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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347482
Title: Rangeland livestock production in North America

Author
item Spiegal, Sheri
item HUNTSINGER, LYNN - University Of California
item STARRS, PAUL - University Of Nevada
item HRUSKA, TRACY - University Of California
item SCHELLENBERG, MICHAEL - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item MCINTOSH, MATTHEW - New Mexico State University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2018
Publication Date: 7/1/2019
Citation: Spiegal, S.A., Huntsinger, L., Starrs, P.F., Hruska, T., Schellenberg, M.P., McIntosh, M. 2019. Rangeland livestock production in North America. In: Squires, V. R., Bryden, W. L. (editors). Livestock Production, Management, Strategies and Challenges. Nova Science Publishers. Hauppauge, NY. 532 p.

Interpretive Summary: Rangelands of North America vary greatly across their one billion hectares, but a cultural legacy of livestock and their tenders unifies the realm. From the cowhand in Canada to the buckaroo of the United States to the charro or vaquero of Mexico, land-based livestock producers hold a place in the hearts and minds of North Americans. As of 2014, the continent supported some 134 million cows, 15 million sheep, and 11 million goats. Considerable numbers are produced solely on grains, hay, silage, irrigated pasture, and agricultural by-products, but rangelands also play an important role in North American livestock production, with their use varying regionally, temporally, and with the operator’s level in the livestock production chain. For each country, we summarize livestock inventories, production approaches, and land tenure, along with the major problems faced by producers and the innovative solutions they are exploring. We close with a brief discussion of how the three nations are linked through imports and exports.

Technical Abstract: Rangelands of North America vary greatly across their one billion hectares, but a cultural legacy of livestock and their tenders unifies the realm. From the cowhand in Canada to the buckaroo of the United States to the charro or vaquero of Mexico, land-based livestock producers hold a place in the hearts and minds of North Americans. As of 2014, the continent supported some 134 million cows, 15 million sheep, and 11 million goats. Considerable numbers are produced solely on grains, hay, silage, irrigated pasture, and agricultural by-products, but rangelands also play an important role in North American livestock production, with their use varying regionally, temporally, and with the operator’s level in the livestock production chain. For each country, we summarize livestock inventories, production approaches, and land tenure, along with the major problems faced by producers and the innovative solutions they are exploring. We close with a brief discussion of how the three nations are linked through imports and exports.