocked (the unsafe habitat, figure 2, below). In the second group, steers were given lithium chloride (LiCl)
when they ate a certain highly nutritious food. When used properly, LiCl causes short-term nausea and
doesn’t harm the animal. The third group of steers was trained with the shock collars and LiCl. The last
group (control) had neither collars nor received LiCl.
Early observations suggested that cattle are more likely to avoid an area where they were shocked than
an area where they ate a food that made them sick. In the latter case, they avoid the food, not the location.
In 2003, Howery and Cibils found that cattle shocked the first time they visited a new location avoided that
location more strongly than animals that were shocked after becoming familiar with the location. This
means that habits begin the first time animals engage in a behavior. Furthermore, the consequences of
engaging in a behavior the first time have a strong influence on future behavior.
Their results suggest that steers can be trained individually to stay away from areas with high quality
forage using shock paired with clear visual cues (the cones) even when the forage available in adjacent
areas is less nutritious. Data analyzed to date indicate that cattle that were shocked learned to avoid the
unsafe habitat (cone-marked area of the pasture) but readily ate the high quality food when it was offered
at another location (figure 3, below). Also, trained steers will avoid a new “cued” area if the visual cues are
moved to a different location. Avoidance behaviors are elicited after a single training session and may
persist for several months, possibly the length of a grazing season, even in the absence of the shock
collars.
Cattle that were averted to the flavor of the high quality food using LiCl learned to avoid both the high
quality food and the location where they first ate it. Location avoidance rapidly disappeared when visual
cues were moved but they continued to avoid the high quality food regardless of its location or association
with the orange cones.
Cattle trained to avoid both the cued unsafe habitat and the high quality forage using electric shock and
LiCl, avoided the unsafe habitat and the food. Extinction of aversions of cattle in this group followed the
same pattern as animals in the previous (LiCl alone) group.
Control steers preferred the high quality forage; a high quality food provides positive feedback. Without
being shocked, the cones meant nothing to the steers, and they spent significantly more time in the coned
high quality habitat than steers in the other three treatments groups.
Presentations and Publications
Cibils, A.F., L.D. Howery, and G.B. Ruyle. 2004. Diet and habitat selection by cattle: the relationship
between skin- and gut-defense systems. 57th Annual meeting of the Society of Range Management. Salt
Lake City, UT. January.
Howery L.D., and K.L. Launchbaugh. 2003. Domestic ungulate foraging behavior is a function of ultimate
and proximate consequences. 56th Annual meeting of Society for Range Management. Casper, WY.
February. (Abstract)
Presentations at the Yavapai Cattle Growers Association meeting and Arizona Cattle Growers Executive
Board meeting given by Dr. David Schafer (Resident Director, University of Arizona V Bar V Ranch).
A presentation for faculty and students of the Animal and Range Sciences Department, New Mexico State
University, Las Cruces NM.
In addition, Howery presents these elements of behavior in his lectures on foraging behavior in Grazing
Ecology in the School of Renewable Resources at the University of Arizona and in several independent
studies for graduate students. A paper entitled “Diet and habitat selection by cattle: the relationship
between skin- and gut- defense systems” was submitted for publication. A second article dealing with the
relationship between social learning and skin-gut-defense responses is being prepared.
For a more detailed look at these concepts, take a look at the BEHAVE fact sheet “Learning about foods
and locations” Behavioral Principles and Practices, No. 1.1.2, found at www.behave.net under
“Educational Products.”
Effect of Social Behavior on Habitat Selection of Cattle Habitat Selection and Social Behavior
Influence of social rank on feeding sites and performance of free-ranging cattle
B.R. Macdonald, J.C. Mosley
Social dominance hierarchies within a rangeland cattle herd may influence cattle grazing distribution and
performance. Social foraging theory suggests that dominant animals inhabit feeding sites where forage
quality and quantity are plentiful. It also contends that the degree to which dominance is exhibited
depends upon how severely resources are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine whether
these relationships exist in a commercial herd of cattle foraging within a diverse rangeland landscape. The
study was conducted on foothill rangeland in southwestern Montana. The social dominance hierarchy of a
155-cow herd was identified in late spring and early summer, and the feeding site selection and calf
performance of these cows was monitored in late summer. Forage and environmental variables also were
measured. When forage quantity and quality were limited in a hot, dry year, high-ranked cows
competitively excluded low-ranked cows from riparian areas and forced low-ranked cows to occupy lower
quality habitat. These differences in feeding sites depressed calf weight gains from low-ranked cows.
