Leo Brown Merrill

Dr. Merrill grew up on a family ranch in eastern Arizona, attended Utah State, and received his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Range Management from Texas A&M. He worked for decades in sustainable range studies at the Sonora Research Station, retiring as its superintendent in 1983. He is especially remembered for helping build the Society for Range Management as a founding member and early president (1956), and for developing the Merrill 4-pasture grazing system in the late 1940s. The Merrill system involves grazing three species (typically cattle, sheep and goats) through four pastures, enabling more complete use of grasses, forbs, and browse, as well as allowing better plant rest, recovery and reseeding. This approach has been credited with improving soil health, reducing erosion and providing more consistent forage for livestock and wildlife.