 When the stakes are high in any competition, it may be a temptation for some competitors to cheat. This scene doesn't look like a life-or-death competition, but it is, and no holds are barred. This competitor, for example, is so notorious that one of its names is cheatgrass. It's a weedy grass, and one of its main strategies is to jump the gun, to leave the starting blocks early and get a head start on its competition. Cheatgrass often germinates in the fall and grows slowly during the winter, thus getting a head start on grasses that germinate in spring. As soon as the snow melts and the soil warms, cheatgrass rapidly accelerates its growth to win the competition for soil moisture. The cheater is an annual. That means that it completes its life cycle and dies in a single year. So the cheater is not interested in developing large roots that hold the soil or leaves that can feed animals. It's only interested in producing a lot of seed. Those seeds are spread in many ways, including getting into your socks or in the fur of animals. Now here is a plant that we prefer. It's a perennial grass. It produces a lot more leaves that can be used as forage by animals and dense roots that can hold the soil. These superior roots and leaves can allow perennials to overcome the cheaters when properly managed. Range and wildlife managers are like trainers and referees, keeping the perennial plants healthy so that the cheaters don't win. I'm Gene Gayde of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.