CGREC_Utilization

This dataset contains information from a three-year study (2018-2020) conducted at the North Dakota State University, Central Grasslands Research Extension Center, located in the Missouri Coteau ecoregion of North Dakota, USA (46°45’N, 99°28’W). The research investigated the effects of patch-burn grazing and season-long continuous grazing on mixed-grass prairie ecosystems.The study was implemented across eight 65-hectare pastures, with four pastures assigned to each grazing treatment. Pastures in the patch-burn treatment had a 16-hectare portion burned each spring, while the season-long continuous grazing pastures were never burned. All pastures were stocked with cow-calf pairs from mid-May to mid-to-late October at a stocking rate between 2.10 and 2.45 AUMs/ha.Data were collected annually at the end of the growing season (September-October). The dataset includes measurements of standing crop biomass, which were collected from 0.25 m² quadrats both inside and outside of grazing exclosures. These exclosures were placed in loamy ecological sites to assess the impact of grazing. The collected plant material was dried to a constant weight. From this raw data, average standing crop biomass, cattle utilization, and percent utilization were calculated for each exclosure location. Data were then averaged to the patch level for analysis.