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Using the animal unit month (AUM) effectively

Description

The concept of the animal unit month (AUM) is useful to help range and pasture managers calculate suitable stocking rates for pastures under a wide variety of conditions. This fact sheet defines... More ≫

Description

The concept of the animal unit month (AUM) is useful to help range and pasture managers calculate suitable stocking rates for pastures under a wide variety of conditions. This fact sheet defines the animal unit month and describes how to determine this number.

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Evaluating livestock use of boreal grazing lands : Little Smoky River project

Description

This project highlights the importance of considering livestock preferences for different community types when developing a range management plan for a grazing operation, especially when this... More ≫

Description

This project highlights the importance of considering livestock preferences for different community types when developing a range management plan for a grazing operation, especially when this includes creating tame pastures. any range management plan needs to be tailored to the specific ranching operation that is being developed for, giving consideration to the unique characteristics of the landbase, plant community types present, other resource values and the available resources, goals, time and commitment of the manager.

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Evaluating livestock use of boreal grazing lands : Little Smoky River project summary report

Description

On northern Alberta grazing leases it is a common practice to clear some forested areas and develop those areas as tame pastures. This report summarizes the findings a study conducted in the... More ≫

Description

On northern Alberta grazing leases it is a common practice to clear some forested areas and develop those areas as tame pastures. This report summarizes the findings a study conducted in the Valleyview area to monitor cattle use of rangeland plant communities and to study the influence that tame pasture has on overall livestock distribution throughout the grazing disposition.

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Evaluating livestock use of boreal grazing lands : Benjamin Creek Project: 2007-2009

Description

Properly managed and healthy rangelands provide many benefits. These include forage for livestock, proper watershed function, habitat and forage for wildlife, nutrient and energy cycling, soil... More ≫

Description

Properly managed and healthy rangelands provide many benefits. These include forage for livestock, proper watershed function, habitat and forage for wildlife, nutrient and energy cycling, soil protection and maintenance of biodiversity. When riparian areas are present, management becomes particularly challenging. Riparian areas are those areas along waterbodies where vegetation and soils are strongly influenced by the presence of water. These areas are usually very attractive to livestock and highly sensitive to disturbance. This report examines the results obtained from 2007-2009.

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Kimiwan Lake GPS collar project

Description

The goals of this project were to document livestock use of rangeland plant communities, and to demonstrate that riparian health and habitat for wildlife, waterfowl, shorebirds and other... More ≫

Description

The goals of this project were to document livestock use of rangeland plant communities, and to demonstrate that riparian health and habitat for wildlife, waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds can be maintained when livestock grazing is properly managed.

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Range management factsheet for northern Alberta's boreal region : grazing management for boreal riparian areas

Description

Fact sheet on managing grazing lands in riparian areas.

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Range management factsheet for northern Alberta's boreal region : indicators of forest rangeland health

Description

Rangeland health refers to the ability of a plant community to perform vital ecological functions. Healthy rangelands have a variety of plants, prevent soil erosion, store water and promote the... More ≫

Description

Rangeland health refers to the ability of a plant community to perform vital ecological functions. Healthy rangelands have a variety of plants, prevent soil erosion, store water and promote the cycling of nutrients and energy. To determine the health of your rangeland, start by asking questions.

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Impact of grazing on soil mesofauna diversity and community composition in deciduous forested rangelands of northwest Alberta

Description

In an attempt to evaluate the ecological function of forested rangelands, the forested range health assessment protocol was developed. The protocol measures a number of key vegetation and soil... More ≫

Description

In an attempt to evaluate the ecological function of forested rangelands, the forested range health assessment protocol was developed. The protocol measures a number of key vegetation and soil parameters in order to estimate forested range health. Although certain soil parameters are indirectly assessed through measurements of LFH, there is limited knowledge about how these metrics relate to soil ecosystem health and the structure and composition of soil mesofaunal communities. In this study, the relationships between different range health gradients and soil mesofauna were evaluated.

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Evaluating livestock use of boreal grazing lands : Kimiwan lake project

Description

Properly managed and healthy rangelands provide many benefits. These include forage for livestock, proper watershed function, habitat and forage for wildlife, nutrient and energy cycling, soil... More ≫

Description

Properly managed and healthy rangelands provide many benefits. These include forage for livestock, proper watershed function, habitat and forage for wildlife, nutrient and energy cycling, soil protection and maintenance of biodiversity. When riparian areas are present, management becomes particularly challenging. Riparian areas are those areas along waterbodies where vegetation and soils are strongly influenced by the presence of water. These areas are usually very attractive to livestock and highly sensitive to disturbance. A GPS collar project was conducted in 2006 on a grazing lease adjacent to Kimiwan Lake to document livestock use of rangeland plant communities and demonstrate that riparian health and habitat for wildlife, waterfowls, shorebirds and other waterbirds can be maintained when livestock grazing is properly managed.

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Management strategies for cattle during dry conditions

Description

During dry conditions, the objective for cattle producers is to "buy feeding days" of forages and/or grazing while maintaining a reasonable level of productivity. Budget projections will involve... More ≫

Description

During dry conditions, the objective for cattle producers is to "buy feeding days" of forages and/or grazing while maintaining a reasonable level of productivity. Budget projections will involve maintaining all, some or none of the core productive asset base: the cow herd. Similar approaches are applicable to feeder cattle operations. In assessing these alternatives, it is important to view them from the decision-making criteria of affordability (cash flow), profitability and desirability (including reversibility and longer term goals).

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