Feeding site selection and calf performance were less affected by social dominance in a cool, wet year
when habitat conditions were less limiting. Therefore, our results provide further evidence in support of
social foraging theory.
Status: Manuscript submitted.
Influence of cattle grazing on feeding site selection by Rocky Mountain elk
K.K. Crane, J.C. Mosley, T.K. Brewer, W.L.F. Torstenson, M.A. Smith, M.W. Tess
Previous research has indicated that winter and early spring cattle grazing can improve forage conditions
for elk. However, little empirical evidence demonstrates that feeding site selection by elk is actually
influenced by cattle-mediated changes in forage structure and quality. The purpose of this landscape-scale
experiment was to evaluate the influence of summer cattle grazing intensity on feeding site selection by
elk during subsequent winter and spring seasons. The study was conducted on foothill rangeland in
northwestern Wyoming. Results indicate that in the winter and spring, elk preferentially selected feeding
sites where cattle had grazed moderately during the previous summer, and elk avoided sites that were not
grazed by cattle. We conclude that moderate cattle grazing is a viable tool for enhancing elk foraging
habitat.
Status: Manuscripts in preparation.
Influence of selective culling on feeding site selection by free-ranging cattle
J.C. Mosley, M.J. Fraker-Marble, T.K. Brewer
Low-cost cattle grazing strategies are needed for improved stewardship of riparian ecosystems. One
possible strategy is to cull from a herd those cows that spend a disproportionate amount of time grazing in
riparian habitats. This strategy is being evaluated with a 155-cow herd on foothill rangeland in
southwestern Montana. For five consecutive summers, the location of every cow was recorded once daily.
Each fall, approximately 15 cows were culled from the herd because those individual cows spent the most
time grazing in riparian habitat. Culled cows each spent > 50% of their time grazing in riparian habitat.
Data analyses will determine whether selective culling of individual riparian-dwelling cows decreased
riparian habitat use by the cattle herd.
Status: Data collection completed in 2003; data analyses in progress.
Predictive modeling of cattle feeding site selection on foothill rangeland
T.K. Brewer, J.C. Mosley, S.C. Bunting, K.D. Sanders
Resource partitioning between cattle and wildlife is of particular concern on Rocky Mountain foothill
rangeland because these rangelands provide important seasonal habitat for many wildlife species, such as
elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorns. Increased knowledge of cattle habitat selection patterns
and the factors that influence them is needed to help resource managers develop strategies for minimizing
cattle-wildlife conflicts and maximizing complementary relationships. The complexity of cattle habitat
selection justifies attempts to assimilate state-of-the-art knowledge into mathematical models. The
objective of this study is to develop and validate a cattle habitat selection model that predicts levels of
cattle utilization across a landscape based on fixed, determinant habitat variables (e.g., slope, distance to
water, aspect, etc.). This study is being conducted on foothill rangeland in northwestern Wyoming and
west-central Montana. Preliminary results indicate that utilization levels (none, light/moderate, heavy) can
be predicted with > 75% accuracy.
Status: Data collection completed in 2003; data analyses in progress.
Influence of social rank on cattle subgroup size
M.J. Fraker-Marble, J.C. Mosley, T.K. Brewer
Social dominance hierarchies exist in free-ranging cattle herds. Size of subgroups may be affected by the
social ranking of individual members. The social rank of individuals within a subgroup may also influence
cattle dispersion as forage conditions deteriorate. We studied a cattle herd (n=155 cow/calf pairs) on
foothill rangeland in southwestern Montana. The herd’s social dominance hierarchy was established by
observing win/loss interactions between individual cows in late spring and early summer. The location of
each cow and the members of its subgroup were recorded daily during late summer. Preliminary results
indicate that low-ranked cattle foraged within smaller subgroups than high-ranked cattle. As the grazing
season progressed and forage conditions deteriorated, subgroup size decreased for both high-ranked and
low-ranked cattle. Deteriorating forage conditions affected subgroup size of low-ranked cattle at a faster
rate than high-ranked cattle. Social foraging theory contends that resource competition affects the grazing
behavior of low-ranked animals more so than high-ranked animals. Our results support this theory and
provide further evidence that social dominance hierarchies influence foraging behavior of free-ranging
cattle.
