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

Previously farmed and irrigated upland pastures were converted to dryland grazing. When irrigation was removed, the plant community shifted to invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass, significantly decreasing the forage value of the pasture.

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.

NutraFix was recommended to replenish the soil health, promote a vegetation shift to native perennial grasses, and enhance the forage quality.

What product advantages does Nutrfix Fertilizer for native perennials provide?

• NutraFix Micronutrient Fertilizer is a novel product 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 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.
• Micronutrient fertilizer 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 Micronutrient Fertilizer was applied to a 10-acre section of the pasture to demonstrate product success. The 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 fertilizer efficacy.

How did NutraFix Micronutrient Fertilizer promote high-value foraging for the sustainable pasture?

NutraFix Micronutrient Fertilizer stimulated the existing native perennial grass seed bank. As a result, the plant community shifted from invasive annual grasses to strong desirable forage. When NutraFix fertilizer was applied, there was essentially no desirable forage or vegetation. In fact, ranch maps labeled this pasture area as the “cheatgrass pasture”. Just two months after the fertilizer application, there were changes.

In the following growing season (2020), native perennial vegetation grew to maturity and cheatgrass was rarely encountered. In addition, the fertilizer stimulated the native perennial grass seed that existed in the seed bank. Five years after application, cheatgrass was still rarely observed. Furthermore, the perennial grasses continued to thrive in the area where NutraFix was applied. The plant community has shifted from invasive annual grasses to desirable forage. Long-term changes resulted from a single NutraFix application and no further applications are anticipated.