Livestock production in Uruguay involves the management of C4-species dominated natural grasslands, which cover more than 70% of the country's surface area. Almost 80% of the farms specialized in beef and wool production are family farms, which usually exhibit low sustainability due to low family income and grassland overgrazing. Historically, natural grasslands have been managed with low forage heights (2 to 4 cm), and consequently low leaf área indices, reducing the capacity of the sward to intercept light and photosynthesize, and providing niches for invasion by low productive grass species.