Prairie dogs can reduce the carrying capacity on rangelands by up to 50% through direct consumption of vegetation and by clipping plants to improve predator detection. Studies have shown that forage quality and digestibility are greater on prairie dog towns than off-town, however research is lacking that quantifies rates of forage and nutrition intake by cattle grazing pastures occupied by prairie dogs. The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate relationships between on-and off-town plant communities and cattle grazing locations to identify trends in livestock grazing behavior throughout the growing season, 2) evaluate diet nutrient composition and intake by cattle on plant communities on-and off-town over the grazing season, and 3) study livestock performance in response to level of prairie dog occupation within the pastures. Study Description In 2012-2016, a study was conducted in northcentral South Dakota to evaluate livestock grazing behavior, diet quality, and forage intake on three plant communities in pastures occupied by prairie dogs. Plant communities studied were grass-dominated on-town sites (PDG), forbdominated on-town sites (PDF), and grass dominated off-town sites (NPD). Three pastures with varying levels of prairie dog occupation (0%, 20%, and 40%) were studied. Pasture stocking rates were adjusted to account for the level of forage removed by prairie dogs (50% of on-town forage removed). Each pasture was grazed by a separate herd of yearling steers, a random subset of which were fitted with GPS collars equipped with motion sensors to determine graze locations. Daily time spent grazing was estimated for each plant community and averaged by month for each pasture. Forage quality and intake were estimated using ruminally-fistulated steers that were allowed to graze in 30 minute increments in temporary exclosures within each plant community and pasture for June, July, and August of each year. Rumen diet samples were weighed and analyzed for OM, CP, NDF, and ADL. Intake was calculated as the rate of OM per minute and multiplied by average monthly grazing time based on GPS collar data. South Dakota State University Beef Day 30 were similar between PDG and NPD communities, however PDF intake rates were reduced 59% compared with off-town sites. Grass dominant communities on prairie dog colonies should be considered as valuable for grazing livestock, but older core areas of prairie dog towns provide no nutritive value to foraging animals. Livestock performance was higher on prairie dog colonized pastures, suggesting that increased diet diversity within pastures colonized by prairie dogs may be beneficial to grazing livestock provided forage quantity isn't limited.