Integrating Management Objectives and Grazing Strategies on Semiarid Rangeland

Rangelands account for almost half of Nebraska's 24 million acres. Much of these expansive natural resource areas are in the semi-arid climatic region of Nebraska where grazing management decisions have a profound effect on ranch survival. This circular covers management practices that optimize the sustainability of rangeland and includes a decision-support tool for selecting grazing systems best suited to management objectives. Includes a chart of how differences in repoduction schedules, initial livestock weigh, and/or average daily gain affect animal unit equivalents in cow-calf and yearling enterprises.

Topics include:

• Importance of a grazing strategy – how to develop one and what to include
• Characteristics of various grazing systems, including season-long continuous, rest-rotation, deferred rotation, intensively managed
• How to select the best grazing system for your conditions and operation
• Best management practices
• Stocking rate adjustments
• Critical plant and animal interactions
• Evaluating a grazing plan
• Livestock production criterion
• Understanding and optimizing hydrologic condition of rangeland
• Planning for upland game birds
• Relative values of pastures
• Evaluating the likelihood of various systems to achieve specific management objectives