Content uploaded by Samuel D. Fuhlendorf
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Samuel D. Fuhlendorf on May 28, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Rotational Grazing on Rangelands: Reconciliation of Perception and Experimental Evidence
Abstract and Figures
In spite of overwhelming experimental evidence to the contrary, rotational grazing continues to be promoted and implemented as the only viable grazing strategy. The goals of this synthesis are to 1) reevaluate the complexity, underlying assumptions, and ecological processes of grazed ecosystems, 2) summarize plant and animal production responses to rotational and continuous grazing, 3) characterize the prevailing perceptions influencing the assessment of rotational and continuous grazing, and 4) attempt to direct the profession toward a reconciliation of perceptions advocating support for rotational grazing systems with that of the experimental evidence. The ecological relationships of grazing systems have been reasonably well resolved, at the scales investigated, and a continuation of costly grazing experiments adhering to conventional research protocols will yield little additional information. Plant production was equal or greater in continuous compared to rotational grazing in 87% (20 of 23) of the experiments. Similarly, animal production per head and per area were equal or greater in continuous compared to rotational grazing in 92% (35 of 38) and 84% (27 of 32) of the experiments, respectively. These experimental data demonstrate that a set of potentially effective grazing strategies exist, none of which have unique properties that set one apart from the other in terms of ecological effectiveness. The performance of rangeland grazing strategies are similarly constrained by several ecological variables establishing that differences among them are dependent on the effectiveness of management models, rather than the occurrence of unique ecological phenomena. Continued advocacy for rotational grazing as a superior strategy of grazing on rangelands is founded on perception and anecdotal interpretations, rather than an objective assessment of the vast experimental evidence. We recommend that these evidence-based conclusions be explicitly incorporated into management and policy decisions addressing this predominant land use on rangelands.
Figures - uploaded by Samuel D. Fuhlendorf
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Samuel D. Fuhlendorf
Content may be subject to copyright.
... O valor nutricional da forragem tem um papel importante na eficiência produtiva dos rebanhos sendo considerado fator determinante na implementação das pastagens (Briske et al., 2008). ...
Este artigo aborda a aplicação de tecnologias de espectroscopia no infravermelho próximo (NIR) e espectroscopia de reflectância no infravermelho fecal (fNIR) na avaliação nutricional de ruminantes. A análise dessas técnicas permite um monitoramento eficiente da dieta dos animais, facilitando a identificação de nutrientes essenciais e o controle da qualidade da alimentação. As metodologias apresentadas são não invasivas e oferecem resultados rápidos e precisos, representando uma ferramenta valiosa para a gestão de rebanhos em sistemas de produção sustentável. Os resultados indicam que o uso dessas tecnologias pode contribuir significativamente para a melhoria da produtividade e a sustentabilidade na pecuária. O objetivo deste artigo é explorar a aplicação das tecnologias de espectroscopia no infravermelho próximo (NIR) e espectroscopia de reflectância no infravermelho fecal (fNIR) como ferramentas eficazes para o monitoramento nutricional de ruminantes, visando melhorar a eficiência produtiva e a sustentabilidade nos sistemas de produção animal.
... This phenomenon aligns with the concept of disturbance-mediated biodiversity, where moderate levels of disturbance, such as grazing, can prevent any single species from dominating an ecosystem, thereby maintaining higher species richness and ecological integrity in the plant community (Milchunas, Sala, and Lauenroth 1988;Milchunas and Lauenroth 1993). Moreover, rotational grazing systems can help quickly regenerating functional groups, increasing rangeland stability and resilience, especially in areas where grazing pressure on vegetation is expected to be high (Briske et al. 2008;de Otálora et al. 2021;Jordon et al. 2022). In this way, overgrazing can be prevented or reduced by avoiding practices that return livestock to the same area too soon and by controlling livestock numbers to ensure they do not exceed the rangeland's carrying capacity. ...
