Conservation Grazing with Yaks

Improving habitat and soil health has been shown to help wildlife.  Ranchers provide this valuable habitat in much of North Dakota.  In Western ND, near Alexander, Diamond E ranch is using yaks to graze their grasslands.  You may ask, “What do yaks and improving wildlife habitat have to do with one another?”

Why yaks? Ashley, owner of Diamond E along with her husband Cody, explains, “Yaks tend to graze differently than cattle and can be lighter on the land, especially when grazing is managed carefully. Diamond E has seen areas where plant diversity seems to improve, along with good regrowth in grasses.”

Ashley and Cody notice more wildlife using the pasture — pheasants, birds, and other wildlife seem to benefit when there are good cover and a variety of plants available. Healthy grasslands support much more than just livestock, and it has been rewarding to see the prairie continue to provide habitat while still being productive for grazing.

With the help of North Dakota Wildlife Federation (NDWF) and United States Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Working Lands program, Cody and Ashley will be able to break their 480 acres from three pastures to ten 40-acre pastures.  This ensures more rest and recovery for the plant communities and better habitat. 

At the ranch, 7,040 feet of fence was identified to be installed to improve the rotational grazing system.  Using the Holmes funds from NDWF and the USFWS funds, Cody and Ashley will be able to add fencing and water sources to better utilize the pastures and increase the herd size. Cody and Ashley have been raising yaks on the property since 2023, and both grew up on family ranches.  Ashley’s brother is now running her family’s ranch and Cody’s Dad is still ranching on the family ranch.  Cody has a master’s degree in Agricultural Education and spent 7 years teaching secondary and post-secondary agriculture.   This background is helping Ashley and Cody to also use their ranch to do outreach and education to their local communities. 

On the property, the family have observed mule deer, pheasants, grouse, songbirds[AH1]  (western meadowlarks, bobolinks, chestnut-collared longspurs, clay-colored sparrows, upland sandpipers, horned larks, vesper sparrows, grasshopper sparrows), Canada geese, duck species (mallards, teals, shovelers, pintails), and coyotes on the property. Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), out of Watford City, ND helped with 400 acres of grass planting.  The Eastern most pasture was once a wheat field that has been planted to a cool season mix in 2021, while the   western pastures were planted to a warm season and more diverse mix.

 In the warm season planting, Canada wild rye, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, purple prairie clover, white prairie clover, Maximillian sunflower, yellow sweetclover (invasive not planted in the mix), purple coneflower, and others have been observed. Cody and Ashley are hoping with the addition of cross fencing and water supply, they can better utilize forage and move the yaks more frequently.  Areas that do not get as much use by the animals show thick litter build up and some areas there is over utilization due to the lack of available water. 

During a visit, Chad Maier of United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) part of the United States Department of the Interior (USDOI) and Cara Greger, NDWF western ND Conservation Coordinator, were able to meet with Cody and Ashley and tour the ranch..  Chad gave suggestions to improve the warm season planting which will use the forage better.  In the native pastures, some areas of smooth brome were not being touched by the yaks.  Chad suggested bale grazing or rolling out their bale in that area for better utilization and healthier grasslands.  With the proposed infrastructure projects, Cody and Ashley can achieve better management goals.  The native prairie pastures could benefit from the new management plans and wildlife would benefit and better nesting habitat, foraging habitat and pollinator habitat could be created.  Turkeys could potentially use this rangeland although they have not observed any at this point. 

The objective of the project is to install stock water tanks to make water more available in more places so the yaks are forced to graze certain areas at specified times.  With limited water sources, the yaks currently have approximately 150 acres to roam at each rotation.  This gives the yaks free choice to eat their preferred vegetation down to the ground leaving much other vegetation untouched.  Yaks are similar to goats and sheep; they will consume undesirable plants such as thistle when forced to.   The project will decrease pasture size to 40 acres per rotation resulting in better utilization and increased stimulation of the vegetation and give more rest to pastures increasing plant vigor and overall environmental benefits while maintaining a sustainable ranch operation. 

 Ashley and Cody’s land is currently a part of a research study being conducted by UND, Meadowlark Initiative, and the Smithsonian, focused on grassland bird use.  The study is comparing use of native grasslands, restored native mix grasslands, and croplands by 8 key grassland songbird species.  Cody has shared preliminary data gathered from the study.  The research collection started in 2024 and will continue through 2026. 

Ashlyn Herron, researcher for University of North Dakota (UND), has been leading the study on Ashley and Cody’s land.  Ashlyn states, “We are seeing increased species presence for many sensitive grassland birds such as grasshopper sparrows and bobolinks on our replanted grasslands in as little as three years post planting. While no two species that we are monitoring respond in the exact same way, the majority of species are showing positive responses to these manufactured habitats over time. These areas have become usable habitat for wildlife because of private landowners and supportive genuine partnerships that have help connect dollars to the earth. Partnership with the folks who hold and manage the grasslands is essential to ensure that grasslands continue to exist for future generations to enjoy.”

The UND researchers are working closely with landowners who are actively working with conservation organizations to replant marginalized croplands to native grasslands. The habitat improvements have shown to benefit both game and nongame grassland species, while creating areas that can and will be grazed by livestock. Researchers have observed 71 unique bird species (waterfowl, gamebirds, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds) on the property during 2025 point count surveys.

Ashlyn says, “The replanted grasslands especially, show what is good for the herd is also good for the bird. Both the herd and the bird need the grass. Replanted grasslands grow both grassland birds and livestock[AH5] , much better than any soybean or sunflower field. Livestock grazing makes these areas profitable to be returned to or kept in grass, while also playing essential roles of functioning biological diversity on an ecosystem scale.  Ranchers that partner with conservation organizations are the key to keeping grass green side up on the landscape.”

If Diamond E had not purchased the property, the 480 acres would probably have continued in traditional agricultural production. The purchase gave Ashley and Cody the opportunity to look at how the land could remain productive while also being used in a way that supports long-term grass health and grazing. They value keeping land productive, but also want to be thoughtful about how it is managed for future generations.

The grazing system goal is to continue improving grazing management so both the animals and the land benefit. This means to keep learning how to rotate grazing in a way that allows plants time to recover, encourages plant diversity, and supports healthy soil. Long term, the hope is to continue building a system where livestock production, land stewardship, and wildlife habitat all work together.

Cody is not enrolled in PLOTS but gives permission to people he knows and trusts to hunt on his land.  While deer hunting on the ranch is not as popular, Cody, his family and people he knows have had success hunting pheasants.  They like to take their dogs out on their pastures.  When Chad and I were there about 10 pheasants popped up in front of us and then we could hear roosters in the distance.

In addition to operating the ranch, Ashley does education about yaks to local school groups.  She has hosted groups at their pastures about the health benefits of yak and how to use their fibers.  She hopes to expand this education program and get more youth and kids connected to farming. They also sell their Diamond E Ranch branded meat products at local farmers’ markets and to a venue in Bismarck.

Together conservation groups and landowners can protect and improve the grasslands of North Dakota for future generations. 

Contributors to this article:

Ashlyn E. D.  Herron

Ph.D Student & Graduate Research Assistant | Felege Wildlife Lab | University of North Dakota Research Fellow |  Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

Email   ashlyn.herron@und.edu    403-664-1470

Ashley Echevarria, owner of Diamond E Ranch near Alexander, ND in McKenzie County.  406-939-1341  ashcfw@gmail.com  Facebook- Diamond E Ranch                                        Instagram- @yakdiamonde

Chad Maier, Partner’s biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service