Life Sciences Commons^™

Grazing On The Arizona Strip: Catchment History And Repair, Melanie Heaton

All Current Publications

Water, not forage, is the limiting factor for wildlife and livestock grazing the Arizona Strip, a nearly 3-million-acre piece of land located north of the Grand Canyon and south of the Utah border. Since springs and groundwater are rare or absent, harvesting of natural precipitation is the main source of water for animals. Catchment systems, which capture precipitation on a sloped rubber apron and contain it in a large tank or lined pond, are used by government agencies and grazing permittees to efficiently provide water for wildlife and livestock. As catchments reach the end of their useful lives, tank replacement …

Balancing Agriculture And Wildlife: The Impact Of Elk And Deer Grazing On Farming And Ranching Lands, Ethan Gilliam, Anna Gilliam, Jody Gale

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

This article examines producers' perceptions of elk and deer grazing on their lands through a survey conducted at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) National Conference. With 140 complete responses, the study underscores the varying impacts of elk/deer grazing. The findings emphasize the need for enhanced collaboration between agricultural stakeholders and wildlife management authorities to address wildlife grazing impacts effectively. These findings also address the critical opinion of producers toward wildlife inside and outside of their private operations, as well as the interactions between producers and wildlife authorities.

Fractally Sampling Diversity-Environment Relationships To Understand Plant Assemblage Health Across Spatial Scales, Elizabeth G. Simpson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humans influence the health of ecosystems and rely on healthy ecosystems to support their livelihoods and well-being. By looking at how the parts of ecosystems interact we can understand and improve ecosystem health. Ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales or different size patches of area. For example, individual organisms interact with each other at small spatial scales, while at large spatial scales, communities of organisms interact with weather conditions. However, many research studies do not look at how ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales. To address this gap in ecological research, I use a fractal sampling design which samples at …

Dairy Breed, Grass-Birdsfoot Trefoil Mixture, And Pasture Nutrition Effects On Intake, Feed Efficiency, And Grazing Adaptation, Michael Greenland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dairy cattle have lower dry matter intake (DMI) on pastures thus leading to less weight gain and milk production than feedlot cows. This study was conducted to determine whether different dairy breeds are better adapted to lower or higher quality pastures as measured in DMI and feed efficiency. The eight treatments consisted of Jersey, Holstein, Holstein-Jersey crossbreds, and 3-breed crossbreds (Montbéliarde-Swedish Red-Holstein) heifers on grass monocultures and grass-BFT mixtures. We observed greater DMI on grass-BFT mixtures. Among breeds, Holstein had the greatest DMI, then the two crossbreds, and Jersey had the least. Feed efficiency was most favorable for Jersey, less …

Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Responses To Livestock Grazing In Sagebrush Rangelands, Hailey Peatross Wayment

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The distribution and abundance of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) have declined in the last 60 years. Range contractions and population declines have been attributed to loss and fragmentation of their sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats. Grazing by livestock remains the predominant anthropogenic land-use across sagebrush ecosystems in North America, occurring on 87% of remaining sage-grouse habitat. Most of the peer-reviewed literature reports the potential for negative impacts of sagebrush reduction treatments, to increase livestock forage, on sage-grouse habitat. However, few studies have linked livestock grazing at the landscape level to vital rates (e.g., nest initiation rates, …

The Effects Of Different Organic Pastures On Dairy Heifer Growth And Development, Jacob A. Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Raising dairy heifers in a certified organic setting can be difficult for producers. Conventionally, heifers are raised in a confined setting, and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) that is balanced daily to contain all the needed nutrients for developing heifers. Organic producers can use a TMR in their operations, but due to high organic feed costs, many choose to raise their heifers in pasture-based systems. While pasture-based systems may lower costs, heifers on pasture commonly have lower rates of gain, which can be financially burdensome to producers. Grass-legume pastures may help improve rates of gain in heifers on pasture-based …

Pasture Management To Improve Dry Matter Intake, Marcus F. Rose, Earl Creech, Blair L. Waldron, S. Clay Isom, Michael Peel, Kara Thornton-Kurth, Jacob Hadfield, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

Agricultural producers are constantly looking for ways to maximize returns while reducing input costs. On dairy operations, a move from confinement feeding to pasture grazing offers the potential to reduce costs associated with harvest and storage of feed. In such a transition, producers sometimes report a decline in milk production and growth of livestock—both of which can strongly correlate to dry matter intake. Fortunately, dry matter intake is something that can be influenced by management practices. In this publication, we discuss the pasture management practices to improve dry matter intake.

