Taking the time to sit down and calculate your number of animal units, your feed needs, and your current stocking rate will help you develop a grazing system that is healthier and more resilient to drought. Herd information also helps you understand your feed needs during drought, and better plan for them. This section tells you how to calculate animal units, feed needs, and your current stocking rate, as well as assess the "flexibility" of your herd or livestock enterprises.
Composition and vigor of rangeland vegetation are the integrated result of management and the environment. Complete sets of grazing and precipitation records are needed every year. Changes in rangeland health or animal performance detected by monitoring cannot be fully explained without these records.
Ongoing monitoring of your herd's performance and health help you understand how well (or not well) your management decisions are working for you. This section outlines the areas that should be monitored, and how.