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Calculate stocking rate for a 160-acre pasture stocked with 30 cow-calf pairs (1000-lb) for a 5.5 month grazing period. Show your work and include units in your answer.

The following example is best described as a:Setting: Grassland social-ecological systemFeedbacks: People maintain productive rangeland systems. Productive rangeland systems support the livelihood of people. Those people manage and maintain productive rangelands.

The carrying capacity for a 160 acre pasture in the tallgrass prairie is 1.10 AUM/Acre. The same pasture is stocked with 30 (1000) cow-calf pairs for 5.5 months. Is the pasture overstocked (1 point)? Explain your answer (2 points).

Scenario:  2.7 million acre landscape of mixed-grass prairie in the northern Great Plains valued as one of the last remaining, large blocks of grassland with a strong ranching culture and iconic wildlife populations that  still roam unencumbered across large and open landscapes.Woody encroachment threatens this landscape and has potential to reduce forage production by 75% and displace grassland-dependent wildlife species. The landscape is in the early stages of encroachment and few ranchers have observed measurable impacts. Most do not view encroachment as a serious threat. However, as time passes this threat becomes more expensive to manage and the chances of success are reduced. Like most landscapes in the northern Great Plains, prescribed fire is not a common practice.Your role: you work for Pheasants Forever (the habitat organization) as a private-lands conservation professional. You have been tasked to work with ranchers and other conservation professionals to develop a proposal for a large grant ($10-25 million) to confront woody encroachment on private lands. This is enough money to get creative and bring in lots of partners… so think big.Exam Question: Describe the following key elements of your plan. Be specific and explain how you expect them to work. How would you support the removal of woody vegetation on private lands? 5 ptsHow would you use incentive or cost-share programs? 2 pointsHow would your plan use education, outreach, and/or extension? 5 pointsHow would you get ranchers to work with you? 3 pointsHow would your plan support rancher-led prescribed fire? 5 pointsHow would you measure the outcomes of your work? In other words, how would you define and measure success? 5 pointsWhat would you do to make sure that when your money runs out, the results generated from your grant can be sustained into the future? 5 points

Just for fun: Why did the prairie grass break up with the tree?

In the state and transition model, what elements represent state transitions? Screenshot 2025-12-11 103115.jpg

Growth points (meristems) located near the base of the plant is an example of the ___________ strategy for plant response to grazing.

‘Managing for the middle’ is good for biodiversity in grasslands (True or False; explain the reasoning for your answer).

The live lecture every week is via Teams and it’s important that all students try to attend – if at all possible.

The instructor has asked that all writing be professional and academic in keeping with APA guidelines. Additionally, the use of first person language is prohibited (I, me, my, we, us, and our).