Management and Utilization of Pineland Threeawn Range in South Florida

Abstract

Brahman-native cattle grazed cutover forest range in south Florida at the rote of 15, 22, and 36 ncev per cow per year for 14 years. As the study progressed, the weight of cows increased by 10 to 45 pounds for each decrease in rare of stocking, but all cows tended to calve in alternate years. Weight, quality, and market value of calves increased with each decrease in stocking rate. Income per ocrc, however, was $2.50, JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 27(3), May 1974

South Florida Flatwoods Range Vegetation Responses to Season of Deferment from Grazing

“…Herbage mass was calculated as total biomass minus shrub mass and equaled about 1,000 kg ha-' (Table 2). Our herbage estimates are similar to those obtained by Hughes (1974), who found 1,100 kg ha-' of herbaceous mass 7 months after a spring bum on the Caloosa range. At risk of predicting beyond 1990, it would take until the year 2000 before preferred grasses would double in production from the average value (110 kg ha-') observed in the closed treatment [220=20+ 10(X-1980)].…”

“…Little grazing occurred after wiregrass matured. As Hughes (1974) pointed out, low palatability in years when wiregrass range is not burned provides a natural rest, enabling wiregrassdominant range to maintain itself.…”

“…Environmental factors such as soil type, hydroperiod, and fire provide such stability to these communities that White (1973) suggested they be considered climax unless environmental restraints are altered. Due to rapid plant maturity resulting in extremely low forage quality, controlled burning has been widely recommended and used in flatwoods range management (Kirk and Hodges 1970, Hughes 1974, Lewis et al 1982.…”

“…Changing the composition of wiregrassdominated range simply by deferring grazing in a particular season has not been demonstrated. From a ICyear study on frequently burned South Florida range, Hughes (1974) found that production from a cow-calf herd was inversely related to stocking rate, and that the lowest stocking rate resulted in decreases in wiregrass and increases in the more palatable bluestems and Punicum spp. From these results, Hughes suggested that deferment from grazing following utilization of spring regrowth (after burning) should "encourage a natural increase of the better grasses."…”

Journal of Range Management, Volume 55, Number 6 (November 2002)

“…Previous studies have generally reported a negative effect of stocking rate on cow weight (Lewis et al 1956, Houston and Woodward 1966, Hughes 1974, Pearson and Whittaker 1974, Willms et al 1986). In these studies, the reduction in cow weight between the heaviest and the lightest stocking rate has ranged from 11 to 45 kg.…”