Contact: Walter H. Fick
E-mail: whfick@ksu.edu

This certificate is offered through the Agronomy  graduate program and is available through distance education.The purpose of this program is to provide current and future grassland professionals (i.e., managers, advisors, and conservationists) and others with distance education opportunities that lead to a graduate certificate in grassland management. Grasslands (including rangelands, pasturelands, and haylands) are the principle land resource type in the Great Plains, comprising more than 50% of the land surface area. The major use of the regions’ grasslands is livestock grazing. The beef cattle industry is prominent in the Great Plains, making up more than 50% of the US beef cow inventory. Grasslands in the region are also critically important for providing wildlife habitat, recreation, high quality water and air, and other environmental services. Grasslands represent a fundamental resource of the region that determines the environmental and economic future of the Great Plains states.