Cattle

A collection of 270 posts

Bio-Diversity

Hailing From the Primordial Realm, Meet Mother Nature: Goddess of Earth’s Ecosystems

Don’t miss this hilarious little video from Whole Foods.   As they put it, “With over 50 (million) years of experience, Mother Nature’s job is to maintain the harmony that keeps the planet spinning. Things like keeping the air clean, the ground fertile, the ecology diverse, and the inhabitants

Bio-Diversity

Connecting Ranchers with Land Stewards Could Be Key to Less Disastrous Wildfires

As discussed below, grazing of domestic animals – cattle, sheep and goats – is an effective way to prevent wildfire and improve habitat.   Another species that has great potential for wildfire control is the wild horse.   NOTE: this article was originally published to CivilEats.com on July 8, 2021. It was written

Cattle

Counterfeit Cows: Cheating the Grass-Fed Beef Label

“Why “grass-fed” doesn’t mean what you think.   NOTE: this article was originally published to Weekly.Regeneration.Works on September 3, 2021. It was written by Kevin Silverman.   Policy: Grass-fed beef is one of those terms that can be explained in ten different ways by ten different people. This is

Bio-Diversity

Native American Lawmakers Seek Federal Help on Montana Bison

“Because they are mismanaged, bison carry and spread brucellosis, a highly contagious, bacterially-caused disease that causes spontaneous abortions in cattle and other animals, and also poses a serious threat to human health. The goal of free ranging bison is a good one. It will remain a pipe dream until and

Bridger-Teton National Forest

Feds to Stock Cows in Lieu of Sheep

Largely ignored in this debate is the fact that animal impact is essential to the health of these areas.   Nature does not much care whether the animals be bison, cattle, goats, horses etc., so long as animals in sufficient numbers and concentrations  are periodically grazing and browsing weeds and brush,

beef

Grass-fed: a Label Ingrained with Misleading Claims

“According to the article below,  “The term grass-fed has become just another marketing strategy co-opted by large-scale meat-packers to trick consumers into buying grain-finished meat…”  a scheme in which the regulatory agencies are complicit.   NOTE: this post was originally published to TThe Regeneration’s newsletter on April 30, 2021. It

Cattle

Demand for Farmland Fueled by Grain Rally

“Rising commodity prices are very good for farmers. They have caused a rise in the price of farmland.   In addition to more income, rising land values increase farmers’ net worth.   However, the massive deficits working their way through the economy are causing inflation, much of which is not fully reflected

Bio-Diversity

Using Cows to Improve Wildlife Habitat and Increase Pronghorn

This is the second in a series about how domestic animals like cattle can help wildlife and habitat in desert grasslands.  Our first introduced Cows and Quail, Albuquerque-based Holistic Management International’s range and wildlife program which focused on quail.   Note: Originally published on this blog in 2012. Written by

Cattle

Stocking Rates vs. Grazing Days, Recovery Rates and Necessary Impact

Below is an excellent piece by our friend “Cowboy Bob” Kinford. For several years, he helped us manage cattle herds on the high deserts of far-West Texas. Paraphrasing Bob: Many holistic/regenerative grazers think that ultra-high densities, by definition, mimic wild herds. These grazers oversimplify by ignoring, forgetting or not

Bio-Diversity

The Gray Wolf Leads the Way for Other Endangered Species

“Common sense advice on how best to advance wolf restorations, from the PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH CENTER of Bozeman Montana. PERC is the home of free market environmentalism.   NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org and the Duluth News Tribune on November 9, 2020. It was written by

"Wolves"

Washington State to Manage Wolves Within Borders After Fed Action

Quoting the article below, “Wolves were wiped out in Washington by the 1930s at the behest of the livestock industry. The animals began migrating back into the state from Idaho and British Columbia early in this century. Wolf recovery is popular with many urban residents of the state, but not

Belching Cows

Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues

The so-called climate problem of cattle burps and farts is a phenomena of feedlots.   When cattle are on the range – grazing as nature intended –  they reduce atmospheric carbon.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on October 21, 2020. By Henry Fountain. Photographs and Video by George Steinmetz.

