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ARS Home » Plains Area » Miles City, Montana » Livestock and Range Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145896
Title: IS RANGELAND AGRICULTURE SUSTAINABLE?

Author
item HEITSCHMIDT, RODNEY
item Vermeire, Lance
item GRINGS, ELAINE

Submitted to: Joint Abstracts of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2003
Publication Date: 6/1/2003
Citation: HEITSCHMIDT, R.K., VERMEIRE, L.T., GRINGS, E.E. IS RANGELAND AGRICULTURE SUSTAINABLE?. JOINT ABSTRACTS OF THE AMERICAN DAIRY SCIENCE AND SOCIETY OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. No. 118. 2003.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agricultural enterprise sustainability is most often assessed by examining long-term ecological sustainability, short- and long-term economic viability, and social acceptance. From an ecological perspective, rangeland agriculture (i.e., managed grazing) is deemed fully sustainable providing the rangeland resource is sustained. This is because grazing is a natural ecological process that has impacted the evolutionary history of all natural ecosystems. Because the magnitude of the evolutionary impacts of grazing by large herbivores varied greatly among ecosystems, sustainable levels of livestock use vary greatly, and, in turn, alter levels of ecological and economic risks. These risks can be diminished by the infusion of exogenous energies, primarily fossil fuels, into the system, but the long-term economics of this strategy are questionable. The sustainability of rangeland agriculture is further challenged by economically viable alternative uses of rangelands (e.g., expansion of suburbia, ranchettes, single use recreation, etc.) and economics of scale with low diversity, medium-sized ranching enterprises facing the greatest challenges. The challenges associated with social acceptance of rangeland agriculture also continue to increase as various factions of society vigorously oppose rangeland agriculture, particularly on Western U.S. public lands. Some view this position as largely driven by emotion, but in reality it is simply a reflection of differing value systems. Thus, we doubt this position will be abandoned in the near future and, as a result, a shift in the geographical span of rangeland agriculture across the U.S. may occur. However, this conclusion may become folly if the cost of fossil fuels increased to a level whereby substitute feeding of grains would become cost prohibitive, thereby encouraging a return to more "natural" animal production systems that rely largely on grazing of rangeland ecosystems.