United States pasture and rangeland conditions: 1995–2022

Abstract

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service pasture and rangeland condition data were used to establish a novel spatiotemporal climatology of condition ratings across the conterminous United States for the May–October grazing season over the 1995–2022 study period. On average, the coverage of grazing land that provides adequate or excess feed underwent a significant reduction during a typical season. Spatially, the southwestern United States exhibited the poorest grazing land conditions on average, with over 20 years below the national mean condition rating. At the national aggregated level, conditions degraded during the 28-year study period, and the most significant trends were observed for grazing lands considered to have poor or very poor condition coverage, which increased. Robustly increasing trends in poor and very poor condition coverage were most apparent across the western half of the United States, which is predominantly rangeland. Meanwhile, the eastern half of the United States, which is mostly pastureland, generally experienced condition improvements. Overall, continued regional climatic changes that may result in increasing temperatures, variable precipitation totals, and subsequent soil moisture declines leading to increased drought instances will continue to impose challenges for grazing land managers. Grazing land condition declines can result in increased feed supply demand and reduced grazing capacity. Should these trends continue, there will be a growing need for flexible livestock, forage, and grazing management strategies in the coming decades to adapt to climate change-induced impacts on water-sensitive ecosystems.