Patch-burn grazing systems have been recognized as a successful livestock management tool in the southern tallgrass prairie. Previous studies have found that livestock have similar weight gains on patch-burn grazing systems as they do in traditional, continuously grazed management systems. Patch-burn grazing has additional benefits for wildlife however. Patch-burn grazing promotes diversity of plant species since grasses are heavily grazed after a fire allowing forbs to become dominant. Patch-burn grazing also creates heterogeneity in habitat structure which is beneficial to wildlife. Even though patch-burn grazing systems are recognized as beneficial management tools in the southern tallgrass prairie, little is known about patch-burn grazing systems in the northern tallgrass prairie. This study was conducted to evaluate patch-burn grazing systems in the northern tallgrass prairie. The objective of this study was to compare patch-burn grazing systems and continuous graze systems in the northern tallgrass prairie. Two research sites located in north-eastern South Dakota were selected for this study. During the summer of 2006, species presence/absence data was collected to get baseline data. Prescribed burns were conducted in the spring of 2007 and 2008. Species presence/absence data was collected again during the summers of 2007 and 2008 as well as percent cover of functional groups of vegetation and visual obstruction measurements. Visual obstruction results confirmed that patch-burn grazing systems did create heterogeneity in vegetation structure while continuous graze systems did not. Results on species composition were vague for this study. The patch-burn graze system decreased the cover of litter and increased the cover of bare ground on burned locations during one year of the study while the continuous graze system showed no changes. The patch-burn graze system also decreased the cover of introduced grass on burned locations during one year of the study while the continuous graze system showed no changes. Overall, a major decrease in grass dominance and an increase in forb dominance following a fire on the patch-burn graze system was not seen in this study as it is in the southern tallgrass prairie. Thus, patch-burn grazing systems were found to significantly lower visual obstruction on burned locations but were not found to have major effects on species composition when compared to a continuous graze system. Further research is suggested to determine if species composition changes over a greater period of time.