Herbivory is the process by which animals consume plants to acquire nutrients. Grazing is a form of herbivory that is often distinguished as a process involving livestock harvesting primarily grasses. Similarly, browsing is herbivory of woody plants such as shrubs or trees. Grazing is an important part of the nutrient cycle and food web, providing a means to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into plant biomass and subsequently, animal protein or other products. Utilization is a term applied to the amount of plant tissue removed during grazing. Utilization can be measured at the end of a grazing period or at the end of a growing season. These measurements can help inform current and future grazing management decisions. Typical grazing utilization assessment methods include stubble height, height:weight relationships and paired plot harvest. These measurements can be mapped and displayed via GIS to inform management at the landscape scale. The range management staff of the Hopi Tribe in Arizona applies these methods to work with ranchers as they make annual grazing management plans.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.