The application of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) has expanded to include livestock management, however the effects of sUAS disturbance on domestic horses (Equus calibus) has not been well documented.

We developed an ethogram to classify and record horse behaviors and changes in response to disturbance using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro sUAS by monitoring horse behavior at 5 second intervals from 3 m, 15 m, and 33 m above ground level (AGL).

We found vigilance was the most common behavior after initial approach at all AGLs.

Horses took evasive measures after approximately 20 seconds at lower AGL (i.e., <3 m).

The recovery to the control behavior occurred sooner at higher AGLs and most horses recovered within 60 seconds.

sUAS could be a valuable tool in horse management, including their potential use during domestic and free-roaming horse roundups.

The accidental and subsequent invasion of cheatgrass throughout millions of hectares of Intermountain West rangelands has truncated secondary succession by providing a fine-textured, early maturing fuel that has increased the chance, rate, spread, and season of wildfire.

The restoration or rehabilitation of degraded rangelands throughout the Intermountain West is very challenging due to annual invasive species that exhibit high growth rates and seed production.

The use of the pre-emergent herbicide, Imazapic, decreased cheatgrass densities >95% during the fallow year and before sowing seed the following fall during this study, which significantly reduced the cheatgrass competition for seedlings of seeded species.

Seed mix performances were significantly higher in herbicide-treated plots than control plots for both sites for both years. Native, introduced, and native/introduced seed mixes were significantly more successful in the treated plots at the Bedell Flat site compared with the Antelope site for both years.

Cheatgrass densities were significantly higher in the control plots at both sites for both years compared with herbicide/seed mix-treated plots.

Success and failure of establishing perennial grasses in restoration or rehabilitation practices is highly dependent on proper seed and seed mix selections, seeding methodologies, and rates as well as favorable precipitation.

Sustainable ranch management must consider not only impacts of grazing management on range condition (ecological sustainability) but also on cattle production relative to overhead costs (economic sustainability) and on biodiversity (biological sustainability).

Rates of growth and reproduction in herbivore populations are determined by access to sufficient high-quality forage and concomitant optimal nutrition during the growing season. By contrast, maintenance of body condition and survival over the dormant season is determined by access to a reserve of adequate-quality forage.

Rotational grazing systems rely on resting paddocks after grazing for sustaining rangeland productivity and desired species composition, yet a dilemma for managers is forage loses digestibility and nutrient concentration as it matures during rest periods.

Grazing cattle in large, dense herds, frequently rotated through small paddocks may also compromise nutrition by increasing competition for forage and minimizing adaptive foraging movements. The economic viability of ranches is further compromised by the installation and maintenance costs of fencing numerous small paddocks across a ranch.

We use foraging ecology principles to highlight how intensive multipaddock grazing systems can compromise cattle production while their infrastructure requirements increase overhead costs of management, thereby minimizing profits. We provide working examples of how these problems can be practically overcome while maintaining ecological sustainability.

Sustainable beef is a socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable product that prioritizes planet, people, animals, and progress. Beef sustainability requires awareness of the complex relationships among these three pillars.

In practice, sustainability to beef farmers and ranchers is about taking care of the animals, land, and water, while being a good neighbor and community member, and maintaining profitability. The beef industry has made improvements across these three areas of sustainability, in all sectors of the industry, from the cow-calf level to the packer phase.

The removal of beef cattle from grazing lands would effectively eliminate the beef industry, which would have a ripple effect on other industries that serve as input suppliers across the beef supply chain, while also eliminating critical social, economic, and environmental services provided by grazing cattle.

We describe the science on the economic, social, and environmental benefits of grazing cattle on grazing lands, and discuss the sustainability impacts of eliminating the beef industry in the U.S.