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Keys to making targeted cattle grazing more effective
Author
Mitchell Stephenson
Derek Bailey
Retta Bruegger
Larry Howery
Publication Year
2013
Body

Effectiveness of low-stress herding and low-moisture block protein supplement (LMB) was evaluated to determine if these practices could be used to target cattle grazing on small target areas (2 to 20 ha) located 1.5 to 3 km from water within large pastures (800 to 4000 ha) at several locations in New Mexico and Arizona. The overall goals of the research were to determine if targeted cattle grazing could be used to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and alter vegetation characteristics for the benefit wildlife habitat in the southwestern United States. Forty to two-hundred head of cattle were herded to target areas every other day for 5 to 10 day periods during the late fall or early spring. Intake was a key indicator in explaining the variation in the amount of time cattle spent within target areas (R2 = 0.73, P < 0.01) and the success of the targeted grazing treatments. When LMB intake was greater than 0.3 kg ? d-1 cattle spent 9.3 h ? d-1

Language
eng
Additional Information
Mitchell Stephenson1, Derek Bailey1, Retta Bruegger2, Larry Howery2 --- 1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 2The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts