Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #375559
Research Project: Science and Technologies for the Sustainable Management of Western Rangeland Systems

Location: Range Management Research

Title: Snapshot of rancher perspectives on creative cattle management options

Author
item Elias, Emile
item ANEY, SKYE - New Mexico State University
item DUFF, GLENN - New Mexico State University
item GIFFORD, CRAIG - New Mexico State University
item Spiegal, Sheri
item CIBILS, ANDRES - New Mexico State University
item STEINER, JEAN - Kansas State University
item Estell, Richard - Rick

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/22/2020
Publication Date: 11/6/2020
Citation: Elias, E.H., Aney, S., Duff, G., Gifford, C., Spiegal, S.A., Cibils, A., Steiner, J., Estell, R.E. 2020. Snapshot of rancher perspectives on creative cattle management options. Rangelands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2020.09.004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2020.09.004

Interpretive Summary: We surveyed ranchers at the Southwest Beef Symposium and summarized their interest in heritage cattle, precision ranching and alternate marketing options. This article summarizes those findings.

Technical Abstract: A major challenge to successful management of livestock production in the western United States (U.S.) is coping with the extremely variable weather that dramatically affects forage availability. In addition, temperatures have already increased across the western U.S. and will continue to do so, creating even more challenging environmental conditions for future cattle production in the semi-arid and arid west . The Sustainable Southwest Beef project is a new Coordinated Agricultural Project led by New Mexico State University poised to identify viable options for arid lands ranchers and the U.S. beef industry as environmental challenges continue. The 5-year project is being conducted by a diverse team of nearly 30 research, education and extension specialists, focusing on three creative management strategies: precision ranching, heritage breeds and alternative supply chain options. A group of ranchers from the western U.S. advises the team (Figure 1). The Sustainable Southwest Beef team introduced the project to roughly 125 ranchers, feedlot operators and others connected to the beef cattle industry at the 2020 Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo, Texas and collected initial rancher perceptions of the three creative management strategies.