Rangeland Ecology & Management

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APPROACHES TO MANAGE CATTLE USE OF RIPARIAN AREAS: AN EXAMPLE FROM SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO.
Author
Stricklan, Dave
Bailey, Derek W.
Lamb, James B.
Millward, Michael F.
Whiting, Jericho C.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2016
Body

Livestock use of riparian areas has long been a concern of range managers and livestock producers. Low stress livestock herding (i.e. stockmanship) and supplemental feeding of low moisture blocks (LMB) have been effective tools to manipulate cattle movements. This research was based on the assumption that without active management cattle would spend a great deal of time near riparian areas. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of using low stress livestock herding combined with strategic placement of (LMB) supplements to reduce the time cattle spend in riparian areas. We divided the grazing season into early and late summer periods. In each period we applied two treatments: 1) conventional management (CM) - traditional herding once a week and no LMB; 2) Stockmanship and strategic supplementation (SSS) - low stress herding 5 days per week plus strategic LMB placement on uplands. Treatments were applied during 2013 and 2014. During the late period of 2013, when weather conditions were near normal, SSS cattle spent more time (P = .01) at higher elevations away from the stream than early season SSS cattle. In contrast to our initial assumptions no differences in cattle movements between TS and SSS treatments were detected during the second grazing season. Less than 7 % of GPS locations were within 150 m. of the stream for in both treatments. In August precipitation was 370 % of normal and the average daily high temperature was 12% below normal. Apparently the wet and cool conditions facilitated cattle use of upland areas. The presence of wolves also may played some role in the limited use of riparian areas by cattle. Although SSS appeared effective during drier weather conditions, use of such labor intensive and potentially expensive management to reduce cattle use of riparian areas may not always be necessary.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Corpus Christi, TX