Foraging behavior and spatial grazing distribution of free-ranging cattle 2014-2018 on the Central Plains Experimental Range

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:

Resource Title: Data dictionary for foraging activity and location data for cattle
File Name: DataDictionary_Template_nek.csv

Resource Title: Foraging activity and location data for cattle in adaptive, multi-paddock, rotational grazing management
File Name: CARMappended2014_2018.csv
Resource Description: 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.

Resource Title: Foraging activity and location data for cattle in traditional grazing management
File Name: TRMappended2014_2018.csv
Resource Description: 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.

本数据集收集于2014至2018年间，在位于科罗拉多州努恩附近的中央平原实验站（CPER），作为长期农业生态系统研究网络（LTAR）共同实验的一部分。LTAR科学家致力于探索有关放牧地可持续管理的全新知识。该数据集聚焦于牲畜觅食行为与分布，为理解管理实践如何影响放牧牲畜在时空维度上的移动提供了新的见解。中央平原实验站（CPER）的共同实验被称为协作适应性放牧地管理（CARM），是一项为期十年的牧场规模（2,600公顷）社会-生态系统实验，旨在比较在生长季节内对单一大型牛群在不同围栏间进行适应性轮换（协作适应性放牧地管理；CARM）与由小型非轮换牛群连续、整季放牧围栏（传统放牧地管理；TRM）之间的差异。通过全球定位系统追踪项圈（Lotek 3300LR GPS）和活动传感器的数据收集，分析了两种处理方法间的移动模式差异。这些数据用于确定两种处理方法中公牛每日觅食行为的每日指标，以五分钟为间隔，包括（1）位置，（2）五分钟内移动的距离，（3）以及放牧活动。这些数据来自CARM实验的前半部分，以支持出版物《适应性、多围栏、轮换放牧管理改变放牧牲畜的觅食行为和空间放牧分布》。