Western ranchers and land managers are confronting increasing populations of invasive species, resulting in high economic and environmental costs. They are also facing calls for improved grazing management due to concerns about overgrazing of plant species and introduced plant materials, soil erosion, water quality issues, impact on endangered and threatened species, and damaged riparian habitat. Rising feed costs and costs of managing the land are also affecting the future sustainability of western ranching. The ranching community needs reliable research-based information on sustainable livestock grazing practices and the true impacts of grazing on the land.

Western SARE has played a key role in addressing the research needs of livestock producers. In 26 years, Western SARE has funded over 90 projects related to livestock management in the western states. A significant portion of this portfolio addresses sustainable grazing management on rangelands and in riparian areas. The four projects highlighted in this publication represent high quality research conducted in collaboration with producers and the effective outreach that gets research results into the hands of producers, ag professionals, and land managers.