Prescribed Burn 2026

Prescribed burn March 2026

Considering the recent catastrophic wildfires in Nebraska over the past few weeks, we view our recent controlled burn with both relief and gratitude. We were very fortunate to get a narrow time window of gentle winds. Our good neighbors and the Narka Rural Fire Department ensured that the fire stayed within the necessary boundaries.

Managed carefully, fire has proven to be an effective tool in both the establishment of native grass and control of invasive competitors. Great Plains native grass has evolved in the presence of burns ignited by lightning strikes, and native peoples such as the Pawnee used fire to influence Bison migration. Competitors of grass (or weeds) cannot handle fire. Burning incinerates the weeds and their seed stock while the native grass roots remain safely underground. This former cropland, 55 acres, was planted two years ago to a native grass mix. Since then, a smothering entanglement of three-to-four-foot-tall weeds, tinder-dry, covered the entire field. We closely watched the wind forecast from the National Weather Service and were at last blessed with a 12-hour window of gentle westerly winds. After two years of waiting, we seized the moment.

At 6 p.m. a downwind backfire was lit on the east end to burn a 100-foot-wide safety corridor. After observing the fire’s behavior of tending toward a slight southerly movement, we then lit an additional backfire on the southern border. At the same time, the fire truck soaked the entire west end to prevent any backfire spreading to my neighbors to the west. The main fire was then lit in front of this wet corridor. Now the blaze was off to the races; the main fire marched eastward, met the backfired strip, and the entire field was blackened in 20 minutes.

After the adrenaline subsided, we monitored hot spots from scattered log piles over the next several hours as well as several days thereafter. Now we wait for rain and the emergence of a green carpet of native grasses while the Kansas sun warms the lengthening days.

Once again, hats off to my supportive ranching neighbors and the dedicated Narka Volunteer Fire Department.

Summer 2025 Updates

Tract #1 - 70 acres of cropland to grassland

This field produced its final crop of hard red winter wheat, harvested on June 23. A layer of straw residue remains, and a few days later Sudangrass was seeded into the straw.

Baling Sudangrass

Sudangrass is a fast-growing, leafy plant that looks similar to young sugar cane. It will provide forage for Ryan’s cows through the rest of the season. As the cows graze, they’ll also return manure to the soil as fertilizer and their hoof action will help prepare the field for grass establishment.

We plan to seed native prairie grass on December 1. At that time, a local conservation technician will operate a no-till drill to plant an approved mixture of native grasses, forbs, and pollinator-friendly species. Estimated planting costs are about $11,000. For the past 25 years, USDA conservation programs routinely offered technical expertise and cost-share funding for practices like this. These supports were discontinued after the Trump/DOGE funding cuts, leaving landowners to shoulder the full cost of prairie seeding. If you’d like to help us cover these planting costs, you can donate here!

Establishing a prairie takes time and patience. It generally requires 3–4 years to form a permanent stand, and by year 7, native prairie should be the dominant ecosystem in this former cropland. From that point forward, rotational grazing and invasive species management will help keep the prairie in balance.

Tract #2 – 74 Acres of Grass (Seeded 2023)

This tract was seeded to grass last year and is steadily developing. After nearly a century of row cropping, it’s already showing encouraging signs of ecological recovery.

Rainfall Update

The best news came on June 30, when the area received nearly 4 inches of slow, steady rain. This kind of moisture is rare for mid-summer in semi-arid Kansas, where drought is more typical. The rain will replenish soil reserves, support lush summer grazing, and set up excellent conditions for December’s prairie seeding. Both Ryan and his cows will benefit.