Virtual experiments using a participatory model to explore interactions between climatic variability and management decisions in extensive grazing systems in the basaltic region of Uruguay

•A participatory model of a grassland farm on basaltic soils in Uruguay was build.•It includes different herd management strategies in long-term simulations.•Simulations conducted based on CENTURY model output data calibrated for the region.•Climate inter-annual variability is a major issue and can lead to bankruptcy.•Lagged responses in management can hinder the determination of robust strategies.