Evaluation of Low-Stress Herding and Supplement Placement for Managing Cattle Grazing in Riparian and Upland Areas |
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| Institution: | 1. Associate Professor, Department of Animal and Range Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA;2. Former Research Associate, Montana State University, Havre, MT 59501, USA;3. Former Research Technician, Montana State University, Havre, MT 59501, USA;4. Research Technician, Northern Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Havre, MT 59501, USA;1. Graduate Student, Department of Animal Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA;2. Supervisory Research Rangeland Management Specialist and Research Leader, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Cheyenne, WY 82009, USA;3. Ecologists, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO 82526, USA;4. USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub Fellow, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;5. The Great American Bison Diet Survey, Fort Yates, ND 58583, USA;6. T.M. O’Connor and Regents Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA;7. Rangeland Extension Specialist, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA;8. Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472, USA;1. Regents Professor Groendyke Chair, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK 74078, USA;2. Leader, USDA NRCS National Ecological Site Team, Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces NM 88003, USA |
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| Abstract: | Management practices are often needed to ensure that riparian areas are not heavily grazed by livestock. A study was conducted in Montana during midsummer to evaluate the efficacy of low-stress herding and supplement placement to manage cattle grazing in riparian areas. Three treatments were evaluated in three pastures over a 3-yr period in a Latin-square design (n = 9). Each year, naïve 2-yr-old cows with calves were randomly assigned to the three treatments: 1) free-roaming control, 2) herding from perennial streams to upland target areas, and 3) herding to upland sites with low-moisture block supplements. Stubble heights along the focal stream were higher (P = 0.07) in pastures when cattle were herded (mean ± SE, 23 ± 2 cm) than in controls (15 ± 3 cm). Global positioning system telemetry data showed that herding reduced the time cows spent near (< 100 m) perennial streams (P = 0.01) and increased the use of higher elevations (P = 0.07) compared with controls. Evening visual observations provided some evidence that free-roaming cows (44% ± 19%) were in riparian areas more frequently (P = 0.11) than herded cows (23% ± 6%). Fecal abundance along the focal stream was less (P = 0.07) with herding (61.9 ± kg · ha?1) than in controls (113.2 ± kg · ha?1). Forage utilization within 600 m of supplement sites was greater (P = 0.06) when cows were herded to low-moisture blocks (18% ± 6%) compared with controls and herding alone (8% ± 2%). Moving cattle to uplands at midday using low-stress herding is an effective tool to reduce use of riparian areas. Herding cattle to low-moisture blocks can increase grazing of nearby upland forage but may not provide additional reduction in cattle use of riparian areas compared with herding alone. |
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