Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Additional Plants: native plants
- Animals: bovine, goats, sheep
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: grazing - continuous, grazing management, range improvement, grazing - rotational, stocking rate, watering systems, winter forage
- Education and Training: extension
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
Abstract:
Increasing use of grazing as a tool to ecologically manage weeds, manipulate habitat and reduce fire hazard is motivating changes in grazing management. The objectives of this interstate distance education project were to 1) increase knowledge of the ecology and management of grazing, 2) build skill in planning and implementing grazing management changes, and 3) motivating agencies and individuals to change management behaviors. This project uses a web-based course with interactive video technologies to provide science based, interdisciplinary training to land management professionals, government agency personnel and staff from NGOs who manage or influence the management of grazinglands throughout the state. The interdisciplinary nature of this course should make it interesting and useful to range management professionals, animal scientists, ranchers, grazing managers, agriculture and science teachers, restoration ecologists, conservation and wildlife biologists and other natural resource managers.
Project objectives:
We were uncertain how well an online course might be used by the target audience. Our main objective was to reach agency and NGO staff.