Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
As Saskatchewan agricultural producers increasingly turn to rangelands as a means to add value to beef, some people, like Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Forage Development Specialist Dale Weisbrot, hope that a greater number of range management interveners will become active in the Society for Range Management (SRM).
“It is a professional organization for folks directly and indirectly associated with range management in the larger sense: rangeland, forage development and forage use. Those are the people who carry out direct research and make recommendations in the province as to guidelines and policies that promote the wise use of rangeland and forage resources.”
The society started in 1948, and is mostly made up of Americans, but it has a number of Canadian members, as well.
“In Saskatchewan during the last 10 to 12 years, we have paid a lot more attention to our range resources,” says Weisbrot. “A number of range management professionals are working with landowners and land managers throughout the province to try to develop good, proper land management practices.”
Range management professionals are employed by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, the University of Saskatchewan, non-governmental organizations like the Saskatchewan Forage Council, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as the federal government through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's research arm and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA).
"Chances are, the next time you pick up literature or attend a seminar, tour or workshop that deals with pasture management and forage in general, an SRM member has been very involved in its development," says Weisbrot.
Some range managers have taken their professional certification through the Society, notes Weisbrot.
“They have obtained the Certified Professional in Rangeland Management (CPRM) designation. Once you have that, you embark on a continual learning process through regular personal and professional development.
“Normally, those who would become certified would be graduates of an accredited academic institution. There is a testing procedure where applicants can demonstrate their competence and receive the certification.”
Rangelands comprise almost one-half of all the land in the world. They are extremely important to society for the goods and services they produce and for the ecological services they provide.
“The SRM is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of rangelands for the benefit of current societies, as well as future generations," explains Weisbrot. "The Society for Range Management promotes international development, the dissemination of range management knowledge and the sound management of rangelands worldwide.”
The SRM is organized by function through committees and by geopolitical and local functioning through sections and chapters. If need be, special task groups or partnerships can be established for a specific role from time to time.
“The SRM is divided in geographical areas that are subdivided into sections. We are in the Northern Great Plainssection, which includes Saskatchewan, Manitoba, eastern Montana and North Dakota,” he explains. “Within that, we have the Prairie/Parkland chapter, which includes Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“The organization is an active partner in the Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan (PCAP), and takes part in the annual Native Prairie Appreciation Week by co-hosting a seminar and tour. This year's plan is to highlight the historic Matador and Beechy area on June 20 to 22. The SRM also administers the Gerald Sharpe Memorial Scholarship, which goes to a rangeland science student at the University of Saskatchewan.”