White et al. measured the vegetative responses of a New Mexico blue grama rangeland to heavily stocked, short-duration grazing and moderately stocked, continuous grazing. In general, total produced biomass, litter and bare ground cover were similar between the two grazing systems. However, short duration grazing slightly enhanced primary production and cover of blue grama, while continuous grazing increased production and cover of other grasses and forbs. Based on the results of this 5-year study, the authors concluded that continuous grazing is appropriate in this area, but short-duration grazing systems have several benefits for cattle ranchers grazing blue grama rangeland in New Mexico.
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