ABSTRACT Adaptive Multi‐Paddock (AMP) grazing involves alternating short‐duration, high‐intensity grazing with extended recovery periods. It offers the potential to regenerate degraded rangelands while enhancing productivity. We compared vegetation, soil carbon, and water infiltration responses between nine matched pairs of ranches in North and South Dakota, applying either conventional continuous grazing (CG) practiced for > 30 years or AMP grazing for 10–30 years at higher stocking rates. AMP grazing enhanced several ecosystem functions relative to paired CG ranches, including plant cover (35.7% vs. 13.9%), plant height (264% taller), and standing crop biomass (by 31% within plots and 64% at the ranch scale). Water infiltration rates and soils vary geographically, while the effects of grazing depend on location. Controlling for these interactions, AMP grazing reduced soil N by 45.4% and soil organic carbon by ~10% but increased total soil carbon by 19.7%. Vegetation and soil characteristics fully distinguish CG from AMP‐grazed ranches, demonstrating consistent ecosystem‐level changes. Both grazing systems retain many non‐native cool‐season grasses, suggesting that full recovery will take decades. We conclude that AMP grazing enhances ecological functions and ranch productivity, though fuller recovery of native species will require more time and perhaps active restoration efforts. AMP grazing provides a viable strategy to intensify rangeland management while addressing concerns regarding plant cover, diversity, food productivity, and possibly climate change.
Apfelbaum et al. (Thu,) studied this question.