Cattle raising in central, semiarid rangelands of Argentina

Abstract

Most rangelands are managed inappropriately in Argentina. This article provides some simple guidelines that can ensure a better grazing of rangeland vegetation and simultaneously increase beef production. Our main objective was to prove that a few simple management guidelines and a short-duration, high-intensity grazing system would increase beef production per acre, while at the same time maintaining the forage resource in the community. Studies were conducted in the phytogeographical province of the Monte1 (Fig. 1, 40°39′S, 62°54′W) in central Argentina. Average annual temperature is 54° to 57°F and rainfall is scanty with 8 to 12 inches annually concentrated in winter and spring; average annual evapotranspiration is about 31 inches per year. This is an extensive, almost continuous, and rather uniform area of shrublands.