Grazing is a major ecological driver that influences vegetation dynamics globally. We investigated the long‐term effects of different grazing regimes on the vegetation structure of the Central Anatolian steppes, a region characterized by its unique convergence of biogeographical influences and historical land use. We employed the spatially explicit FATELAND model to simulate vegetation dynamics over a 50‐year period under three distinct grazing scenarios: no grazing, moderate grazing, and overgrazing. Our simulations incorporated a range of plant functional traits to predict changes across five different vegetation types in Central Anatolia, including woodland steppes and treeless steppes. The simulations revealed that moderate grazing supports the diversity and abundance of various plant functional groups, excluding resprouter trees, which flourish under no grazing conditions. In contrast, overgrazing leads to significant reductions in the abundance of perennial forbs and both spiny and non‐spiny subshrubs, often resulting in a shift toward grassland dominated by resprouter gramineae or an annual herb‐dominated grassland, depending on the initial abundance of gramineae. Our findings highlight the critical role of grazing management in maintaining biodiversity and ecological stability in steppe ecosystems. While moderate grazing can enhance plant functional group diversity, overgrazing significantly threatens the ecological integrity of the Central Anatolian steppes. In conclusion, our modeling approach reveals that the grazing regime is a major driver in shaping the vegetation structure of Central Anatolian steppes. Grazing management strategies that are adjusted to the ecological characteristics and historical context of specific regions are required to prevent degradation and promote sustainable grassland vegetation.
... Rotational grazing is a multifunctional agricultural system that enhances family wellbeing and animal health, reduces inputs, improves crop and fodder production, and improves environmental qualities such as biodiversity, soil and water quality (Nelson et al. 2014). Rotational grazing is designed to redistribute grazing pressure (forage availability or forage demand) for any size of the animal herd or land area (Briske et al. 2008). The full adoption of Management Intensive Rotational Grazing (MIRG) provides a higher profit than partial adoption, and intensive rotational grazing can provide bigger returns than extensive grazing (Foltz and Lang 2005). ...
Participation of women in sustainable agriculture is increasing in the United
States. This study explores the participation of women farmers in sustainable
agriculture by using data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture 2012. The objective
of this study is to find out how women farmers participate in rotational grazing
practices on their farms. In this study, rotational grazing is the dependent
variable, and the woman farmer is the independent variable. The application of
multiple regression method indicates a positive and significant relationship
between women farmers and rotational grazing, even after controlling for twenty
socioeconomic variables. The findings of this study could have an important
gender policy implication on agriculture. When women farmers are facing
significant barriers to full participation in agriculture, this study suggests that
women farmers deserve more attention in agricultural policy, research,
outreach, and extension. Women farmers could play roles of change agents for
the rotational grazing movement producing more healthy foods, enhancing food
security, and taking care of soil health.
... Recent studies have found that, in contrast to grazing exclusion, managed livestock grazing at light to moderate intensities tends to have positive effects on rangeland vegetation (Holechek et al., 2006). However, there are still unknowns regarding how the spatial movement of livestock impacts these processes (Briske et al., 2008). The effects of grazing livestock on horticultural sites in Nigeria still need to be fully understood. ...
Due to their destructive tendencies, grazing livestock pose a serious threat to horticultural areas and locales. The diverse effects of animals on horticultural regions are examined in this research, including grazing damage, soil erosion, trampling, disease transmission, weed dissemination, and nutrient management difficulties. Livestock grazing can reduce crop production and injure ornamental plants, which can result in financial losses. Large animals' stomping of the ground compacts the topsoil and harms root development and soil health. When animals disturb topsoil, it becomes vulnerable to wind and water erosion, which can result in soil erosion. Diseases spread by livestock can threaten the development and potential of horticulture crops. The unintentional spread of weed seeds by livestock makes weed eradication more difficult. Various management techniques are required to reduce these negative impacts. Livestock can be kept out of horticultural areas by fencing them off and enforcing access restrictions. Systems such as rotating grazing will aid in controlling grazing pressure and preventing overgrazing. Following recommended practices, proper manure management maximizes advantages while avoiding environmental dangers. In order to stop the spread of diseases, disease surveillance and preventative measures are essential. Practices for conserving soil health include planting cover crops and erosion prevention. In conclusion, this review emphasizes the risk that livestock poses to horticultural sites and the significance of implementing effective management practices to protect crop yields, soil quality, and the general well-being of horticultural sites. Maintaining the productivity and attractiveness of these priceless sites requires effective management.
