Rotational Grazing Systems and Livestock Grazing Behavior in Shrub-dominated Semi-arid and Arid Rangelands
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Authors: D. W. Bailey, and J. R. Brown
Date: 2011
Journal: Rangeland Ecology & Management
Volume: 64
Number: 1
Pages: 1-9
Summary of Methods: This article is a summary of 58 articles on the effect of rotational grazing systems (RGS) on livestock grazing behavior in shrublands, with attention to riparian area impacts.
Article Summary / Main Points: Increasing stock density through RGS increases defoliation rate, but in most cases does not change livestock selection patterns. Modification of diet selection and grazing distribution for uniformity through increasing stocking rate may decrease animal performance and negatively affect vegetation condition and channel stability in riparian areas. Water developments can greatly alter livestock distribution, especially in pastures with areas horizontally or vertically far from water. Riparian areas in arid and semi-arid rangelands tend to respond positively to deferment of grazing during critical periods (late summer) or management of grazing intensity.
Vegetation Types: All Shrublands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Grazing Intensity Grazing Lands Grazing System
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: foraging strategies, grazing management, grazing systems, livestock behavior, livestock distribution, stocking density
Annotation: This article provides a short but fairly comprehensive discussion of challenges to perceived benefits of RGS as a management tool in southwestern shrub-dominated rangelands, with attention to riparian areas within these systems.
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