Figure 3.

Body weight gain (kg) per hectare over the grazing season decreased with a lighter stocking rate (i.e., increasing area allocated per steer). The black line is the regression equation fit by linear mixed model using year as a random effect and the linear and quadratic effect of stocking rate as fixed effects. The predicted vertex of the quadratic equation was determined to be at 4.24 hectare per steer, indicating that as area per steer was increased, steer gain per hectare was reduced until the stocking rate of 4.24 ha per steer, where a plateau occurs.