Evaluation of Low-Stress Herding and Supplement Placement for Managing Cattle Grazing in Riparian and Upland Areas

Abstract

Management practices are often needed to ensure that riparian areas are not heavily grazed by livestock. A study was conducted in Montana during midsummer to evaluate the efficacy of low-stress herding and supplement placement to manage cattle grazing in riparian areas. Three treatments were evaluated in three pastures over a 3-yr period in a Latin-square design (n = 9). Each year, naïve 2-yr-old cows with calves were randomly assigned to the three treatments: 1) free-roaming control, 2) herding from perennial streams to upland target areas, and 3) herding to upland sites with low-moisture block supplements. Stubble heights along the focal stream were higher (P = 0.07) in pastures when cattle were herded (mean +/- SE, 23 +/- 2 cm) than in controls (15 +/- 3cm). Global positioning system telemetry data showed that herding reduced the time cows spent near (< 100 m) perennial streams (P = 0.01) and increased the use of higher elevations (P = 0.07) compared with controls. Evening visual observations provided some evidence that free-roaming cows (44% +/- 19%) were in riparian areas more frequently (P=0.11) than herded cows (23% +/- 6%). Fecal abundance along the focal stream was less (P=0.07) with herding (61.9 +/- 11.4 kg ha-1) than in controls (113.2 +/- 11.4 kg ha-1). Forage utilization within 600 m of supplement sites was greater (P=0.06) when cows were herded to low-moisture blocks (18% +/- 6%) compared with controls and herding alone (8% +/- 2%). Moving cattle to uplands at midday using low-stress herding is an effective tool to reduce use of riparian areas. Herding cattle to low-moisture blocks can increase grazing of nearby upland forage but may not provide additional reduction in cattle use of riparian areas compared with herding alone.