On the Ground • A common practice for assessing livestock weight gains from grazing animals on rangelands is to confine animals overnight without feed or water to reduce variation in weight loss and percent shrink. • Advances in remote sensing of vegetation, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) provide opportunities to estimate greenness (an indicator of both the quality and quantity of the plant community) that could be used with air temperature and relative humidity as predictors of percent shrink in grazing animals. • We determined percent shrink losses from crossbred yearling steers at each of four weigh dates for four consecutive years. • Percent overnight shrink by yearling steers grazing semiarid rangeland was influenced positively by air temperature and NDVI values, but not relative humidity. • The prediction equation we developed can provide temporal weight gain data within a grazing season without the logistical difficulties in gathering and holding animals, as well as eliminate associated animal stress from shrinking and regaining gut fill multiple times.

On the Ground • Due to woody plant encroachment and seeing the need for fire on their lands, private landowners throughout the southern Great Plains have started forming prescribed burn associations (PBA) to assist each other with conducting prescribed fires. • Members of PBAs work together by pooling equipment and other resources, organizing training opportunities, and assisting with prescribed burns on each other’s properties, while teaching upcoming generations and inexperienced members the value of fire in grassland conservation and how to safely use it. • There are over 50 PBAs working in the southern Great Plains. As the number of PBAs has grown so has the need for bringing these groups together. Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas have formed statewide PBAs to assist and promote the local PBAs. • As PBAs have grown in number, there is now a clear opportunity to develop an organized network of PBAs at the local, state, and national levels that can address cross-scale ecological and jurisdictional challenges limiting their effectiveness.

On the Ground • Cattle within riparian zones can negatively impact water quality and riparian health, which are important environmental concerns for grazing lands. • Best management practices (BMPs) help mitigate agricultural pollution. Since BMPs are primarily voluntary, stakeholder acceptance is critical, and agricultural producers need BMPs that are relevant to their operation and will not negatively impact production. • Alternative shade has been suggested as a water quality BMP, with both environmental and agricultural benefits. After implementing the nonriparian shade structure, a 30% average reduction was observed in the time cattle spent within the riparian zone.

On the Ground • Oman and Mongolia feature different political systems and physical landscapes yet represent similar challenges encountered across global pastoral societies. • Extractive industries disrupt pastoral drylands through reorienting government policy, environmental change, altered water supply, and infrastructure factors that challenge livelihood viability. • The impact of climate variability on rangeland livelihoods is now exacerbated by policy and development decisions. • Herder livelihoods at different income and development levels are dependent on government policy and risk mitigation strategies to maintain customary practices. • The combination of multiple external forces stress rural viability and contribute to out-migration from herding systems.