Status: Data collection completed in 2003; data analyses in progress.
Prescribed Livestock Grazing for Suppressing Invasive Plants
Prescribed sheep and goat browsing to control ponderosa pine encroachment
B.L. Roeder, J.C. Mosley, T.K. Brewer, R.W. Kott
Analyses of historical photographs confirm that conifers have encroached upon vast acreages of Montana
rangeland. Conifer encroachment reduces forage production and often exacerbates livestock/wildlife
conflicts. It also decreases the flow of water from springs and creeks, degrading fish habitat and riparian
ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to explore prescribed sheep and goat browsing as tools for
controlling ponderosa pine encroachment. For 6 weeks in late winter, sheep and goats grazed separately
within 12 pastures. Six sheep or goats were allocated to each pasture. Half of the animals received a high
protein/high energy nutritional supplement, while half did not. Preliminary results indicate that both sheep
and goats readily ate ponderosa pine, and consumption by supplemented animals was slightly greater.
Status: Completed first year of 2-year grazing trial in 2003.
Prescribed sheep grazing to suppress spotted knapweed
B.D. Thrift, T.K. Brewer, B.L. Roeder, J.C. Mosley, R.W. Kott, B.E. Olson
Spotted knapweed is a perennial, invasive forb that infests millions of acres of rangelands in Montana.
This noxious weed reduces forage, decreases biological diversity, and increases surface water runoff and
soil erosion. Previous research has demonstrated that domestic sheep readily graze spotted knapweed,
indicating that prescribed sheep grazing may be a cost-effective tool for suppressing this weed. We are
applying prescribed sheep grazing within 12 foothill grassland sites, 6 sites with a moderate infestation of
spotted knapweed and 6 heavily infested sites. A ewe-lamb band (n=720 ewes, + 1000 lambs) grazes half
of the sites in mid-June and the remaining sites in mid-July. Sheep graze each site until perennial grasses
are reduced to a 3-4-inch residual stubble height. Preliminary results indicate that prescribed sheep
grazing is a promising tool for suppressing spotted knapweed. Sheep ate more spotted knapweed in the
heavy infestations versus the moderate infestations (57% vs. 24% of their diet, respectively).
Status: Completed first year of 2-year grazing trial in 2003.
Presentations
Fraker-Marble, M.J., and J.C. Mosley. 2003. Influence of social dominance and forage conditions on cattle
subgroup size. 56th Annual meeting of the Society for Range Management. Casper, Wyoming. February.
(Abstract)
Mosley, J.C. 2003. (Invited synthesis paper). Grazing behavior of rangeland cattle: Opportunities for
improving beef production. Proceedings—Canadian Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting. Paper 22
(8 pp).
Mosley, J.C. 2003. (Invited synthesis paper). Resource partitioning between livestock and wildlife on North
American rangelands. 56th Annual meeting of Society for Range Management. Casper, WY. February.
(Abstract)
Torstenson, W.L.F., J.C. Mosley, T.K. Brewer, M.W. Tess, and J.E. Knight. 2003. Foraging relationships
among cattle, elk, and mule deer on Rocky Mountain foothill rangeland. 56th Annual Meeting of Society for
Range Management. Casper, WY. February. (Abstract)
Minimizing Wildlife Damage
Agricultural losses due to wildlife exceed $3 billion annually in the United States. To reduce this problem,
BEHAVE researchers at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) are looking for opportunities to
use behavior to prevent damage to crops, nursery stock, ornamentals and seedlings planted for
reforestation. BEHAVE research at NWRC is primarily focused on ungulate (animals with cloven hooves)
foraging in forest ecosystems.
