Using overhead photos and high-resolution remote sensing can be like using a nutcracker to crack a walnut. These methods can more precisely pinpoint variations in plant communities and plant density than the coarser methods.

A team of researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is completing a 10-year study on how grazing management practices used in rotational grazing systems and continuous grazing systems affect cattle foraging behavior, diet quality and yearly weight gain in semiarid, extensive rangeland.

Everybody and their dog knows pollinators are vital to the overall ecological health of the Earth. But just how important are they to livestock producers in particular? Perhaps just as pivotally, can grazing livestock not only coexist but be a benefit to these insects?

Over the past decade, the importance of better understanding our cattle’s grazing behavior and impact on rangelands has become increasingly important. With the increasing size of finished cattle, the size of breeding cattle must also grow to create those larger-framed cattle. 

“A family of teachers.”
That’s how Jill Flynn refers to her brood, who together own and operate Hidden Hollow Hideaway Cattle & Guest Ranch in the hills just outside Townsend, Montana, overlooking the Missouri River. Perhaps no one is more representative of that designation than Jill’s late husband, Kelly.