Supplementation And Sustainable Grazing Systems

The purpose of this review is to emphasize rangeland and landscape attributes that effect animal grazing behavior while highlighting successful approaches that have utilized this knowledge to devise supplementation strategies that improve the sustainability of grazing systems through modification of grazing behavior and pasture distribution, irrespective of animal nutrient requirements. Consequently, supplementation strategies are no longer formulated with the sole objective of addressing animal nutrient requirements. One of the principle drivers for this change in management philosophy is rangelands have become valued for many ecological services beyond forage for livestock. The threat of litigation and/or legal mandates that require land managers to consider the ecological, social, and economic impact of management decisions has increased scrutiny of livestock grazing. This has resulted in a significant body of research evaluating the ability of supplementation strategies to maintain or improve rangeland health and ecological function in a way that is economically viable. Herein, we will review the use of supplementation practices to alter livestock grazing location and control invasive species. Also, we will discuss the use of complimentary forages to bridge periods of inadequate forage quality. Rangeland-based livestock producers utilizing extensive landscapes will continue to face management challenges including changes in public land policy, anthropogenic development, climatic variability, invasive weeds, wildfire, water quality, and threatened and endangered species concerns. As an industry and a discipline we must continue to improve or ability to manage for "designed" landscapes that improve the economics of livestock production while maintaining or enhancing rangeland health and ecological function, thereby improving the long-term sustainability of grazing systems.