Understanding why an animal behaves as it does is the foundation for changing its behavior. In this case,
diet and habitat selection depend on an animal’s genetic make-up and its individual and social
experiences. Chemicals present in foods drive diet selection by providing feedback from the
gastrointestinal tract to the brain. This feedback enables animals to associate sensory attributes of foods
(taste, smell, and texture) with the consequences of eating and creates preferences for and aversions to
foods. Based on this understanding of diet selection, Dale Nolte, a research wildlife biologist and field
station leader at Olympia, WA, and Bruce Kimball, a research chemist at Fort Collins, are exploring
potential new tools to reduce damage to agricultural resources.
* Experience and Flavor Aversion Learning
* Development of New Deer Repellents
* Diet Affects Toxin Ingestion
* Terpene Content and Avoidance by Deer
* Conditioning Beaver to Avoid Select Foods
Experience and Flavor Aversion Learning.
Goats were offered a tannin-containing food and/or a terpene-containing food for 20 days under three
different regimens. Some goats received only tannin-food daily, other goats received terpene-food daily,
and the remainder received the two foods singly on alternate days. Results demonstrated goat’s ability to
tolerate tannins depended on both familiarity and frequency of previous encounters with the toxin.
Specifically:
* Goats with experience with only one food, regardless of which one it was, developed a strong
preference for the terpene food. Goats that experienced the two foods on alternating days consumed
equal amounts of the two when offered a choice.
* Goats with different experiences were offered both tannin and terpene-foods followed by treatment
with lithium chloride to produce an aversion. Goats experienced with either the tannin-food or the terpene-
food formed aversions to the tannin-food. However, when goats had experience with the tannin and the
terpene food, they did not associate the aversive event to either food.
* Goats with different experiences were offered only the tannin or only the terpene-food and averted
with lithium chloride (forcing the subjects to blame that food). When the aversion was paired specifically to
the tannin-food, all subjects preferred terpene-food and avoided tannin-food, regardless of experience.
When aversion was paired specifically to the terpene-food, only goats experienced with both foods
preferred the tannin-food.
* A novel flavor, citric acid, was introduced to the goats by offering them a choice of three foods: citric
acid, terpene, and tannin-foods. Exposure to these foods was followed by aversive conditioning with
lithium chloride. Subjects with a prior aversion to the tannin-food preferred the novel food to the tannin-
food. Only those goats never averted to the tannin-food and experienced with both the tannin and terpene-
foods formed an aversion to the citric acid food.
These findings imply that any effort to protect a resource by applying flavor aversion learning may require
multiple, or constant, exposure to the aversive agent to produce a persistent avoidance. Limited exposure
may not only fail to condition an aversion to the intended target, but could also lead to avoidance of an
unintended forage item. Return
Development of New Deer Repellents
A series of experiments with captive deer were conducted to identify readily available food-grade products
that could be employed as contact repellents (repellents applied directly to plants). This study
demonstrated that certain proteins are actively rejected by deer. Specifically:
* Deer avoided western redcedar seedlings treated with methionine-containing proteins (albumen,
casein) but did not avoid animal proteins without methionine (collagen). These results are consistent with
the observation that domestic herbivores initially avoid foods adulterated with animal proteins.
* Deer avoided foods treated with hydrolyzed casein but not foods treated with methionine. These
results indicate that intact proteins and/or peptides containing methionine are avoided, but the free amino
acid methionine is not.
These experiments indicate that hydrolyzed casein is a promising contact repellent. Hydrolyzed casein is
water soluble, unlike casein that has not been hydrolyzed, making it easier to produce spray formulations.
Return
Diet Affects Toxin Ingestion
Black tailed deer consumption of foods containing terpene and tannin secondary metabolites was
examined relative to protein and energy content of the foods. When offered foods differing in nutritive
content, deer demonstrated strong preferences for foods high in energy. Foods high in protein were not
preferred. Our results indicated:
* Within this experiment, deer did not alter their intake of terpene- or tannin-treated food regardless of
their basal diet when offered either the terpene or tannin treated food.
* Energy and protein availability did affect deer consumption of treated foods in multiple-choice tests.
Deer maintained on the low energy and high protein diet consumed more terpene- and tannin-treated food
than deer maintained on high energy and low protein diet or offered both maintenance diets.
