Get reliable rangeland science

The skills and knowledge of grazing management were initially designed to manage the impacts of grazing and improve the efficient conversion of plant biomass into livestock products. Generations of herders and scientists have focused their efforts on improving the production efficiency of sheep, goats, and cattle for meat, milk, and fiber and for strength as draught animals. Recognizing that left unchecked, livestock grazing often resulted in the deterioration of pastures, early grazing management focused on mitigating these adverse effects so that forage could be grazed in a sustainable manner. The regenerative or destructive power of herbivory to shape plant communities has been demonstrated time and time again as humans have managed the grazing of domestic livestock. For better or worse, livestock grazing has been applied in ways that change plant communities. A modern twist on grazing management is to harness the powerful ability of livestock grazing to change the botanical composition of grazing lands and use livestock to manage and control undesirable plants. Targeted grazing, like all managed or prescribed grazing, involves managing the timing, intensity, and season of grazing. However, targeted grazing takes grazing to a higher level with the application of a carefully selected and prepared kind of livestock at a determined season, duration, and intensity to accomplish defined vegetation or landscape goals. Livestock enterprises have been created based solely on offering ecological services for landscape and vegetation management through targeted grazing. As targeted grazing has gained a foothold in the land management arena, both research and experience have evolved to provide land managers and grazing service providers with more definitive tools for managing vegetation. Targeted grazing to manage vegetation and accomplish landscape goals denotes a new frontier in grazing management.