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Targeted livestock grazing is a successful and cost-efficient method to manage cheatgrass in the U.S. western Great Plains when timed to coincide with cheatgrass growth rather than based solely on the time of year, according to a recent study published by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL).

The research is published in the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management, and its findings show the targeted grazing window lasts approximately 38 days in the spring, with some variation depending on the year and location.

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an annual grass native to Eurasia that has become one of the most problematic invasive species in the western U.S. This invasive species outcompetes native vegetation in the spring, and after completing its growth, it dries into fine fuels during the summer, leading to more frequent, widespread wildfires.

One low-cost method is known to help manage this problem. Early spring targeted grazing, where cattle are allowed to graze cheatgrass early in the season at the right time, can help limit seed production and reduce the competitiveness of cheatgrass. However, what is the right timing for this grazing method to be successful?

ARS Research Ecologist Dana Blumenthal, one of the co-authors of the recently published paper, explains a key finding of the study, "Cattle are very predictable in when they like to eat cheatgrass. Producers can effectively graze it from when it's four inches tall until it's done flowering, and the seeds are hardening up. That is a window of about a month to a month and a half. The window moves around from year to year, so it's important to use cheatgrass growth as a guide for when to graze rather than calendar dates."

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