* Deer repeatedly demonstrated a greater willingness to ingest tannin-treated food than terpene-treated
food. This may be attributed to salivary proteins capable of binding to tannins and minimizing their
deleterious effects on digestibility.
This study did not generate conclusive results for developing management strategies. Manipulating
browsing pressure on select plants may permit managers to alter forest plant species composition by
increasing foraging on undesirable invasive plant species, or at least reduce pressure on highly palatable
plants. Regardless, whether the mechanism is reduced preference for seedlings or increased preference
for alternative forages the resultant reduction in browsing pressure will increase seedling survival.
Therefore, further efforts are warranted to improve our understanding of the role that macro-nutrient intake
(energy and protein) has on deer consumption of secondary metabolites such as tannins and terpenes.
Return
Terpene Content and Avoidance by Deer
Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) samples representing highly browsed and browse-resistant genotypes
were analyzed to determine the phytochemical variables correlated to observed deer preferences. At the
same time, the ability to manipulate these same phytochemicals by altering soil nutrition was investigated.
Our findings indicated:
* The presence of elevated levels of a-thujone in redcedar foliage was correlated with browse
resistance.
* Genotypes with elevated a-thujone that were nonetheless browsed were found to have high
concentrations of simple carbohydrates such as sugars.
* Fertilization did not produce increased levels of a-thujone in redcedar foliage after a single application.
The effect of multiple applications is currently being evaluated.
These results demonstrate that, when given a choice, black-tailed deer prefer redcedar with low levels of
a-thujone. Analysis of redcedar genotypes further demonstrates that a-thujone concentration is under
strong genetic control. Furthermore, environmental manipulation to increase a-thujone concentration was
not successful. Return
Conditioning Beaver to Avoid Select Foods
Aversive conditioning can be used to train animals to avoid select foods. Generally, aversive conditioning
is best applied when animals first experience a food item. However, animals are familiar with plants
damaged by browsing. Therefore, we assessed the potential for training beaver to avoid a familiar,
preferred food. Our findings indicted:
* Although beaver were offered only corn immediately before condition them with lithium chloride, they
failed to associate the illness with corn. Most beaver rejected all foods on subsequent days and then
sampled all foods sparingly as they returned to eating.
* Corn, a preferred food, was generally more readily consumed than other foods. When conditioning
was repeated their intake of all foods again declined.
We concluded that aversive conditioning was not a practical approach to train beaver to avoid select
plants. Conditioning animals to avoid known preferred foods without prolonged training would be difficult if
not impossible. Few circumstances would warrant cost and time associated with prolonged training, and
desired response would be temporary. Further, beaver refusal to eat any foods during training could prove
fatal. Return
Publications
Kimball, B.A. and Nolte, D.L. In press. Herbivore Experience with Plant Defense Compounds Influences
Acquisition of New Flavor Aversions. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Kimball, B.A. and Nolte, D.L. In press. Animal-based herbivore repellents: Scary odors or altered
palatability. Advances in Wildlife Management: Proceedings of the Fourth European Vertebrate Pest
Management Conference.
Kimball, B.A. In press. Phytochemical Basis of Mammalian Herbivory. In Reducing Wildlife Damage to
Forest Resources (D.L. Nolte, ed). USDA/FS/PNW, Portland, OR.
Nolte, D.L.; Kimball, B.A.; Villalba, J.J.; Provenza, F.D.; and Perry, K.R. In press. Effects of Forage
Nutritional Quality (Energy and Protein) on Deer Acceptance of Foods Containing Secondary Metabolites.
Proceedings of the 21 st Vertebrate Pest Conference.
Arjo, W.M., Nolte, D.L., and Harper, J. In press. The Effects of Lactation on Seedling Damage by Mountain
Beaver. Proceedings of the 21 st Vertebrate Pest Conference.
Johnson, J.J., Nolte, D.L., Kimball, B.A., Perry, K.P., and Hurley, J.C. In press. Increasing Acceptance and
Efficacy of Zinc Phosphate Rodenticide Baits Via Modification of the Carbohydrate Profile. Crop Protect.
Kimball, B.A., Dziba, L., Johnston, J.J., and Provenza, F.D. 2004. Chromatographic analysis of sagebrush
monoterpenes in blood plasma. J. Chromatogr. Sci. 42:245-249.
