Stocking rate and grazing frequency effects on Nebraska sandhills meadows
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Authors: J. D. Volesky, W. H. Schacht, and D. M. Richardson
Date: 1994
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 57
Number: 5
Pages: 553-560
Summary of Methods: Volesky et al. determined the effects of grazing wet meadows, in the Nebraska sandhills, at low, moderate, and heavy stocking rates, three or five times per growing season. Stocking rate had greater effects than grazing frequency on utilization and forage production in wet meadows. In general, as stocking rate increased, utilization was greater and production was lower. Compared to ungrazed pastures, grazing increased crude protein content and production of forage, legumes and Kentucky bluegrass composition in wet meadows. The authors conclude that three grazing events per season, at a stocking rate of 296 AU/ha, would be appropriate for wet meadows in this area. However, the authors recommended that more research on the long-term effects of grazing, on production and species composition, should be conducted before annual grazing programs are initiated in wet meadows.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: subirrigated meadow, wet meadow, forage quality, herbage dynamics, grazing intensity, slender wheatgrass, woolly sedge, plant community composition
Annotation: Pastures were grazed three times during the growing season in May, June, and August, or five times during the growing season in May, June, July, August, and September. Pastures were grazed for 2 days at stocking rates of 148, 296, or 444 AUD/ha.
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