The state of Sonora has the second largest area in Mexico with nearly 18.5 million ha; of these, approximately 51.5% is arid and 35.9% is semiarid region. The main use of these almost 16 million ha is extensive cattle production. Sonora´s cattle production has traditionally maintained in the top five nationwide; however, in recent years, it has fallen to eighth place. Statistical information from the state of Sonora was analyzed from various sources for the total production in live weight (LW), number of cattle produced in Sonora, and annual average precipitation during the years of 2000 to 2012. Our results indicate that the average number of head produced annually was 441,446; 196,098 in semiarid and 148,871 in arid rangelands. Total LW was 130,326 tons; 51,266 tons in semiarid and 56,056 tons in arid rangelands. The annual average precipitation for the state was 423.4 mm; 315.9 mm in semiarid and 261.4 mm arid rangelands. The amount of LW per hectare produced was 9.224, 7.187, and 5.964 kg/LW/ha for the state, semiarid and arid rangelands, respectively. It is advisable to continue this type of work considering the Stocking Rate Coefficients, annual precipitation, production levels, overgrazing and its impact on the vegetation of these regions.
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