,The USDA-Agricultural Research Service Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) is a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network site located ~20 km northeast of Nunn, in north-central Colorado, USA. In 1939, scientists established the Long-term Grazing Intensity study (LTGI) with four replications of light, moderate, and heavy grazing. Each replication had three 129.5 ha pastures with the grazing intensity treatment randomly assigned. Today, one replication remains. Light grazing occurs in pasture 23W (9.3 Animal Unit Days (AUD)/ha, targeted for 20% utilization of peak growing-season biomass), moderate grazing in pasture 15E (12.5 AUD/ha, 40% utilization), and heavy grazing in pasture 23E (18.6 AUD/ha, 60% utilization). British- and continental-breed yearling cattle graze the pastures season-long from mid-May to October except when forage limitations shorten the grazing season. Individual raw data on cattle entry and exit weights, as well as weights every 28-days during the grazing season are available from 2000 to 2019. Cattle entry and exit weights are included in this dataset. Weight outliers (± 2 SD) are flagged for calculating summary statistics or performing statistical analysis.,,

,Data were collected on the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) from 2014-2018, near Nunn, Colorado as part of the common experiments in grazinglands for the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research network. LTAR scientists seek to create new knowledge regarding sustainable management of grazinglands. This dataset on cattle foraging behavior and distribution provides new information towards understanding how management practices influence grazing livestock movements in space and time. The common experiment at CPER is called Collaborative Adaptive Rangeland Management (CARM) and is a ten-year ranch-scale (2,600-ha) social-ecological experiment designed to examine how adaptive rotations of a single large cattle herd among paddocks within a heterogeneous landscape during the growing season (collaborative, adaptive rangeland management; CARM) contrasts with continuous, season-long grazing of paddocks by small non-rotational herds (traditional rangeland management; TRM). Differences in movement patterns between the two treatments were examined with data collected from global positioning system tracking collars (Lotek 3300LR GPS) combined with activity sensors. These data were used to determine daily metrics of foraging behavior by steers in both treatments at five-minute intervals and include (1) location, (2) distance moved within 5 minutes, and (3) and grazing activity. These data are from the first half of the CARM experiment to support the publication, "Adaptive, multi-paddock, rotational grazing management alters foraging behavior and spatial grazing distribution of free-ranging cattle.",Resources in this dataset:,,

,Established in 1912, the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL) is a USDA Agricultural Research Service facility located in Mandan, Morton County, North Dakota. In 1916, NGPRL scientists established a long-term rangeland management research project focusing on developing the most appropriate stocking rates for rangelands in the region. The research project ran for 100 years and included pasture 62, a heavily stocked pasture, and 66, a moderately stocked pasture for the entire time. Also, in 1931, pasture 37 was converted from smooth bromegrass to crested wheatgrass, which was both lightly and moderately stocked. NGPRL's grazing season is traditionally May-October which reflects the surrounding region. Animals may be put on slightly later or pulled earlier due to extreme weather conditions or events (e.g. drought, blizzard). The legacy livestock production data from these pastures include 100 years (1916-2016) of livestock production data from pastures 62 and 66 and 84 years (1932-2016) from pasture 37. Pasture 37 was fertilized annually in spring with 40 pounds nitrogen urea [46-0-0] per acre until 2010 and after that it was fertilized intermittently. Grazing treatments on these pastures were applied with stocking rates calculated in 1916 based on 600 lb. animal. Stocking rates were adjusted when pasture sizes were decreased, and this information is included in the data dictionary for the stocking rate and AUM data table. Please note data is missing from 1984 and 1985 from all the pastures. Johnson Thatcher Sarvis established the experiment in 1915 and managed it until 1940. The experiment was continued by George Rogler from 1940 to 1952, Russell Lorenz and George Rogler from 1953 to 1973, Russell Lorenz from 1974 to 1979, Lenat Hofmann from 1980 to 1992, and James Karns from 1993 to 2002. Numerous technicians and part-time students were also involved in the day-to-day management and conduct of the experiment. We would like to recognize these scientists and support staff for their extraordinary foresight and determination in skillfully managing and continuing this experiment into the twenty-first century. Thanks also to Holly Johnson at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory for organizing, cataloging, and annotating the publications from the long-term experiment.,

