High stocking density or “mob grazing†is an intensive grazing management system where cattle move frequently (once to many times/day) from paddock to paddock. “Mob†graziers claim improvements in grassland ecological function. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of mob grazing on litter decomposition, soil moisture retention, and soil temperature. This study was conducted at Quinn, Chamberlain, Eureka, and Volga, South Dakota. Each study site had different stocking densities, grazing dates, vegetation composition, and climate conditions. The treatments were ungrazed, bare-ground (litter removed), and mob grazed.  Soil sensors measuring temperature and soil moisture were monitored every hour and were installed at a 5.1 cm (2 inch) depth. Surface litter bags were installed on the treatments post grazing. Two types of litter bags with two replicates were installed on every treatment: old litter (vegetation from previous grazing already on the soil surface) and new litter (standing vegetation that would become litter due to trampling during the current grazing season). Litter bags were removed at first frost to determine overall decomposition at each site. Data from 2013 is being analyzed and will be reported in the study. Soil moisture and temperature data will help describe the environmental conditions that affect nutrient cycling (litter decomposition) of grasslands grazed at a high stocking density in the Great Plains.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.