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Domestic goats were used to modify the growth form of blackbrush, a spinescent shrub occurring in nearly monospecific stands on several million hectares of rangeland in the southwestern United States. The objective of this research was to provide data on the responses of blackbrush, goats, and cattle to a biological manipulation program in which winter goat browsing was used to stimulate spring twig production in an attempt to improve fall and winter range for cattle. Goats were stocked at 4 intensities during each winter from 1977 to 1979. Resultant levels of utilization and spring twig production were determined, with increased utilization leading to increased twig production. Browsing improved the nutritional quality of blackbrush by stimulating twig production, and current season's twigs collected during the winter contained more crude protein (6.5 versus 4.6%), phosphorus (0.10 versus 0.08%) and in vitro digestible dry matter (48 versus 38%) than did older twigs. Cattle (heifers) browsed blackbrush pastures during October of 1979. Heifers in pastures unbrowsed by goats consumed primarily older twigs while those in previously browsed pastures consumed primarily current season's twigs. No statistically significant differences in weight response were recorded for heifers using pastures that were, or were not, previously browsed. In previously unbrowsed pastures, however, the average heifer consumed 1.9 times more protein supplement than did her counterpart in previously browsed pastures. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. 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