Effects of cattle grazing upon chemical constituents within important forages for elk
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Authors: W. J. Dragt, and K. M. Havstad
Date: 1987
Journal: Northwest Science
Volume: 61
Number: 2
Pages: 70-73
Summary of Methods: The effect of summer cattle grazing on the winter forage quality of bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue and rough fescue for elk within the Elkhorn Mountains of Montana was investigated. Forage quality was determined by comparing utilization and chemical constituents in relation to eight grass phenological stages (vegetative, boot, emerging seed heads, anthesis mature flowers, seed shatter, mature foliage, and fall regrowth). Cattle were grazed in a conservatively stocked three pasture deferred-rotation system. Utilization was measured bi-weekly from June-October of one year. After winter elk grazing had occurred ungrazed and once-utiliized plants were collected for chemical analysis.
Article Summary / Main Points: Summer cattle grazing did not negatively influence the quality of winter elk forage available for bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue and rough fescue. Winter forage quality of bluebunch wheatgrass and rough fescue was not affected by cattle grazing, regardless of phenological stage. Chemical analysis was unable to distinguish between grazed and ungrazed samples of these two species. Idaho fescue had a slight decrease in winter quality when grazed during the “seed shatter†phenological stage.
Vegetation Types: Grazed Forest
MLRA Ecoregions: 43A Northern Rocky Mountains
Agrovoc Control Words: Grasses Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Documented Case History
Keywords: cervus elaphus nelsoni, indirect competition, dietary overlap, winter forage, chemical composition, forage quality, idaho fescue, festuca idahoensis, rough fescue, festuca scabrella, bluebunch wheatgrass, agropyron spicatum
Annotation: The findings of this research are applicable to rangeland managers juggling the needs of both cattle and elk sharing the same rangelands, where cattle grazing occurs at conservative levels. These results would be strengthened if multiple years, sites and grazing intensities would have been included. Different climatic factors over time and various habitat types may provide different results. The addition of multiple summer grazing intensities and their affect on winter forage quality would be useful in determining at what intensity of summer grazing does winter forage quality suffer.
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