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Livestock management in mesic meadow pastures is of interest to industry, range managers, and conservationists because of the need to understand how best to accommodate livestock and wildlife.� Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) often use meadow pastures as brood-rearing habitat because of the availability of dietary forbs and insects, which are critical for juvenile sage-grouse survival and population maintenance. �Understanding how grazing affects forbs that are important to sage-grouse can help develop management regimes that are effective for both livestock forage production and sage-grouse habitat. This research addresses whether and how varying rates of livestock grazing utilization influences habitat and resource availability in meadow pastures that are potential brood-rearing habitat for sage-grouse. Bred heifer cattle (n = 75) were stratified by body weight into six mesic meadow pastures (~ 5.5 ac; n = 25, 20, 15, 20, 5, or 0), where stocking rates created a gradient of grazing utilization levels, and grazed for 25 d in July 2017. Data were collected in each pasture < 3 wk pre-grazing, < 1 wk post-grazing, and after an 8 wk regrowth post-grazing period to investigate the effects on availability and condition of preferred forbs and habitat characteristics, including measures of vegetation composition and structure, biomass, and grazing utilization level.� Individual cattle body weights were measured at the beginning and end of the grazing period to evaluate cattle performance. To identify sage-grouse use of the trial area, pellet counts were conducted in each pasture. Preliminary data from the first year of a multi-year study include:� 1) pre- and post-grazing cover and biomass of forbs preferred by sage-grouse, and regrowth rates of preferred forbs; 2) short-term changes in species composition of preferred forbs; 3) horizontal and vertical structure of vegetation and forb canopy cover; and 4) performance and growth of heifer cattle.