Cattle ranching in South Texas faces significant challenges due to frequent drought and an extended growing season, requiring ranchers to carefully balance stocking rates with available forage while considering unpredictable precipitation and markets. Historical grazing methods in the region have included continuous grazing and deferred rotation, but research comparing their effectiveness at operational scale has been lacking. This report presents initial findings (2014-2018) from a large-scale demonstration project evaluating two cattle stocking rates and two grazing methods, focusing on forage standing crop and utilization while also monitoring long-term impacts on herd performance, vegetation, and wildlife.