Nutrient Availability Controls The Impact Of Mammalian Herbivores On Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Pools In Grasslands, Judith Sitters, E. R. Jasper Wubs, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Thomas W. Crowther, Peter B. Adler, Sumanta Bagchi, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Elsa E. Cleland, Nico Eisenhauer, Jennifer Firn, Laureano Gherardi, Nicole Hagenah, Yann Hautier, Et Al.

Ecology Center Publications

Grasslands are subject to considerable alteration due to human activities globally, including widespread changes in populations and composition of large mammalian herbivores and elevated supply of nutrients. Grassland soils remain important reservoirs of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Herbivores may affect both C and N pools and these changes likely interact with increases in soil nutrient availability. Given the scale of grassland soil fluxes, such changes can have striking consequences for atmospheric C concentrations and the climate. Here, we use the Nutrient Network experiment to examine the responses of soil C and N pools to mammalian herbivore exclusion across 22 …

Herbage Characteristics Affecting Intake By Dairy Heifers Grazing Grass-Monoculture And Grass-Birdsfoot Trefoil Pastures, Marcus F. Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pasture-based dairies have become more prevalent in recent years due to a higher proportion of organic milk demand and production. Organic certification requires that animals must graze at least 120 days in each growing season. However, dry matter intake is often limited when dairy animals receive most of their herbage from pasture, resulting in lower animal performance and milk production. The purpose of this study was to analyze the complimentary effect of high energy grasses with birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) tannins to improve intake of dairy heifers. Jersey heifers were rotationally grazed for 105 days in 2017 and 2018 on eight …

A Case For Eustress In Grazing Animals, Juan J. Villalba, Xavier Manteca

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Herbivores grazing in extensive systems are exposed to a series of challenges, rooted in the inherent spatial and temporal variability of their environment that potentially constrain their health, nutrition, and welfare. Nevertheless, in this review, we argue that challenges induced by some biotic (e.g., vegetation) and abiotic (e.g., terrain) factors may also be viewed as “positive” sources of stress or eustress, since they present complex problems, that when solved successfully elicit a greater degree of behavioral plasticity and adaptability in grazing animals. Chemically and structurally diverse landscapes require animals to display complex behaviors and exhibit adaptive capabilities, like building a …

Impacts Of Cattle Grazing As A Tool To Control Phragmites Australis In Wetlands On Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Carbon, Brittany L. Duncan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Phragmites australis is a plant that is causing problems in wetlands by outcompeting native plants that provide food and shelter for millions of migratory birds. Currently, managers try to control Phragmites australis by spraying herbicide, burning, and mowing, but these methods are costly, time consuming, and have low levels of success. Adding grazing as a tool to control Phragmites australis provides a cheap and low labor alternative. However, there are many concerns regarding if grazing will cause nutrient loading in our wetlands that will decrease water quality and alter beneficial functions of wetlands.

To better understand the effects of grazing …

Migratory Goose Arrival Time Plays A Larger Role In Influencing Forage Quality Than Advancing Springs In An Arctic Coastal Wetland, Karen H. Beard, Ryan T. Choi, A. Joshua Leffler, Lindsay G. Carlson, Katharine C. Kelsey, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey M. Welker

Ecology Center Publications

With warmer springs, herbivores migrating to Arctic breeding grounds may experience phenological mismatches between their energy demands and the availability of high quality forage. Yet, how the timing of the start of the season and herbivore arrival influences forage quality is often unknown. In coastal western Alaska, approximately one million migratory geese arrive each spring to breed, where foliar %N and C:N ratios are linked to gosling survival and population growth. We conducted a three-year experiment where we manipulated the start of the growing season using warming chambers and grazing times using captive Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) to …

Recoupling Fire And Grazing Reduces Wildland Fuel Loads On Rangelands, Heath D. Starns, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, R. Dwayne Elmore, Dirac Twidwell, Eric T. Thacker, Torre J. Hovick, Barney Luttbeg

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Fire suppression and exclusion, the historically dominant paradigm of fire management, has resulted in major modifications of fire-dependent ecosystems worldwide. These changes are partially credited with a recent increase in wildfire number and extent, as well as more extreme fire behavior. Fire and herbivory historically interacted, and research has shown that the interaction creates a unique mosaic of vegetation heterogeneity that each disturbance alone does not create. Because fire and grazing have largely been decoupled in modern times, the degree to which the interaction affects fuels and fire regimes has not yet been quantified. We evaluated effects of fire-only and …

Innovation In Rangeland Monitoring: Annual, 30 M, Plant Functional Type Percent Cover Maps For U.S. Rangelands, 1984-2017, Matthew O. Jones, Brady W. Allred, David E. Naugle, Jeremy D. Maestas, Patrick Donnelly, Loretta J. Metz, Jason Karl, Rob Smith, Brandon Bestelmeyer, Chad Boyd, Jay D. Kerby, James D. Mciver

