"Who Would of Thought?" - Using Livestock to Restore a Native Prairie

Learn how Julie Mattox is using livestock on her property to restore native prairie species. She uses cattle and sheep to create targeted disturbances, which has helped improve the soil and created an environment for native plant species to thrive. She has conducted forage testing on more than 50 native and non-native plant species consumed by livestock, measuring protein values, total digestible nutrients (TDN), and other nutritional indicators. Her most recent research applies DNA metabarcoding techniques to analyze fecal samples from cattle and sheep, providing quantifiable data on dietary composition and advancing understanding of livestock-prairie interactions.Julie Mattox is a retired surveyor with 35 years of experience in the energy industry, where she worked extensively across the United States and Canada. While operating her own consulting firm, she explored diverse ecosystems, and her time in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of the West sparked a deep interest in prairie ecology and biodiversity. Following her career, she shifted her focus to restoring tallgrass prairie on a former dairy farm in Northeast Texas. Her restoration efforts combine soil health management, adaptive multi-species grazing, and native plant reintroduction to rebuild biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Julie partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to implement the Pastures for Upland Birds program and collaborates closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to apply science-based management practices.*To better see the graphs and charts Julie references in her discussion, view this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMV6JjlOmeA