A GPS-based Evaluation of Factors Commonly Used to Adjust Cattle Stocking Rates on Both Extensive and Mountainous Rangelands
Citation
Millward, M. F., Bailey, D. W., Cibils, A. F., & Holechek, J. L. (2020). A GPS-based Evaluation of Factors Commonly Used to Adjust Cattle Stocking Rates on Both Extensive and Mountainous Rangelands. Rangelands, 42(3), 63–71.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
RangelandsAdditional Links
https://rangelands.orgAbstract
Published research provides guidelines to reduce stocking rates on areas >10% slope and >1.6 km from water because these areas may be considered ungrazeable. Data from 180 cattle tracked by GPS collars for 1 to 4 months at seven ranches in New Mexico, Arizona, and Montana on average resulted in grazeable area calculations that were approximately 10% higher than those derived from published guidelines. In several cases, published guidelines yielded more conservative stocking rate estimates compared with our GPS-based calculations. However, our data should be interpreted with caution because most data were collected over a single season or year. Our results support recommending local experience and information be used in applying published guidelines to adjust stocking rates. These guidelines may not reflect site-specific management and the adaptability of cattle to local conditions. Animal GPS tracking is a sound tool to monitor spatial impact of grazing on rangelands and could be used to enhance commonly used stocking rate adjustment tools, such as annual monitoring of precipitation, forage production, and grazing intensity on key areas. © 2020 The AuthorsType
Articletext
Language
enISSN
0190-0528ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.rala.2020.04.001
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Range Management. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.