Management Strategies for Sustainable Cattle Production in Southern Pastures

Management Strategies for Sustainable Cattle Production in Southern Pastures is a practical resource for scientists, students, and stakeholders who want to understand the relationships between soil-plant interactions and pasture management strategies, and the resultant performance of cow-calf and stocker cattle. This book illustrates the importance of matching cattle breed types and plant hardiness zones to optimize cattle production from forages and pastures. It explains the biologic and economic implications of grazing management decisions made to improve sustainability of pastures and cattle production while being compliant with present and future environmental concerns and cattle welfare programs.

• Documents the effects of cattle grazing on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints
• Discusses strategies to enhance soil fertility, soil health, and nutrient cycling in pastures
• Provides information on the use of stocking rates, stocking strategies and grazing systems to optimize cow-calf production of weaned calves and stockers.
• Presents innovations in cattle supplementation and watering systems to minimize negative impacts on water and soil health
• Includes methods for weed control to maintain pasture condition and ecosystem stability
• Describes management strategies to integrate cattle operations with wildlife sustainability

Cattle producers; Extension agents and specialists; Forage and animal scientists; USDA- Natural Resource; Conservation Service; USDA – Agricultural Research Service; U.S. Bureau of Land and Mines; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Animal Welfare Scientists

1. Introduction: Management strategies for sustainable cattle production in southern pastures
2. Cattle grazing effects on the Environment: Greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint
3. Maintaining soil fertility and health for sustainable pastures
4. Nutrient cycling in grazed pastures
5. Managing grazing in forage-livestock systems
6. Management of forages and pastures in the Lower South: The I-10 corridor
7. Management strategies for pastures and beef cattle in the Middle South: The I-20 corridor
8. Management of pastures in the Upper South: The I-30 and I-40 corridors
9. Management strategies for pastures, beef cattle, and marketing of stocker-feeder calves in the Upper South: The I-64 corridor
10. Pasture-finished beef production in the south
11. Weed control in pastures
12. Management strategies of property and impact on wildlife