Rotational Grazing Systems and Livestock Grazing Behavior in Shrub-Dominated Semi-Arid and Arid Rangelands

Native Aspen Parkland landscapes consist of a complex mosaic of plant communities, including riparian meadows, upland grasslands, and forests. Sustainable livestock production in this environment depends on an understanding of livestock grazing behavior among communities, particularly under contemporary, intensive management rotational grazing systems. This study examined seasonal patterns of absolute (kg ha-1) and relative (%) herbage utilization, as well as plant community visitation, across a Parkland landscape by 150 heifers in two rotations of a high-intensity, low-frequency grazing system. Graminoids constituted more than 92% of the total herbage utilized. Absolute graminoid utilization within each grazing period was greater (P < 0.05) throughout the growing season from riparian meadows (2003 to 2114 kg ha-1) than from upland grasslands (762 to 1041 kg ha-1) or forests (782 to 800 kg ha-1). In contrast, relative graminoid utilization remained similar (P > 0.05) among communities in either rotation, suggesting heifers grazed in proportion to graminoid availability (57–61% in first rotation, 44–54% in second rotation). Although riparian meadows represented a small fraction of the landscape (~ 4%), and provided up to 9.5% of the total forage used, the majority of herbage removal at the paddock level continued to originate from upland grasslands and forests. Patterns of visitation indicated heifers initially visited riparian meadows more often within each 3–4 day grazing period, regardless of entry date. While upland grasslands were least visited in June, forests were least visited in August. Based on these utilization and visitation patterns, we discuss the implications of using high-density, rotational livestock grazing for the sustainable management of Aspen Parkland rangelands. Key words: Aspen forest, cattle grazing, forage quality, herbage utilization, riparian meadow, rotational grazing, upland grassland

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Herbaceous weed control and revegetation of semi-arid rangelands in western United States

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/003072706900600203 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 60-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Raymond A. Evans ◽

James A. Young ◽

Richard E. Eckert

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Weed Control ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Western United States ◽

Important Resource ◽

Recreation Areas ◽

Arid Rangelands ◽

Herbaceous Weed Control ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Wild Life

Rangelands of the western United States are becoming an increasingly important resource for many uses, including livestock grazing, wild-life habitat, recreation areas and watersheds. These lands have much undeveloped potential and can be greatly improved to better sustain these many demands. Herbaceous weed control-revegetation systems are powerful tools in this improvement.

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Rotational grazing management achieves similar plant diversity outcomes to areas managed for conservation in a semi-arid rangeland

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj18090 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 135 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sarah E. McDonald ◽

Nick Reid ◽

Rhiannon Smith ◽

Cathleen M. Waters ◽

John Hunter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Plant Species ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Grazing Management ◽

Plant Species Composition ◽

Rotational Grazing ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Understorey Plant ◽

Arid Rangeland

Despite the increasing extent of protected areas throughout the world, biodiversity decline continues. Grazing management that promotes both biodiversity and production outcomes has the potential to improve broad-scale conservation and complement the protected area network. In this study we explored the potential to integrate commercial livestock grazing and conservation in a semi-arid rangeland in south-eastern Australia. Understorey floristic composition and diversity were compared at different spatial scales across three grazing management treatments: (1) continuous commercial grazing management where paddocks were grazed for the majority of the year (≥8 months per annum); (2) rotational commercial grazing management where livestock are frequently rotated and paddocks rested for >4 months per annum; and (3) protected areas managed for conservation with domestic livestock excluded and grazed only by native and feral herbivores. The season of sampling, rainfall, soil characteristics and the spatial location of sites were the dominant drivers of variability in understorey plant species composition; the effect of grazing treatment on understorey plant species composition was relatively minor. However, areas managed for conservation and under rotational forms of commercial grazing management generally had greater floristic richness and diversity than continuously grazed areas, the results varying with season (spring/autumn) and soil type (clay/sandy-loam), particularly at fine scale (1-m2 quadrats). These findings indicate that rotational grazing management on commercial properties has the potential to improve biodiversity conservation outside the reserve system compared to conventional grazing management.

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