Grazing

Rats and mice can raise havoc with buildings and their contents, and burrowing rodents such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels and pocket gophers can damage fields, pastures and crops.

Imagine being able to select animals for their grazing ability. The ideal result would be a herd that makes the most efficient use of their given resources, grazing as uniformly as possible throughout the different terrains and altitudes.

Of course we want to increase production. Experts, teachers and industry leaders have been telling us for years: Increase production, increase profits. We just need to learn some new things – a straightforward task. Or is it?

Throughout history, outbreaks of illness and disease in humans and animals have occurred where the true cause was unknown. Such challenges have fueled the pursuit of identifying causal agents such as a bacteria, viruses or fungi.

As a grazier and advocate for improved grazing management, much of my time is spent emphasizing the negative aspects of hay feeding.

Annual plant production on native rangelands is dynamic and influenced by many factors. However, the most critical determining factor for plant production in the western U.S. is the amount and timing of spring and summer precipitation, which can be highly variable from year to year.