Optimum Stocking Rate, Monitoring, and Flexibility

J. Alfanso Ortega-S, Steven D. Lukefahr

Abstract


As Frank Price stated in describing his 30-year grazing program, “The biggest problem for me is that I can never come up with a grazing plan that I can stay with—I am continually changing graz- ing rotations, time, and stock numbers... But that is one of the reasons that this program works. It is not a system. It is a con- tinually changing program that moves with the weather, live- stock, and markets.”1 The concept of strategically managing a exible stocking rate and monitoring range and animal re- sponses to adapt to changing conditions is not new; as a matter of fact, academicians and extension agents have published in- formation and made recommendations for decades. However, in most cases practitioners have a hard time applying these rec- ommendations. A Google search using the words “determin- ing proper stocking rate” yielded 10 million results and “deter- mining carrying capacity” over 30 million results, providing an idea of how often this concept has been discussed. Methods to calculate correct stocking rate are also available in rangeland texts and extension publications. Similarly, published scienti c and popular articles with recommendations and bene ts of managing rangeland at “proper” or “moderate” stocking rate in different environments are very easy to nd. However, it is dif- cult to manage ranches using a single “correct” stocking rate for rangelands characterized by variable rainfall patterns; it is a moving target, is dynamic in time and space, and is affected by climatic factors that we cannot control.

DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v35i5_ortega


Full Text:

PDF