PLANT MORPHOGENESIS FOR SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT OF RANGE RESOURCES 



161 



light stocking rates result in high animal gains 

 and low animal gain per hectare, while moderate- 

 to heavy-stocking rates result in low animal 

 daily gains and high animal gain per hectare. A 

 stocking- rate guide (table 1) for blue-grama 

 range grazed from May 1 to October 31 was 

 developed from 19 years of grazing-intensity 

 studies at the Experimental Range. 3 



Maximum beef gain per hectare was made 

 when 280 kg. of ungrazed herbage per hectare 

 was left at the end of a 6-month summer grazing 

 season, and maximum daily gains per animal were 

 made when at least 392 kg. of herbage per hectare 

 remained ung-razed. 



3 Bement, R. E. a stocking-rate guide for beef pro- 

 duction on blue-grama range. J. Range Mangt. 22 : 

 83-86. 1969. 



Cattle sale data for the years 1964, 1965, and 

 1966 were used to evaluate the effects of stocking 

 rate on cattle return per hectare (table 2). 3 Maxi- 

 mum dollar return per hectare was made when 

 336 kg. of ungrazed herbage was left at the end 

 of the grazing season. When 280 kg./ha. of un- 

 grazed herbage was left, average cattle return per 

 hectare was reduced 39 cents. Leaving as much 

 as 392 kg./ha. of ungrazed herbage lowered av- 

 erage cattle return per hectare 27 cents. Efficient 

 forage utilization was made over a very narrow 

 range in the amount of standing vegetation left 

 ungrazed. 



From the optimum livestock production stand- 

 point, the rancher operating on ranges similar 

 to those at Central Plains Experimental Range 

 now has information to help him answer the four 



Table 1. — Stocking rates for beef production on upland blue- 

 grama pastures grazed May 1 through October 31 



Hectares/heifer 



Ungrazed herbage 



Gain/head/ 



Gain/ 



month 



left 



(kg./ha.) 



day (kg.) 



hectare (kg.) 



0.65 





168 



0.32 



14.67 



.75 





224 



.41 



16.34 



.89 





280 



.50 



16.89 



1.06 





336 



.59 



16.61 



1.26 





392 



.64 



15.28 



1.40 





448 



.66 



14.15 



1.50 





504 



.66 



13.16 



1.54 





560 



.66 



12.85 



Table 2. — Cattle returns ($) per hectare from May 1 to October 

 31, grazing at different stocking levels, using price data from 

 1964, 1965, and 1966 



Hectares/heifer 



Ungrazed herbage 

 left (kg./ha.) 



Cattle 



return 



per hectare ($) 



month 



1964 



1965 



1966 



Average 



0.65 





168 



2.22 



4.84 



2.62 



3.22 



.75 





224 



2.55 



5.93 



4.10 



4.19 



.89 





280 



3.39 



6.50 



4.23 



4.71 



1.06 





336 



8.85 



6.67 



4.79 



5.10 



1.26 





392 



3.73 



6.15 



4.62 



4.83 



1.40 





448 



3.51 



5.73 



4.35 



4.53 



1.50 





504 



3.29 



5.36 



4.05 



4.23 



1.54 





560 



3.16 



5.19 



3.93 



4.09 



