Richard Teague

Multi-paddock grazing on rangelands: why the perceptual dichotomy between research results and rancher experience?

Maintaining or enhancing the productive capacity and resilience of rangeland ecosystems is critical for the continued support of people who depend on them for their livelihoods, especially in the face of climatic change. This is also necessary for the continued delivery of ecosystem services derived from rangelands for the broader benefit of societies around the world. Multi-paddock grazing management has been recommended since the mid-20th century as an important tool to adaptively manage rangelands ecosystems to sustain productivity and improve animal management. Moreover, there is much anecdotal evidence from producers that, if applied appropriately, multi-paddock grazing can improve forage and livestock production. By contrast, recent reviews of published rangeland-based grazing systems studies have concluded that, in general, field trials show no superiority of vegetation or animal production in multi-paddock grazing relative to continuous yearlong stocking of single-paddock livestock production systems. Our goal is to provide a framework for rangeland management decisions that support the productivity and resiliency of rangelands and then to identify why different perceptions exist among rangeland managers who have effectively used multi-paddock grazing systems and research scientists who have studied them. First, we discuss the ecology of grazed ecosystems under free-ranging herbivores and under single-paddock fenced conditions. Second, we identify five principles underpinning the adaptive management actions used by successful grazing managers and the ecological, physiological, and behavioral framework they use to achieve desired conservation, production, and financial goals. Third, we examine adaptive management principles needed to successfully manage rangelands subjected to varying environmental conditions. Fourth, we describe the differences between the interpretation of results of grazing systems research reported in the scientific literature and the results reported by successful grazing managers; we highlight the shortcomings of most of the previously conducted grazing systems research for providing information relevant for rangeland managers who aim to achieve desired environmental and economic goals. Finally, we outline knowledge gaps and present testable hypotheses to broaden our understanding of how planned multi-paddock grazing management can be used at the ranching enterprise scale to facilitate the adaptive management of rangelands under dynamic environmental conditions.

Grazing Management Can Improve Livestock Distribution

On the Ground By managing for more even animal distribution, ranch managers can increase the amount of forage accessible to livestock and raise their effective grazing capacity. Smaller paddocks and higher stocking density improve the distribution of grazing in each paddock. A landscape of many, smaller paddocks will spread grazing pressure more evenly than one of fewer, larger paddocks.

Assessing optimal configurations of multi-paddock grazing strategies in tallgrass prairie using a simulation model

Maintaining or enhancing the productive capacity and resilience of rangeland ecosystems is critical for the continued support of livelihoods and the ecosystem services that benefit society at large. While the benefits of multi-paddock grazing management have been evident for many years in many countries, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to adequately assess the consequences of the different combinations of management options possible when using multi-paddock management under constantly varying conditions on rangelands. To investigate grazing scenarios that would be impractical to conduct in the field we developed a simulation model to focus on addressing the impacts of different cattle grazing management options with multi-paddock management on ecological condition (EC) and profitability. Cattle ranching options are simulated over 25 years periods under varying levels of multi-paddock grazing management complexity at low to moderate stocking levels and fixed or variable stocking rates. We examine the likely ecological and economic effects of shortening grazing periods, lengthening recovery periods, using fixed versus adaptive operational decisions and increasing the number of paddocks in the grazing configuration. At initial stocking levels of up to at 70% of forage standing crop, both EC and profitability are increased with increasing number of paddocks. Shorter periods of grazing increase both EC and profitability while increasing recovery periods increases both EC and profitability initially but profitability decreases if recovery periods are too long. Both EC and profitability are positively related to number of paddocks used.

