Below you’ll find a collection of grazing management guides to help you in your efforts of creating a grazing management plan. CSU Range Science students have scoured the internet and selected these resources as the best available tools for creating a grazing management plan.

* Note: These guides are from several state extension offices and federal agencies and are not necessarily regionally specific to Colorado. The (#’s) after every guide correspond to the references and PDFs provided below.

1. Intro to Grazing Management

• Intro to Semi-arid Rangelands and Grazing Management (1)
• Guide to Grazing Management (2)
• Coastal California Grazing Handbook (3)
• Broad Overview of Pasture, Rangeland and Grazing Management (4)

2. Developing a Plan

• Grazing Planning Manual and Workbook (5)
• Grazing Systems Planning Guide (6)

3. Infrastructure Planning and Management

• Pasture Planner: A Guide to Developing your Grazing System and Pasture Infrastructure (7)
• Water Systems for Beef Cattle (8)
• Overview of Stored Forage Options (9)

4. Rangeland Ecology and Management

• Forage Ecology and Management
  • Colorado Forage Guide (10)
    • Cool vs. Warm Season Grasses (11)
    • Grass Growth and Response to Grazing (12)
    • Grass Growth Patterns and Grazing Management (13)
• Soil Ecology and Management
  • Grazing Management and Soil Health (14)
  • Managing Cattle Impacts when Grazing on Wet Soils (15)
  • Manure and Nutrient Management (16)
• Importance of Heterogeneity
  • Grazing and Biodiversity (17)

5. Cattle Management

• Cattle Management Manual (18)
• Nutritional Needs of Grazing Animals – see Chapter 10 (19)
• Protein and Energy Supplementation (20)
• Foraging Behavior and Grazing Management – see Chapter 13 (21)

6. Managing for Drought

• Colorado Extension Drought Resources
• Impact of Drought on Plants (22)
• Before, During and After Drought
  • Management Considerations (23)
  • Managing Small Acreage Pastures During Drought (24)
• Additional Considerations
  • Matching Cow Size to Forage Resources (25)
  • Preparing for Drought on Public Lands (26)
  • Protein and Energy Supplementation (20)

7. Managing Riparian Areas

• Grazing Management Strategies for Riparian-Wetland Areas (27)
• Managed Grazing in Riparian Areas (28)
• EPA Grazing Management Resource (29)

8. Managing Risk

• Economics and Risk Management – see Chapter 17 (30)
• Strategic and Scenario Planning in Ranching (31)

9. Resources for Public Lands

• Preparing for Drought on Public Lands (26)
• Rancher’s Guide to NEPA and Permit Renewals (32)

10. Human Dimensions of Range Management

• SARE Rangeland Management Strategies (33)

References

1. Integrating Management Objectives and Grazing Strategies on Semi-arid Rangeland (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension) [PDF]
2. Grazing Management (Beef Cattle Research Council)
3. Grazing Handbook: A Guide for Resource Managers in Costal California (Sotoyome Resource Conservation District) [PDF]
4. Pasture, Rangeland and Grazing Management (ATTRA) [PDF]
5. Grazing Planning Manual and Workbook (ATTRA) [PDF]
6. Grazing Systems Planning Guide (Minnesota Extension) [PDF]
7. Pasture Planner: A Guide for Developing your Grazing System (West-Central Forage Association) [PDF]
8. Water Systems for Beef Cattle (Beef Cattle Research Council)
9. Stored Forages (Beef Cattle Research Council)
10. Colorado Forage Guide (Colorado State Extension)
11. Cool-season or Warm-season Grasses (Oregon State University)
12. Grass Growth and Response to Grazing (Colorado State Extension)
13. Skillful Grazing Management on Semiarid Rangelands (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension) [PDF]
14. Grazing Management and Soil Health (NRCS) [PDF]
15. Managing Cattle Impacts When Grazing on Wet Soils (Colorado State Extension) [PDF]
16. Manure and Nutrient Management (Beef Cattle Research Council)
17. Grazing and Biodiversity (New Mexico State Extension) [PDF]
18. Cattle Management Manual (Wyoming Extension) [PDF]
19. Chapter 10: Nutritional Needs of Grazing Animals (Pacific Northwest Extension) [PDF]
20. Protein and Energy Supplementation for Beef Cattle Grazing New Mexico Rangelands (New Mexico State Extension) [PDF]
21. Chapter 13: Foraging Behavior and Grazing Management (Pacific Northwest Extension) [PDF]
22. Rangeland Management Before, During and After Drought (Arizona Cooperative Extension) [PDF]
23. Drought Management Strategies (Beef Cattle Research Council)
24. Managing Small Acreage Pastures During and After Drought (Colorado State Extension)
25. Drought Mitigation for Grazing Operations: Matching the Animal to the Environment (Rangelands) [PDF]
26. Guide to Co-Developing Drought Preparation Plans for Livestock Grazing on Southwest National Forests (Arizona Cooperative Extension) [PDF]
27. Grazing Management Process and Strategies for Riparian-Wetlands Areas (BLM) [PDF]
28. Managed Grazing in Riparian Areas (ATTRA) [PDF]
29. Grazing Management (EPA) [PDF]
30. Chapter 17: Economics and Risk Management in Grazing Systems (Pacific Northwest Extension) [PDF]
31. Strategic and Scenario Planning in Ranching: Managing Risk in Dynamic Times (South Dakota State University Extension) [PDF]
32. A Rancher’s Guide to NEPA and Permit Renewals (Wyoming Extension) [PDF]
33. Rangeland Management Strategies (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) [PDF]