Nutrafix Fertilizer For Native Perennials Supports High-Value Foraging on Montana Ranchland

For over 100 years, this historic, high-elevation ranch in the dry valleys of Southwest Montana was used primarily for livestock production. However, in the early 2000s, the land came under new ownership. At this time, the new owners decided to use the land for bison production, rather than cattle. However, they were determined to implement sustainable operations. For example, they instituted novel grazing methods in order to promote soil health. Furthermore, they converted previously farmed and irrigated upland pastures to dryland grazing. Unfortunately, invasive annual grasses such as cheatgrass and low-cover perennial grasses took over the vegetation, limiting the foraging value.

After several attempts to restore the pastures using conventional methods such as herbicides, seeding, and variations in grazing management were unsuccessful, the landowners sought alternative solutions. They contacted Ferguson Waterworks for assistance in finding a fertilizer for native perennials.

Ferguson Waterworks recommended applying a micronutrient fertilizer, NutraFix, to assess the potential for perennial grass reestablishment. In addition, the fertilizer aimed to both reduce invasive plant dominance and also enhance the foraging quality.

What product advantages does Nutrfix Fertilizer for native perennials provide?

• NutraFix is a novel fertilizer emphasizing micronutrients made from naturally occurring minerals. The goal of NutraFix is to naturally activate soil health using full-spectrum nutrient additions to promote the vigorous growth of desirable plants.
• NutraFix 1-4-1 can be used with or without seeding. NutraFix is seed-friendly and promotes the germination of native species from both seed and existing seed bank sources.
• NutraFix 1-4-1 improves soil health by replenishing lost nutrients in degraded soils. Consequently, enhancing soil health accelerates perennial vegetation growth, improves soil structure to promote infiltration, and can decrease erosion.

NutraFix 1-4-1 was applied to a 10-acre section of pastureland in order to test its success. The native perennial fertilizer was applied with a truck and a pull-behind hopper-spreader cart. Following equipment calibration, multiple perpendicular passes were made to ensure uniform coverage. Fertilizer application occurred in the first week of May 2019, early in the growing season when cheatgrass plants were approximately 2 inches tall. Annual vegetation monitoring was performed subsequently to assess treatment efficacy.

How did NutraFix 1-4-1 promote high-value foraging for the sustainable pasture?

NutraFix Micronutrient Fertilizer stimulated perennial grasses in the seed bank. As a result, it created a new plant composition from invasive annual grass dominance to desirable forage. When NutraFix was applied, there was essentially no desirable vegetation. In fact, ranch maps labeled this pasture area as “cheatgrass pasture.” However, two months after the application change was already evident.

In the following growing season (2020), native perennial vegetation grew to maturity, meanwhile, cheatgrass was rarely encountered. During the most recent monitoring (2024), no cheatgrass plants were observed in the area where NutraFix was applied. Furthermore, native perennial grasses continued to thrive. Permanent changes to the plant community were widely apparent after a single NutraFix application.