Vegetation, cattle, and economic responses to grazing strategies and pressures
Issue Date
1997-11-01Keywords
optimizationground cover
producer prices
beef
liveweight gain
continuous grazing
root systems
rain
stocking rate
forbs
rotational grazing
steers
Wyoming
grazing intensity
biomass
plant litter
botanical composition
grasses
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Manley, W. A., Hart, R. H., Samuel, M. J., Smith, M. A., Waggoner, J. W., & Manley, J. T. (1997). Vegetation, cattle, and economic responses to grazing strategies and pressures. Journal of Range Management, 50(6), 638-646.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementDOI
10.2307/4003460Additional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Rotation grazing strategies have been proposed to increase stocking capacity, improve animal gains, and improve forage production and range condition. We compared continuous or season-long, 4-pasture rotationally deferred, and 8-paddock time-controlled rotation grazing on mixed-grass rangeland near Cheyenne, Wyo. from 1982 through 1994. Stocking rates under light, moderate and heavy grazing averaged 21.6, 47.0, and 62.7 steer-day ha-1; grazing pressures were 11.0 to 90.1 steer-day Mg-1 of forage dry matter produced. We estimated above and below-ground biomass, botanical composition and basal cover. Bare ground and cover of warm-season grasses, forbs, and lichens were greater under heavy stocking; cover of litter, western wheatgrass, and total cool-season graminoids were greater under light stocking. Stocking rate and grazing strategy had no effect on above-ground biomass and little effect on below-ground biomass. Under heavy stocking, percent of above-ground biomass contributed by forbs increased, especially under time-controlled rotation grazing, and that of western wheatgrass decreased. Otherwise, effects of grazing strategy, level vs. slope, and north vs. south slope on vegetation were insignificant. Steer average daily gain decreased linearly as grazing pressure increased (r2 = 0.44); grazing strategies had no significant effect. When cattle prices are favorable, the stocking rates that are most profitable in the short run may be high enough to reduce range condition.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/4003460