Nutrient supplement placement best management practice for changing beef cow distribution

Excerpt

Reducing the impact of grazing livestock on water quality, aquatic and riparian habitat, and biodiversity is a continuing goal for livestock producers, natural resource managers, and conservation groups. Environmental impacts of grazing livestock are frequently the result of poor livestock distribution. Management practices that alter livestock distribution on the landscape by attracting them away from environmentally sensitive areas can effectively reduce these impacts. However, policy makers, regulators, and land managers are often uncertain about the effectiveness of livestock distribution practices and therefore gravitate to the certainty of excluding livestock by fencing or lease termination. This can devastate the economic viability of rangeland livestock enterprises, reducing their competitive ability and adversely impacting the economy of rural communities. Furthermore, livestock exclusion limits our ability to use grazing to manage wildlife habitat, fire fuel loads, and weed infestations. It is crucial that managers, regulators, and community watershed groups understand how livestock can be predictably and effectively redistributed so that they do not have undesirable effects in grazed watersheds.

The strategic placement of protein supplements can exert a strong influence on the distribution of range livestock. However, this practice is infrequently recognized as a “best management practice.” Research results support the conclusion that the …