Articles

Innovations in machine learning and cloud‐based computing were merged with historical remote sensing and field data to provide the first moderate resolution, annual, percent cover maps of plant functional types across rangeland ecosystems to effectively and efficiently respond to pressing challenges facing conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. We utilized the historical Landsat satellite record, gridded meteorology, abiotic land surface data, and over 30,000 field plots within a Random Forests model to predict per‐pixel percent cover of annual forbs and grasses, perennial forbs and grasses, shrubs, and bare ground over the western United States from 1984 to 2017. Results were …

Herbivory And Drought Generate Short‐Term Stochasticity And Long‐Term Stability In A Savanna Understory Community, Corinna Riginos, Lauren M. Porensky, Kari E. Veblen, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Rainfall and herbivory are fundamental drivers of grassland plant dynamics, yet few studies have examined long‐term interactions between these factors in an experimental setting. Understanding such interactions is important, as rainfall is becoming increasingly erratic and native wild herbivores are being replaced by livestock. Livestock grazing and episodic low rainfall are thought to interact, leading to greater community change than either factor alone. We examined patterns of change and stability in herbaceous community composition through four dry periods, or droughts, over 15 years of the Kenya Long‐term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE), which consists of six different combinations of cattle, native wild …

Brine Shrimp Grazing And Fecal Production Increase Sedimentation To The Deep Brine Layer (Monimolimnion) Of Great Salt Lake, Utah, Piotr Maszczyk, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Great Salt Lake (Utah) has a monimolimnion with high concentrations of salts, particulate matter, nutrients, and mercury. To test the importance of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) grazing on particulate matter flux, we created salinity gradients in 160-cm high columns, reflecting the lake’s gradient. Two experiments were performed in replicated columns with or without Artemia. Sediment traps were positioned at the bottoms of the mixolimnion (95 cm), chemolimnion (105 cm), or monimolimnion (140 cm). We hypothesized that because of the high salt densities of the monimolimnia, greater accumulation of sediments would be in the lower chemocline, than in …

Are Cattle Surrogate Wildlife? Savanna Plant Community Composition Explained By Total Herbivory More Than Herbivore Type, Kari E. Veblen, Lauren M. Porensky, Corinna Riginos, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The widespread replacement of wild ungulate herbivores by domestic livestock in African savannas is composed of two interrelated phenomena: (1) loss or reduction in numbers of individual wildlife species or guilds and (2) addition of livestock to the system. Each can have important implications for plant community dynamics. Yet very few studies have experimentally addressed the individual, combined, and potentially interactive effects of wild vs. domestic herbivore species on herbaceous plant communities within a single system. Additionally, there is little information about whether, and in which contexts, livestock might functionally replace native herbivore wildlife or, alternatively, have fundamentally different effects …

Modulation Of The Nutritional Context And Early Experience As New Tools To Increase The Use Of Medusahead (Taeniatherum Caput-Medusae Ssp. Asperum) By Grazing Sheep, Juan J. Montes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Medusahead is an invasive weed that reduces wildlife habitat and biodiversity as well as commercial and recreational value of land. Grazing represents a sustainable method for its control but stakeholders claim that livestock will not eat medusahead because of its low feed value. This research explored a supplementation program, along with experiences early in life with mother to enhance use of medusahead by sheep. Results showed that an energy supplement did not enhance medusahead use by sheep but that early experience with mother influenced yearlings to use the weed more evenly across days. When availability of the weed was low …

Mitigation Of Medusahead (Taeniatherum Caput-Medusae) Through Grazing And Revegetation On The Channeled Scablands Of Eastern Washington, Clinton A. Stonecipher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A large portion of the historical steppe and shrub-steppe habitats in eastern Washington have been altered through biotic and abiotic processes resulting in the annual grass medusahead becoming a large component of the altered vegetation. Experiments were conducted to determine: 1) if supplementing cattle with protein would help increase utilization of medusahead, 2) the grass species that could establish in the region, and 3) if mechanical disturbance would aid in such revegetation efforts. Cattle grazing medusahead-infested rangeland increased consumption of medusahead after all forage matured due to a reduction in the quality of forage alternatives. Cattle supplemented with protein increased …

A Well Designed Goat Grazing Plan Can Reduce Noxious Weeds, Sterling Banks

All Current Publications

Goat grazing can be an effective tool in reducing noxious weeds, if the right grazing plan is designed and implemented. Areas where herbicides are not an option or limited, goat grazing can reduce noxious weeds by reducing seed production and plant growth.

