In Montana, economic efficiency of cattle production is threatened by high feed and input costs. �To improve profitability and reduce reliance on harvested feeds, many cow-calf producers have adopted management strategies involving dormant season grazing. Providing supplements to grazing beef cattle during times of low forage quality may improve animal performance and vegetation utilization across the landscape. �However, information relating supplementation strategies to individual grazing behavior and resource utilization on dormant forage is lacking. �Thus, the intent of this research is to examine cattle resource utilization, residual cover of vegetation and utilization on rangelands grazed during the dormant season under two supplementation management strategies. �Appoximately 100 weaned composite heifer calves were randomly selected and placed into one of two supplementation treatments (50 heifers/treatment); one recieving a free access 62% crude protein self-fed mineral/protein concentrate, and the other recieving a daily hand-fed 20% crude protein cake fed in bulk. �Grazing for both treatments occurred simultaneously beginning in December 2015 and continued through March 2016. Thirty transects were randomly located within each pasture for measuring vegetation composition, production and quality, canopy cover and visual obstruction readings pre and post grazing. �Grazing locations were monitored for seven individuals within each treatment with Lotek GPS collars containing head position sensors that record daily space use as well as timing and location of grazing activities at 5 minute intervals. �New individuals were selected for GPS collars every 28 days. Data sets were used to quantify space use as a continuous, probabilistic variable and related to the habitat covariates using multiple regression in a resource utilization function analysis. �This research will address comprehensive agro-ecosystem responses of dormant season cattle grazing and protein supplementation while providing multidimensional insight to stakeholders concerning grazing behavior and the ecological impacts of late season use on Montana rangelands.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.