Kimball, B.A. and Nolte, D.L. 2004. Taste Aversion Learning. Pages 976-977 in The Concise Corsini
Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science (W.E. Craighead and C.B. Nemeroff, eds). John
Wiley and Sons, New Jersey.
Nolte, D.L. 2004. Reducing Wildlife Damage to Forest Resources. Northwest Woodlands 20:16-17.
Nolte, D.L., VerCauteren, K.C., Perry, K.P., and Adams, S.E. 2003. Training deer to avoid sites through
negative reinforcement. Proceedings of the Tenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference. 10:95-104.
Kimball, B.A. and Provenza, F.D. 2003. Chemical defense and mammalian herbivores. In Encyclopedia of
Life Support Systems (EOLSS; J.D. Hardege, ed). Developed under the auspices of the UNESCO,
EOLSS Publishers, Oxford, UK. [http://www.eolss.net].
Jacobs, J., Nolte, D.L., Hartono, R., Subagja, J., and Sudarmaji. 2003. Pre- and Post-harvest Movements
of Female Rice-field Rats in West Javanese Rice Fields. Pages 277-280 in Rats, Mice, and People:
Rodent Biology and Management, G. R. Singelton, L. A. Hinds, C. J. Krebs, and D. M. Spratt (eds.).
Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research, Canberra, Australia.
Nolte, D.L., Lutman, M.W., Bergman, D.L., Arjo, W.M., Perry, K.P. 2003. Feasibility of non-lethal
approaches to protect riparian plants from foraging beavers in North America. Pages 75-79 in Rats, Mice,
and People: Rodent Biology and Management, G. R. Singelton, L. A. Hinds, C. J. Krebs, and D. M. Spratt
(eds.). Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research, Canberra, Australia.
Nolte, D.L., Wagner, K.K., and Trent, A. 2003. Timber Damage by Black Bears: Approaches to Control the
Problem. Tech. Rep. 0324-2832-MTDC. Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculutre, Forest Service,
Missoula Technology and Development Center. 10 pages.
Nolte, D.L. 2003. Developing Approaches to Reduce Wildlife Damage to Forest Resources. Western
Forester. 48:1-3.
Nolte, D.L. 2003. Bears Prefer Trees in the Spring. Western Forester 48:8-9.
Nolte, D.L. 2003. Managing Ungulates to Protect Trees. Western Forester 48:14.
Nolte, D.L. 2003. Developing Strategies to Alleviate Wildlife Damage to Forest Resources. Western
Forester 48:16-17.
Nolte, D.L. 2003. Repellents are Socially Acceptable Tools. Western Forester 48:22-23.
Nolte, D. L., and Dykzeul, M. 2002. Wildlife Impacts on Forest Resources. Pages 163-168 in Human
Conflicts with Wildlife: Economic Considerations, L. Clark (ed.) National Wildlife Research Center, Fort
Collins, Colorado.
Nolte , D.L., Veenendaal, T.J., Partridge, S.T., Robbins, C.T., Ziegltrum, G.J., and Fersterer, P. 2002. Bear
Response to Supplemental Feed Offered to Reduce Tree Peeling. Pages 330-339 in Proceedings of the
20 th Vertebrate Pest Conference, R.M. Timm (ed). Proc. Vertebr. Pest Conf. 20:330-339.
Exploring the economics of behavior: It’s a matter of money
Understanding and modifying animal behavior can improve the cost-effectiveness of running feedlot
operations, healing riparian areas, improving biodiversity, protecting wildlife habitat, and reducing losses
due to poisonous plants. At Utah State University, Research Associate Sheldon Atwood and Assistant
Professor Nicole McCoy are examining how changing animal and human behavior impacts economics.
Their findings include:
* Commercial feedlots can reduce costs by offering animals a choice of foods rather than a total
mixed ration. When allowed to choose foods, both cattle and bison cost less to feed per pound of gain
than animals consuming a single ration intended to fatten them for slaughter. In experiments with
sheep, those offered a choice of three different foods gained weight faster than those provided the
usual pre-mixed ration.
