Cattle Distribution May be Genetic: Lazy Cows vs. Active Cows
New research from Arizona, New Mexico, and Montana suggests that a cows preference and motivation to use harsh terrain or travel long distance from water may be due to genetics. The authors of the...
View ArticleLivestock Grazing to Engineer Grassland Bird Habitat
Are cattle grazing and the conservation of grassland birds compatible? A recent paper builds on a body of research to suggest that using different management strategies to manipulate grazing behavior...
View ArticleGrass Height and Sage-grouse Nest Survival in the Powder River Basin
(photo from Dr. Jeff Beck’s University of Wyoming Website – http://www.uwyo.edu/esm/faculty-and-staff/beck/) Researchers from Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado recently published a paper assessing habitat...
View ArticleDo Habitat Measurement Methods Matter?
Scientists recently compared two common techniques for measuring rangeland vegetation and habitat. The researchers compared line-point intercept (LPI) and Daubenmire canopy cover (DCC) methods for...
View ArticleInfluence of stocking rates and grazing systems on cattle gains in northern...
A long-term study published in the journal Livestock Science assessed the influence of stocking rates and grazing systems on steer gains. The study was conducted northwest of Cheyenne, Wyoming over a...
View ArticleLong-term trends in sheep growth and wool quality
Scientists recently published a paper in a 2015 edition of the Journal of Animal Science summarizing data from the Wyoming ram test dating back to 1961. From 1961 to 2013, a 52 year period, 4,240...
View ArticleCan small-scale range improvement practices benefit sage-grouse? Results from...
Scientists from Idaho, Utah and Wyoming just published a case study in the scientific journal Rangeland Ecology and Management that summarizes greater sage-grouse trends over 25-years on three...
View ArticleNot Listed – Decision on Greater Sage-Grouse Listing Under the Endangered...
The U.S. Department of Interior released their decision today to not list the greater sage-grouse under the additional protections of the Endangered Species Act. As part of the decision, officials...
View ArticleHow have fire regimes in ponderosa pine forests changed?
Dead ponderosa pine 3 years after the Arapaho wildfire (photo by J.D. Scasta) Ponderosa pine forests are considered to be fire-adapted. However, in Wyoming and other western states, extreme wildfires...
View ArticleConflicts and plant species composition relative to prairie dogs and cattle
The conflict between prairie dogs and cattle relates to natural resource conservation and livestock production. From a conservation perspective, prairie dogs have been suggested to be ecosystem...
View ArticleTargeted grazing to reduce fuels and fires – does a light utilization level...
Researchers from Arizona and New Mexico, including University of Wyoming alumni Leticia Varelas, recently published a paper testing the effect of targeted grazing on fuel load and fires in Arizona....
View ArticleNew open access ‘Rangelands’ journal issue with 11 science papers available
I recently served as a co-coordinator of a special issue of the journal ‘Rangelands’ is titled “Drought on Rangelands: Effects and Solutions”. The really cool part of this special issue is that all of...
View ArticleIf precipitation and forage production becomes more variable, what is the...
Researchers from the University of Wyoming and the USDA Agricultural Research Service recently published a modeling paper that predicts the effects of increasing precipitation variability on cow-calf...
View ArticleHow will a changing climate impact snowpack and fire potential in the West?
Researchers from 3 universities (University of Washington, University of Idaho, and University of California – Los Angeles) recently published a paper in the journal Climate Change. The study assessed...
View ArticleCattle response to prescribed fires in mesic sagebrush
Researchers in Idaho recently published a paper titled “Prescribed Fire Effects on Activity and Movement of Cattle in Mesic Sagebrush Steppe” in the journal Rangeland Ecology and Management. In this...
View ArticleShould Northern mixed-grass prairie be rested from grazing after spring...
Montana researchers published a paper addressing this controversial question in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment this year. Specifically, this line of research is addressing the...
View ArticleBoosting PZP doses of PZP in free-roaming horses
Horses in western WY. Photo Credit JD Scasta. American researchers have struggled with how to most effectively deploy contraception to free-roaming horses in the western US and recently published a...
View ArticleDoes vasectomy or ovariectomy affect feral horse survival rates or reduce...
Managing feral horse population growth rates is a challenge in the United States and other countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Researchers recently published a paper in the Journal of...
View ArticleHow do feral horses affect pronghorn use and behavior around water?
The interaction between feral horses and native wildlife in the United States is an escalating concern. Scientists recently published a study in the Journal of Arid Environments based on sampling...
View ArticleSpayVac® contraception for feral horses
Researchers continue to investigate different formulations and deployment techniques for chemical contraception for feral horses to curb population growth rates. Recently, federal scientists...
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