,This data package contains data on stocking rates for cattle, horses, and sheep on all pastures of the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range beginning in 1916. Grazing goats were infrequent and are therefore included as part of the sheep category. Stocking rates are expressed in animal unit month (AUM), which is based on metabolic weight and average amount of forage needed by each animal unit per month. Total AUM is calculated for each year for each animal unit. This study was completed in 2001 and will not be updated.NOTE: The USDA-ARS discontinued regular updates to this dataset after 2002 because of de-stocking.,,

The file 'ssm_data_3.25.csv' contains data necessary for analyzing state-space models for male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in response to grazing level (relative grazing index), timing, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) in Wyoming, USA. In this case, all covariates were measured within 3.25 km of lek sites.

The file 'ssm_data_3.25.csv' contains data necessary for analyzing state-space models for male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in response to grazing level (relative grazing index), timing, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) in Wyoming, USA. In this case, all covariates were measured within 3.25 km of lek sites.

The file 'ssm_data.csv' contains data necessary for analyzing state-space models for male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in response to grazing level (relative grazing index), timing, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) in Wyoming, USA, and then to compare models with 10-fold cross validation scores (Monroe et al. 2017). Literature Cited: Monroe, A. P., C. L. Aldridge, T. J. Assal, K. E. Veblen, D. A. Pyke, and M. L. Casazza. 2017. Patterns in Greater Sage-grouse Population Dynamics Correspond with Public Grazing Records at Broad Scales. Ecological Applications. doi: 10.1002/eap.1512.

The file 'ssm_data.csv' contains data necessary for analyzing state-space models for male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in response to grazing level (relative grazing index), timing, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) in Wyoming, USA, and then to compare models with 10-fold cross validation scores (Monroe et al. 2017). Literature Cited: Monroe, A. P., C. L. Aldridge, T. J. Assal, K. E. Veblen, D. A. Pyke, and M. L. Casazza. 2017. Patterns in Greater Sage-grouse Population Dynamics Correspond with Public Grazing Records at Broad Scales. Ecological Applications. doi: 10.1002/eap.1512.

This data package contains two types of data for the Jornada Experimental Range (JER) from 1915 to 1952: 1) shape files containing polygons and attribute tables that represent the pasture configurations on the Jornada Experimental Range and 2) monthly stocking data from these pastures. The livestock represented in the stocking data comprise cattle, horse, sheep, and goats. Grazing goats were infrequent and are grouped with sheep in the source data. As such for this data set, they are included in the sheep category. Stocking data are expressed in animal unit months (AUM), which is based on metabolic weight.This data package provides finer resolution AUM data than knb-lter-jrn.210412001, which presents the annual stocking data for the entire JER from 1916 to 2001. The stocking data in this package begins in June of 1915 and continues through December of 1952, the last year for which the researchers on this project have verified and digitized historical pasture configurations on the JER.https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-jrn&identifier=210412001

,Technologies are now available to continuously monitor livestock foraging behaviours, but it remains unclear whether such measurements can meaningfully inform livestock grazing management decisions. Empirical studies in extensive rangelands are needed to quantify relationships between short-term foraging behaviours (e.g. minutes to days) and longer-term measures of animal performance. The objective of this study was to examine whether four different ways of measuring daily foraging behaviour (grazing-bout duration, grazing time per day, velocity while grazing, and turn angle while grazing) were related to weight gain by free-ranging yearling steers grazing semiarid rangeland. These data include measurements interpreted from yearling steer outfitted with neck collars supporting a solar-powered device that measured GPS locations at 5 minute intervals and used an accelerometer to predict grazing activity at 4 second intervals. Average daily weight gains of steers are included as well as an estimate of standing forage biomass derived from the Harmonized Landsat-Sentinel remote-sensing product. These data support research to advance knowledge regarding the use of on-animal sensors that monitor foraging behaviour, which have the potential to transmit indicators to livestock managers in real time (e.g. daily). This approach can help inform decisions such as when to move animals among paddocks, or when to sell or transition animals from rangeland to confined feeding operations.,,