How much history should be used when determining a lands capacity?
3 years
What is herbage?
forage plus browse
What is intensity?
The cumulative effects of grazing animals over a defined period of time
What is utilization?
the amount of current years herbage production consumed or destroyed by the herbivores
What are intensity survey used for?
check severity of defoliation, correctness of stocking rate, livestock distribution patterns, wildlife food and cover, soil cover
What are utilization estimates and surveys used for?
evaluation of "actual" utilization matches "proper" utilization, if changes need to be made during grazing periods (adjust stocking rates)
How is range condition measured?
The percentage of climax vegetation remaining
How is range health classified?
excellent, good, fair, and poor
What is excellent range health?
When 76-100% of vegetation is remaining
What is good range health?
When 51-75% of vegetation is remaining
What is fair range health?
When 26-50% of vegetation is remaining
What is poor range health?
When <25% of vegetation is remaining
Preferred designation of range systems rather than range health?
Sustainable or unsustainable
How is sustainable or unsustainable evaluated?
amount of soil protection versus erosion
If a land is deemed unsustainable, what is occurring?
conditions of accelerated erosion and degraded plant communities are occurring
What is the most important management decision of all grazing decisions?
Stocking rate
What is the stocking rate?
the amount of land that will be allocated for each animal unit for a grazeable period of time
How is animal unit expressed?
AU
What is an AU equivalent?
1000 lb cow
What is an AUM?
animal unit month
What is the grazing capacity (aka carrying capacity)?
the max stocking rate achieved without causing any damage
What will heavy grazing prevent?
Desirable forage species ability to maintain themselves
What will moderate grazing allow?
palatable forages will maintain but will be unable to increase production
What will light grazing allow?
palatable species will be maximized because of increases in production capacity
What are the economic impacts of grazing intensity?
there will be a decrease in livestock production as grazing intensity increases
Consistent heavy stocking causes:
downward trend in ecological conditions
Light stocking causes:
upward trend in ecological conditions
Which stocking rate will yied the greatest forage production?
light stocking
Moderate stocking causes:
a slight upward trend in ecological conditions
Where does heavy grazing yield the highest net return?
North-central Tx
What is the shift in determining stocking rates today?
more focused on quality and quantity of forage
What must be accepted as part of the quality and quantity of forage model in stocking rates?
the drought cycle
What are some stratigies for stocking?
conservation of stocking at all times, high stocking rates that equal to good year capacity, constant avergage stocking, prn stocking
What is the recommended use of forage in an arid region?
25-40%
What is the recommended use of forage in a semi-arid region?
35-45%
What is the recommended use of forage in a humid region?
45-60%
What needs to be noted about western ranges in comparison to ranges across other parts of the country?
much of the western ranges can only be used during certain parts of the year
What is the goal for impact?
to maximize utilization and minimizing negative results
What is the safe point?
when plant growth cycle is at a point not to result in permanent damage and soil is dry enough to prevent deep tracks
What is the range utilization by cattle if water is within 1 mile of water?
100%
What is the range utilization by cattle if water is withing 1-2 mi of water?
50%
What is the range utilization by cattle if water is greater than 2 miles away from water?
0%
Which species will use land greater than 2 miles away from water?
sheep and goats
Why will sheep and goats use land that is farther away from water?
they do not need water daily
Goats compare well to which animal when evaluating water turnover rate?
camels
How much utilization of land will cattle use if slope is 0-10%?
S 100%
How much utilization of land will cattle use if slope is 11-30%?
S 70%
How much utilization of land will cattle use if slope is 31-60%?
S 40%
How much utilization of land will cattle use if slope is greater than 60%?
S 0%
How much slope will be tolerated by sheeps and goats before loss of utilization occurs?
greater than 45%
What needs to be considered when determining the stocking rate for a piece of land?
land size, annual forage production, forage demand, distance from water, slope, and harvest coefficient
What is the rule of thumb for forage demand by cattle?
2% of BW/ day
What is the rule of thumb for forage demand by horses and donkeys?
3% of BW/day
What is the common harvest coefficient used?
50%- take half leave half
What is the harvest coefficient?
the percentage of total forage production allotted to animals for consumption
What is an ice cream plant?
highly palatable plants but are very scarce
A forage species that serves as an indicator of overall forage consumption that is identified and monitored:
key indicator plant
What should be abundent, productive, and palatable?
the key plant indicator chosen
What has been highly effective at monitoring range vegetation?
key plant monitoring
Portion of range that serves as an indicative sample of range condition?
key area monitoring
How is a key are determined?
location and grazing or browsing value,
What is a major objective to specialized grazing systems?
Minimize the size of sacrificed areas and allow periodic opportunity for recovery
What is common use?
When more than one species grazes the same land at the same time or during different times of the year
When is rangeland the most efficient and healthiest?
when it is used by multiple species with different dietary preferences
What happens to overlap when there is high quality and high percentage of forage?
increases overlap
What happens to overlap when there is high diversity of forages?
decrease overlap