... Les nombreux travaux sur les effets du pâturage, du surpâturage ainsi que des actions d'aménagement, ont fourni des résultats variés et parfois contradictoires mais montrent surtout l'extrême complexité des processus fonctionnels impliqués. Les analyses, en particulier dans les parcours arides, des effets des différents modes de gestion demeurent insuffisantes ou controversées (Bigger & Marvier, 1998 ;Holechek et al., 2006 ;Briske et al., 2008Briske et al., , 2011Teague et al., 2008 ;Hanke et al., 2014). Ces auteurs reprochent aux nombreux travaux sur l'efficacité des modes de pâturage de n'avoir pas considéré les effets sur l'ensemble des attributs fondamentaux de l'écosystème, ce qui rend discutable la généralisation des résultats. ...
Assessment of the effects of the control of grazing system in grazed arid steppic rangelands in Algeria.-Facing the degradation that the steppe in Algeria suffered, the grazing system using deferred grazing, introduced recently, is an effective means to control and manage the grazed ecosystems of steppic rangelands. Three sites have been studied to assess in each of them, the effects of the managed grazing on ecosystem in comparison to the free grazed ones. The composition and plant species diversity, surface soil conditions and forage quality in controlled areas, showed improvement compared with the freely grazed land. In the present work and usually regarding similar assessment tasks, conditions and sampling design are dictated by a request made much later after the grazing management setup. The need of such a management in the arid rangelands and the sampling method are discussed. RÉSUMÉ.-Face à la dégradation dont souffre la steppe en Algérie, la mise en repos, introduite récemment, représente un moyen efficace de contrôle et de gestion des écosystèmes pâturés des parcours steppiques arides de cette région. Trois sites ont été étudiés en vue d'évaluer dans chacun d'eux les effets de l'exclusion du pâturage suivie d'une gestion en pâturage contrôlé par rapport à un usage libre. La composition et la diversité floristique de la végétation, l'état de surface du sol et la qualité fourragère des espaces contrôlés, montrent une amélioration par rapport aux terrains pâturés librement. La nécessité d'un tel aménagement dans les parcours steppiques arides ainsi que la méthode d'échantillonnage dans ce genre d'évaluation sont discutées.
... Besides botanical and chemical composition, sward height, fertilizer application and others, both stocking density and grazing rotation play a central role (Roca-Fernández and González-Rodríguez, 2013;Andressa Scholz et al., 2021). In comparison to continuous grazing, rotational grazing may increase, decrease or not alter herbage offer and quality and animal performances, such as feed intake, milk production and average daily gain (Thomet and Hadorn, 2000;Abrahamse et al., 2008;Briske et al., 2008;Chen and Shi, 2017). ...
Meat quality is influenced by many factors related to the animal, such as its genetics and health status, farm management, and slaughter and processing conditions. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and interactions of grazing intensity and horn status on behaviour, physiological pre-slaughter stress status and meat characteristics of beef heifers. The study involved 32 horned and 32 disbudded F1 crossbred (Limousin ☓ Swiss Dairy breed) heifers during summer grazing on mountain pastures. Half of the heifers of each horn status were assigned to one of two grazing systems, balanced for live weight, dam and behavioural reactivity: grazing at either high (HI) or low (LI) grazing intensity. HI groups grazed in 3 times smaller paddocks and changed the paddock three times more often than LI groups. The effects of horn status and grazing intensity on physical activity on pasture, pre-slaughter stress and meat quality of the m. longissimus thoracis were studied. Compared to HI heifers, LI Heifers walked more when on pasture, showed greater stress levels before stunning, and their meat had greater water losses and greater early troponin levels. The varying pre-slaughter stress levels may be attributed to the differing frequency of human contact resulting from the differing frequency of paddock changes and may explain part of the effects on meat quality. Compared to disbudded heifers, horned heifers had faster heart rates at the abattoir, and their meat had lower cooking loss and was less juicy. Pre-slaughter heart rates showed robust correlations with various meat quality indicators. The study shows that both horn status and grazing management, including human contact, influence meat quality. Part of the effects may be related to different pre-slaughter physiological reactions, which subsequently influence meat quality.
