Livestock
In North America, vast herds of grazing animals used to roam.
Our rangeland ecosystems evolved under this high intensity, short duration grazing.
Nomadic herds no longer range from north to south and back again, but with careful management livestock can fill the void. Well-managed livestock are a useful tool for rangeland, forest and fisheries restoration. Instead of being a threat, well-managed livestock can reinvigorate landscapes that have devolved into barren unproductivity, helping restore other essential ecological processes along the way.
Livestock, on the range, efficiently convert the sun’s energy locked within plants into edible protein. Livestock, in intensive confinement, provide a haven for problems, ranging from their own behavior and health including the rise of disease, to environmental concerns such as non-point source pollution arising from collected waste.
Latest articles
Read more about the benefits offered by domestic animals:
The Story of Meat
Public demand for healthy, tasty food produced in a manner that respects nature is the driving force behind the growing acceptance of holistic agriculture. This 20-minute video discusses how sustainably managed livestock can help restore damaged […]
Desert Permaculture: Using a Stock Tank for Irrigation
Stock tanks can be easily and cheaply modified to serve the additional purpose of restoring grasslands for cattle and wildlife. NOTE: this post was originally published on April 24, 2017, and then […]
Miracle in the Nevada Desert
Beaver and cattle are symbiotic. Together they can turn desert into wetlands. NOTE: this post was originally published on April 19, 2017, and then reposted on September 9, 2021
Yellowstone National Park Calls for More Bison in New Plan
The essential element for wild bison restoration is to address brucellosis. This plan – to have more bison and then kill more bison – tinkers around the edges without fundamentally addressing the problem.
Trees Are Spreading Across the Great Plains. They’re Actually Making Climate Change Worse
According to the researchers quoted in the article below, “…adding trees is negative for the climate in most temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands globally.” The primary cause of tree and brush invasion is that […]
Study: Bison Herd Removes More Carbon Than World’s Largest CO2 Capture Plant
As discussed below, the grazing of wild animal herds can be cheaper, faster, and more effective at reducing atmospheric carbon than any high tech method. A primary purpose of the holistic planned grazing of cattle […]
Why is Regenerative Agriculture Important?
Learn more about regenerative agriculture, and our focus on land management which provides rich soil and grass for cows to consume on their pastures.
Horse Roundups! Can They be Stopped With ‘Fertility Control’?
“Using wild horses to help wildlife and habitat.
Soil for Water
Learn more about NCAT’s Soil for Water project, working to capture and hold more water in the soil. “Your soil health is going to keep you in business. If you take care of your soil, […]
Grazing Forested Rangelands
“An excellent discussion of why, how, when and where to graze Canadian forests.
Abusive Land Grab of Family Farm
The video below tells how a conservation easement that promised to ‘protect’ farming was used to block farming. BEWARE: A growing problem with conservation easements is that the current generation of administrators are increasingly […]
Conserving the Legacy by Wyman Meizner
“The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we […]
BLM to Finalize Rule Allowing Federal Leases Targeted at Protection of Natural Area
This rule is widely seen as anti-cattle and hunting.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox Vows to Sue Over New BLM Landscape Rule
“According to Utah Governor Cox , BLM’s proposed Public Lands Rule could effectively lock outtraditional activities such as livestock grazing, certain recreational uses and commercial hunt guiding. This would be very bad for wildlife […]
Wyman Meinzer’s West Texas
A beautiful portrayal of a unique part of our country. NOTE: this post was originally published on February 17, 2017, and then again on August 5, 2021. A WALTZ ACROSS WEST TEXASWyman Meinzer, […]
Buffalo Facts
Surprising Facts About Buffalo | The American Buffalo | A Film by Ken Burns | PBS
Can Beavers Restore Far-West Texas?
Two so-called invasive species, cattle and beavers, have the power to restore desert habitats. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on April 12, 2017 AND on August 26, 2021.
How Bison Are Saving America’s Lost Prairie
Bison on Oklahoma’s tall grass prairie. NOTE: this post was originally publihsed to this site on September 13, 2021
Extinctions, Scenarios, and Assumptions: Changes in Latest Pleistocene Large Herbivore Abundance and Distribution in Western North America
“Here is another explanation of the Pleistocene Extinctions, the catastrophic event in natural history wherein over 50-large species abruptly disappeared from North America 10-12,000-years ago. Humans and climate warming are usually blamed. This author says […]
Land Stewardship on Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands of Mexico
Para más información, contáctenos: pastizales@birdconservancy.org Bird Conservancy of the Rockies collaborates with private landowners across western North America, from the Northern Great Plains to the desert grasslands of Chihuahua, Mexico. We […]
Plan to Allow Wolf Hunting in Europe to Spare Livestock Could Backfire, Some Scientists Say
“Wolves are even more controversial in Europe than the US. Pre-firearms Europeans lived with wolves for millennia; fear of wolves was reality-based and deeply ingrained in European culture.