Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Economic analysis of using sheep to control leafy spurge
Author
Bangsund, D. A.
Nudell, D. J.
Sell, R. S.
Leistritz, F. L.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2001-07-01
Body

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.), a widely established exotic, noxious, perennial weed, is a major threat to rangeland and wildland in the Upper Great Plains. A deterministic, bioeconomic model, incorporating relationships between sheep grazing and leafy spurge control, grass recovery, and forage consumption by cattle, and expected costs and returns from sheep enterprises was developed to evaluate the economic viability of using sheep to control leafy spurge. Various scenarios were developed depicting likely situations facing cattle ranches adding a sheep enterprise for leafy spurge control. Two levels of flock profitability, one based on a level of proficiency achieved by established sheep ranches and one substantially lower than typically achieved in the sheep industry, were combined with debt and no-debt to represent best- and worst-case scenarios, respectively. In the best-case situations, using sheep to control leafy spurge was economical in all of the scenarios examined. In the worst-case situations, the economics of using sheep to control leafy spurge were mixed across the scenarios examined. Leafy spurge control with poor flock proficiency, high fence expense, and unproductive rangeland generally was not economical. Situations with low fencing costs, moderately productive rangeland, and poor flock proficiency resulted in less economic loss than no treatment. Actual returns from leafy spurge control for most ranchers will likely fall between the extremes examined. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/4003099
Additional Information
Bangsund, D. A., Nudell, D. J., Sell, R. S., & Leistritz, F. L. (2001). Economic analysis of using sheep to control leafy spurge. Journal of Range Management, 54(4), 322-329.
IISN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/643876
Journal Volume
54
Journal Number
4
Journal Pages
322-329
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
fencing
simulation models
costs and returns
Euphorbia esula
economic analysis
weed control
profitability
sheep
rangelands
grazing
grasses
feed intake
Euphorbia esula L.
grazing
economics