Grazing management that regenerates ecosystem function and grazingland livelihoods

Adopting a systems view and regenerative philosophy can indicate how to regenerate ecosystem function on commercial-scale agro-ecological landscapes. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing management is an example of an approach for grazinglands. Leading conservation farmers have achieved superior results in ecosystem improvement, productivity, soil carbon and fertility, water-holding capacity and profitability. Their method is to use multiple paddocks per herd with short grazing periods, long recovery periods, and adaptively changing recovery periods, residual biomass, animal numbers and other management elements as conditions change. In contrast, much research on grazing management has not followed adaptive research protocols to account for spatial effects, for sufficient time to produce resource improvement, sound animal production, and socio-economic goals under constantly varying conditions on rangelands. We briefly review what management has achieved best outcomes and show how previous reviews of grazing studies were limited in scope and applicability to larger, more complex landscapes. We argue that future research can provide better understanding of how multi-paddock grazing management can improve socio-ecological resilience in grazing ecosystems, while avoiding unintended consequences of possible management options, by involving realistic scale and context, partnering with innovative land managers on real operations, applying adaptive treatments, and combining field studies with modelling approaches.

An Economic Comparison of Prescribed Extreme Fire and Alternative Methods for Managing Invasive Brush Species in Texas: a Modeling Approach

This article presents the results of a study to determine the economic feasibility of using prescribed fire as a rangeland restoration practice on private land when ambient air temperature is greater than and humidity less than the standards endorsed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic effectiveness of using prescribed summer burns compared to more commonly used practices for managing invasive woody plants. The research incorporates four contiguous counties in the Rolling Plains, Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains eco-regions in Texas. Focus group meetings were held with landowners and NRCS and Texas AgriLife Extension personnel to obtain information about the most common economic uses of rangeland resources by landowners, the dominant invasive brush species, and the most commonly used practices and associated costs for controlling these invasive plants. An investment feasibility model was used to compare the economic efficacy of applying extreme fire and other commonly applied treatments to manage invasive brush species in the three Texas eco-regions. The economic analysis indicated that extreme fire was economically superior in all three regions and was the only treatment alternative that resulted in positive returns on investments in the treatments. The analysis included cost-share, which indicated increased returns for extreme fire and less negative returns for alternative treatments. The results of our study have implications for the review of current NRCS technical standards with respect to prescribed fire.

Grazing Management Can Improve Livestock Distribution: Increasing accessible forage and effective grazing capacity

On the Ground By managing for more even animal distribution, ranch managers can increase the amount of forage accessible to livestock and raise their effective grazing capacity. Smaller paddocks and higher stocking density improve the distribution of grazing in each paddock. A landscape of many, smaller paddocks will spread grazing pressure more evenly than one of fewer, larger paddocks.

Viewpoint: New Approaches and Protocols for Grazing Management Research

Viewpoint: New Approaches and Protocols for Grazing Management Research DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v31i5_kothmann

Whole-Ranch Unit Analysis of Multipaddock Grazing on Rangeland Sustainability in North Central Texas☆

ABSTRACT The relevance of broad-spectrumadvocacy of rotational grazing is often questioned becausemany research data do not support the practice, yet it is supported by on-ranch level indicators, ranch-level research, and government agencies that provide technical assistance to private land owners and managers. It is theorized that whole-ranch systems differ from experimental plots because of the use of adaptive management. The purpose of our study was to understand the perceptions of ranchers on impacts of ranch-scalemultipaddock grazing, especially as it relates to rangeland sustainability in six North Central Texas counties. Sustainability was identified by three indices: land health sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability. Four categories of grazing systems were identified: continuous, 2–4 paddocks, 4–8 paddocks, and 8 or more paddocks. Data were collected using a self-assessment mail survey. Analysis of respondent data indicated that increasing the number of paddocks may improve land health sustainability indicators on commercial ranches in North Central Texas, especially when respondents use eight or more paddocks.

Strategic Grazing Management for Complex Creative SystemsGrazing Management Can Improve Livestock Distribution: Increasing accessible forage and effective grazing capacity

On the Ground By managing for more even animal distribution, ranch managers can increase the amount of forage accessible to livestock and raise their effective grazing capacity. Smaller paddocks and higher stocking density improve the distribution of grazing in each paddock. A landscape of many, smaller paddocks will spread grazing pressure more evenly than one of fewer, larger paddocks.