Utah State University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Ensuring the Long-term Sustainability of Beef Production and Ranching as a Way of Life, Including Maintaining or Improving Rangeland Health, Requires Creative Solutions. This Is Particularly True in the Face of a Changing Climate and Extended Drought Periods. Heritage Breeds, Such as the Criollo, Are a Promising Approach Because There Is Evidence That They Can Forage Over a Greater Proportion of the Landscape and Have a Broader Diet, Suggesting That Their Behavior Would a) Effectively Increase the Volume of Forage Available to Them During Times When Production Might Otherwise Be Expected to Decline (i.e., Drought), and B) Lessen Their Ecological Footprint by Shifting Their Activity Away From the Most Heavily-utilized Areas of the Landscape. the Benefits of Criollo Behavior Have Potential to Be the Most Impactful During Periods of Forage Scarcity, for Example at the End of Their Time in Lower Elevation Winter Foraging Areas, But Before They Are Able to Transition to Higher Elevation Summer Areas. on the Colorado Plateau, This Critical Period of Time Is Projected to Become Longer and Threaten Cattle Access to Forage. Our Central Thesis Is That Use of Criollo Cattle Will Help Mitigate This Threat Due to Their More Diffuse Space-use Patterns and Incorporation of Shrubs Into Their Diet. Our Overall Objective Is to Evaluate If Criollo Cattle Presents a Potential Solution to Some of the Current and Future Challenges Posed by Climate for Ranchers on the Colorado Plateau. We Will Accomplish This Through Comparisons of Criollo Versus Red Angus in Terms of Cattle Movement and Distributions, Habitat Use, Beef Production, and Environmental Impacts. Our Approach of Using Criollo Cattle as a Way to Cope With Periods of Forage Scarcity Associated With Dry Times (which Are Expected to Increase in Length and Intensity With Climate Change) Will Not Only Help Maintain Livestock Production But Also Stands to Maintain or Even Significantly Increase Ecosystem Health and Resilience Relative to Use of Standard Breeds, While Also Maintaining or Increasing Provisioning Services (forage Provision), Regulating Services (erosion Prevention), and Supporting Services (soil Formation/stabilization).