Rotational grazing can improve cattle feeding considering a series of aspects, such as (1) the maximum utilization of each hectare of pasture on which the cattle are fed and; (2) the pasture analysis to guarantee the type and the size of the pasture that will serve as feed, among others. The above aspects allow better-fed cattle, with better weight and meat quality. To implement rotational grazing, it is necessary to carry out forage-utilization practices with criteria associated with the morphophysiology and phenology of the forage species. Many of these data, in the real context of a beef farm, are not used, and most of the decisions made by the farmer are based on experience (successes and failures in productivity). In this proposal, we establish a multi-objective rotational-grazing assignment model based on (1) the best quality forage, and (2) the distance an animal must travel from one paddock to another. At each stage, we estimate the amount of forage as well as the total weight of each batch of animals. Based on pasture yield and cattle forage demand, we propose a dynamic assignment model. To validate the effectiveness of the assignment model, we carried out a discrete simulation of a one-year cattle rotation. Results show that the assignment model generates a statistically higher average weight gain than the one generated by the traditional rotation method.
We evaluated the adequacy of rotational grazing to improve rangeland condition in the Flooding Pampa region, eastern Argentina, comparing the floristic composition dynamic of the 2 main plant communities under rotational and continuous grazing over a study period of 4 years (1993-1996). The experiment was conducted in commercial farms located in 4 sites of the Flooding Pampa region. In each site, a couple of farms, one managed under rotational grazing (implemented in 1989) and an adjacent one managed under continuous grazing at a similar stocking rate (1 AU ha-1), constituted the replications of the experiment. Basal cover of species, litter, and bare soil were monitored in midslope and lowland grassland communities on each farm. Total plant basal cover in midslope and in lowland communities remained unchanged over the whole experimental period under both grazing methods. Under rotational grazing, litter cover was higher in both communities while the amount of bare soil showed a significant reduction in lowlands and a tendency to be lower in midslope. Basal cover of legumes, C3 annual and C3 perennial grasses was higher, while cover of C4 prostrate grasses was lower under rotational grazing in the midslope community. In the lowland community, rotational grazing effects were evident only in the drier years, when higher cover of hydrophytic grasses and legumes and lower cover of forbs occurred. Plant species diversity did not change in response to grazing. In conclusion, rotational grazing promoted functional groups composed of high forage value species and reduced bare soil through the accumulation of litter. These changes indicate an improvement in rangeland condition and in carrying capacity. As the stocking rate was approximately 60% higher than the average stocking rate of the Flooding Pampa region, we believe that productivity and sustainability may be compatible by replacing continuous with rotational grazing.
Conventional ecological theory holds that grazing by livestock reduces productivity and alters botanical composition of rangeland plant communities. Changes in composition from that of the “climax” community are considered to be detrimental, but it is usually assumed that these changes will be reversed when grazing animals are removed. Reducing stocking rate and alternating periods of rest and grazing are attempts to mitigate undesirable effects of grazing. Recent research indicates that range ecosystems may retain their productivity and composition when grazed by livestock at seasons and stocking rates which resemble the grazing patterns under which the ecosystems evolved. Weather and fire may have more effect than grazing on productivity and composition, or may interact with grazing. In ecosystems with long-lived woody perennials, changes in composition may be reversible only after centuries or not at all. Finally, communities at early seral stages or communities including introduced plant species may be more productive than climax communities. All these findings indicate that protection of soil and maintenance of stable plant communities at whatever stage of succession may be more reasonable goals of grazing management than efforts to produce and maintain climax communities.