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Data from the Rangeland Analysis Platform showing annual accumulation of herbaceous biomass in 2020. A yellow overlay indicates low growth, due primarily to ongoing drought conditions.  

Rangeland
      The majority of rangelands within Campbell County fall within Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 58B, Northern Rolling High Plains, Southern Part. 
      Soils in this area are dominantly Aridisols and Entisols, ranging from shallow to very deep, well-drained, and loamy or clayey. This MLRA supports grassland vegetation, with dominant species including rhizomatous wheatgrasses, green needlegrass, needleandthread, blue grama, bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, basin wildrye, shrubs, and big sagebrush. 
      Invasive annual grasses have begun taking advantage of recent fire events within the county to grow rapidly. Common species are cheatgrass, Japanese Brome, and ventenata. Overgrowth of these species have the potential to shift the native grass community and cause issues for producers grazing their cattle on the rangeland, as these plants are not as palatable to grazing animals. Property owners within Campbell County who suspect they have these species on their land should contact their local Weed & Pest Department to discuss control solutions. 
      The Campbell County Conservation District has recently applied for funding to conduct rangeland health assessments on private properties North of Gillette. The goal of this work is to gather data on the rangeland species growing in the county to drive future management decisions. Work is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2022.