SDSU West River Research & Extension
711 N Creek Dr
Rapid City, SD 57703
Range management; competition for forage on prairie dog towns; grazing management
Every year at green-up, grass managers must make decisions about when and where to begin grazing. Several options are available depending on pasture resources, stored feed resources and the ability to be flexible.
Patch-burn grazing and winter patch grazing are heterogenous rangeland management practices that aim to increase the diversity of grass composition to benefit wildlife and maintain livestock production. To learn about producers’ desire to adopt these practices, we conducted an online survey between November 2019 and January 2020.
Traditional rangeland management promotes uniform forage utilization, yet causes detrimental effects on the richness of plant species and wildlife habitat. Therefore, management practices that increase heterogeneity in vegetation play an important role in developing diverse habitat types and preserving grassland wildlife species.