"Invasion Biology"

Burned, Beetle-ravaged Wyoming Forest Expected to Flourish

As demonstrated across the West, refusing to “manage” forests is a powerful management practice. While the practice of keeping human hands off of forest resources may be well-intentioned, it is detrimental and destructive. The “hands off” management policy has led to degraded forest conditions, which despite what we are being

Bio-Diversity

Fighting Wildfires With Fire

Due to well-intentioned “hands off” forest management practices – often intended to help wildlife – our national forests are accumulating highly flammable understory material faster than nature can cycle it away.   The well-meaning prescription set forth in the article below is controlled burns. Based on our 50-years of range and forest experience

Bio-Diversity

Painting Eyes On The Butts Of Cattle Surprisingly Effective At Scaring Off Would-Be Predators

Here is another example of low-tech, non-lethal ways to protect cattle from predators.     NOTE: this article was originally published to IFLScience’s Apple News Channel on August 7, 2020. It was written by Katy Evans.   Researchers have come up with a novel way to protect the lives of livestock, lions,

Biodiversity

Documents Detail Push To Manage Yellowstone Bison as Cattle

The article below summarizes various objections to managing Yellowstone bison more like cattle in order to control brucellosis, among other things. Yellowstone’s elk and bison are now a regional reservoir for this disease, which causes spontaneous abortion in cattle and wild animals and can threaten human health. Because of

Bio-Diversity

Escaped Exotics Animals are Changing the Texas Landscape

Quoting the author of the article below, “There’s an idea that gets played with in progressive futurist circles sometimes: the notion of deliberately engineering landscapes to mimic our understanding of their past shape. Quietly, without any particular plan or larger vision in mind, ranchers in Texas have done something

Allan Savory

Is the Way Cattle Are Grazed the Key to Saving America's Prairies?

“The article below gives another example of the application of holistic grazing concepts for the purpose of regenerating rangelands.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on January 13, 2020. It was written by Karen Weintraub.   An unlikely alliance of ranchers and conservationists is working to find the

Bio-Diversity

Allan Savory on Permaculture and Holistic Management

Here is a very interesting interview with the ecologist Allan Savory who, in the opinion of many, knows more about rangelands than anyone alive. He is best known for his discovery that global desertification can best be addressed and reversed by using livestock to mimic the grazing patterns of the

American West

How Beef Eaters in Cities Are Draining Rivers in the American West

Paraphrasing the authors below, “The biggest user of river water by far, is not lawns and showers, but agriculture. New research shows that across the Western United States, a third of all consumed water goes to irrigate crops  – not for human consumption –  but used to feed beef and dairy cattle.

"Invasion Biology"

Mountain Goat Removal Temporarily Closes Areas Of Grand Teton National Park

According to the article below, the National Park Service (NPS) has decided to exterminate wild mountain goats in the Teton-Yellowstone Parks because they (1) are non-native, (2) “compete” with bighorn and (3) might infect them with diseases.   NPS claims to follow the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (the Model)

"Invasion Biology"

The Resistance to Holistic Wildlife Management

Across the West as well as in Texas, agencies, universities, governmental and conservation organizations resist holistic wildlife and agricultural management practices. Most Western public grazing rules make holistic grazing very difficult if not impossible  In this 5-minute video, range scientist Allan Savory discusses why this is so, and how this

Cattle

Costs that Discouraged Rotational Grazing Practices on the USA's Great Plains

As discussed in the paper below, the expenses of fencing and water improvements are barriers to planned grazing. The authors suggest ways to overcome these. NOTE: this paper will be published to Journal of Environmental Management Volume 256, 15 February 2020. It was written compiled by Tong Wang, Hailong Jin,

Bio-Diversity

Massive Juniper Tree-Cutting Project Aims to Aid Sage Grouse

According to the article below: “Overall, sage grouse numbers have dwindled from an estimated 16 million before European settlement of the West to no more than 500,000 today in 11 western states. The project that began last spring in Idaho aims to remove junipers on 965 square miles (2,

Bio-Diversity

Special Report: Cowboys or Buffalo? Critical Mass

Not everyone is a fan of the American Prairie Reserve. In the article below, opponents explain why.   NOTE: this document was originally published to RangeMagazine.com as part of their Fall 2019 edition. Words and photos by Dave Skinner.   The most ambitious and successful “rewilding” effort ever attempted faces stiffening