* The costs of restoring riparian health in arid systems can be reduced sharply by implementing
behavior-conscious management practices. Bob Budd at The Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon ranch
near Lander, Wyo., uses knowledge of behavior to train cattle to use uplands and spend less time near
streams and waterways.
* Productivity lost to brush encroachment may be restored and maintained and biodiversity
enhanced at a cost lower than previously believed possible. Managers at Deseret Ranch near
Woodruff, Utah, are working with researchers to teach livestock to mix their diets and consume more
sagebrush. Increasing the amount of sagebrush livestock eat will increase plant species diversity,
improve habitat for sage grouse, and increase the profitability of the ranch.
* Altering the behavior of managers may be more economical than changing the behavior of the
creatures they manage when it comes to impacts from poisonous plants. Atwood and Dr. Jim Pfister of
the USDA Poisonous Plants Laboratory are developing a decision support tool for producers who have
problems with poisonous plants.
Atwood is exploring these topics as part of his ongoing work and doctoral thesis “Ecological and Economic
Implications of Applying Principles of Behavior to Natural Resource Management” to be completed in
2004. He is also working with Dave Pratt of “Ranching for Profit” to help producers see the economic
benefits of implementing behavioral practices in their operations and enable them to make direct
comparisons between the operations Atwood analyzes and their own operations.
If you have ideas for additional analyses or would like to discuss any issues related to economics and
behavior, Atwood would like to hear from you. He can be reached at email: sba@cc.usu.edu; phone (435)
797-2565; or by mail at Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan,
UT 84322-5230.
Other areas where implementation of behavioral principles can improve profitability and environmental
integrity but are not currently part of Atwood’s doctoral work include:
* Controlling weeds through mixed-species grazing. In North Dakota, proper grazing by sheep and
goats has been shown to restore 90% of the forage productivity in five years. The use of chemicals at
this scale is expensive and bug releases are problematic, leaving proper grazing as the most
economical and effective alternative.
* Rapid rotation grazing can improve profitability on northern High Plains ranches, reducing the
pressure on ranchers to abandon their lifestyle and sell to developers.
* Using grazing to enhance or create migratory waterfowl habitat near urban areas is less expensive
than conservation through purchase of land costing in excess of $40,000/acre.
Understanding Why Land Managers Adopt New Practices
Researchers are continually looking for better ways to manage land to improve rangeland health and to
make ranching enterprises more profitable. Unfortunately, even the best management practices are
useless if managers won’t adopt them. Associate professor, Mark Brunson, and graduate student, Carrie
Kennedy, in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah StateUniversity are attempting to
understand what makes land managers more likely to adopt new practices, especially those rooted in
understanding behavior of livestock. They are also interested in identifying factors that help managers to
successfully make changes in their operations.
Extension and federal agency specialists in west-central Colorado operate the Range Management School
for Ranchers that teaches ranchers about behavior-based management. Brunson and Kennedy want to
know how participating in the school helps ranchers make management changes in their operations. Last
summer, Kennedy mailed surveys to over 600 livestock producers identified as Forest Service or BLM
grazing permit-holders. Preliminary findings are that 72% of survey respondents made some sort of
change in management since 1995, and they were more likely to change if: 1) they have larger operations,
2) earn a larger percentage of total family income from ranching, 3) are more certain of the future of their
ranches, and 4) have more frequent contact with range experts. The Range Management School for
Ranchers helps people make changes, but doesn’t appear to spark a decision to change in most cases.
The study will continue in winter 2003-2004 with in-depth interviews of some ranchers who have
implemented changes.
Brunson began a second study in fall 2003 with graduate student Sue Wilmot examining how ranch
management decisions are influenced by cooperative agreements between several ranches that manage
a single watershed or public land allotment. They are also interested in the success of management
changes when managers are forced to adopt changes rather than adopting changes voluntarily. The initial
study area for this project is in Rich County, Utah.
No written publications have yet been prepared directly as a result of BEHAVE research. However, in 2003
they made one presentation of findings:
Kennedy, Caroline, and Mark Brunson. Learning and application of range management innovations among
livestock producers in west-central Colorado. Presented at the conference, Human Dimensions of Natural
Resources in the Western U.S., Sun Valley, Idaho, Oct. 9-11, 2003.