June 15, 2011 A long-term study verifies multi-paddock grazing
improves vegetation, soil health and animal production relative
to continuous grazing in large-scale ranches, according to Texas
AgriLife Research scientists. The study measured the impacts on
vegetation and soils achieved by commercial ranchers who adapted
management practices in response to changing circumstances to
achieve desirable outcomes, said Dr. Richard Teague, AgriLife
Research rangeland ecology and management scientist in Vernon.
At the ranch scale, when multi-paddock grazing is managed to
give best vegetation and animal performance, it is superior to
continuous grazing in relation to conservation and restoration
of resources, provision of ecosystem goods and services, and
ranch profitability, he said. Teague said this study differed
from those conducted by researchers who investigated multi-
paddock grazing in relatively small experimental areas, without
managing adaptively the way a successful, conservation-oriented
commercial rancher