Senft investigated the effects of short-duration grazing (SDG) variables on herbage production and cattle production on desert foothills. Simulations of season-long grazing under various stocking rates and precipitation regimes provided a series of control runs. Factors controlling biological productivity of SDG systems were climate, stocking rate, and number of grazing rotations per season. Results showed greater critical stocking rate under SDG in dry and average years was not due to increased herbage production, as herbage production was generally less under SDG than under season-long grazing. Instead, greater stocking resulted from more efficient herbage consumption associated with high grazing pressure. Senft concludes that this study suggests that stocking rates can be increased slightly under SDG, but only under a limited range of conditions. Also, since model behavior was dependent upon conditions specific to arid environments and the life history of Agropyron desertorum, caution should be used in extrapolating findings to other vegetation types.
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