Small Pasture Management Guide, James Barnhill, Scott Mckendrick

All Archived Publications

As more people select rural settings for their homes, traditional farms are being divided into small acreage home lots. Many small acreage owners would like to have lush green pastures where they can raise horses, cattle, or sheep. The purpose of this booklet is to provide the educational guidance these owners need to successfully establish and maintain a healthy grazing system.

Influence Of Soil Compaction On Nitrogen Volatilization In A Management Intensive Grazing System: Estimation Of Gaseous N Losses Using Mass Balance In Intact Soil Cores, Luke Alan Petersen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Increasing concern about the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases and PM 2.5 particulates has prompted many researchers to examine the processes of gaseous loss of nitrogen (N) from agricultural land. As agricultural production becomes more competitive and producers strive to become more efficient by reducing input costs, they will increasingly employ practices such as the rotational stocking, also called Management Intensive Grazing (MIG). MIG utilizes high animal stocking rates for short periods of time to efficiently harvest pasture crops. Unfortunately, MIG also produces relatively high concentrations of livestock excreta. This has caused intensive grazing practices to become a focal point …

Duchesne County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Fall Grazing By Sheep On Plant Productivity, Shrub Age Class Structure And Herbaceous Species Diversity In Sagebrush Steppe, Ryan Duncan Woodland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional chemical and mechanical treatments of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) are costly and have typically focused solely on increasing forage for livestock production. Managing these systems biologically with grazing can potentially reduce costs and increase both biodiversity and understory production as well as rejuvenate Wyoming Big Sagebrush (ARTRWY). This experiment was conducted on Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch in northern Utah in October 2003. One hundred and twenty sheep (dry ewes) grazed 3, 60m x 40m plots (40 sheep plot^-1). Sheep were provided a protein-energy supplement to facilitate use of the secondary metabolites …

Management Intensive Grazing Systems And The Environment, Rhonda Miller, Jennifer W. Macadam, Rich Koenig

Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Management Intensive Grazing Systems And The Environment, Rhonda Miller, Jennifer W. Macadam, Rich Koenig

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparative Productivity Of Five Cool-Season Pasture Grasses Under Intermittent Flood Irrigation Grazed By Beef Cow-Calf Pairs Using Management Intensive Grazing Practices, Dale Zobell, Ken Olson, Randall Wiedmeier

All Current Publications

Utah State University is engaged in studies to determine management practices that can be employed under intensive irrigated pasture to increase productivity and viability of beef and dairy producers in Utah. One of these initiatives was a study comparing five cool-season grasses grazed by beef cow-calf pairs over a 4-year period.

Forage Kochia For Fall/Winter Grazing, D. R. Zobell, B. L. Waldron, K. C. Olson, R. D. Harrison, H. Jensen

All Current Publications

Winter feeding costs have often been cited as one of the most expensive aspects of beef cattle production in the Intermountain West. Research and rancher experience suggests that using forage kochia for fall/winter grazing may help reduce these costs.

Winter Grazing Standing Corn Plants For Beef Cows Under Maintenance Conditions, Dale Zobell, Don Synder, Ken Olson, Randall Wiedmeier

All Current Publications

Corn is known as a forage crop that has the potential of yielding more energy per acre than any other forage crop in the U.S. Additionally, corn has an advantage as a winter grazing crop because its stem cures well, it stands above the snow, and it stands up in windy conditions as well as providing a windbreak for cattle grazing it.

The Influence Of Predator Exclosures And Livestock Grazing On Duck Production At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah, Benjamin C. West

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nest predation is a major factor impacting duck production and recruitment on breeding areas in North America. I surveyed waterfowl managers employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. state wildlife agencies to determine their beliefs about nest predation and its management. Over 64% of respondents believed that rates of nest success on their management units averaged < 30% between 1996-2000. Managers believed habitat management and direct predator control were the most effective techniques to reduce nest predation. The construction of predator ex closures around nesting habitat also has been recommended to reduce nest predation. Between 1999-200 I, I evaluated the effectiveness of 4 predator ex closures to enhance duck nest success at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah. During this period, rates of nest success in the exclosures were slightly higher than that within control plots, but still < 15%. Although published guidelines commonly recommend predator fences < 117 cm in height, I observed red foxes jump the 11 4-cm-high fences. Additional research is needed to identify effective predator fence designs.

Wildlife managers have argued that periodic disturbance of vegetation should be a component of management on waterfowl breeding areas. Although many techniques are available to manipulate vegetation, grazing by domestic livestock has been controversial. Some researchers have reported that livestock grazing …