Abstract: The summer season of 2016 marked the second year of trialing “Inherding” as a viable way to meet the growing complexities of grazing cattle on public (and private) rangeland. In concept, “Inherding” is quite simple. Rather than managing cattle with a “keeping out” …
The Best Friend in Border Pups
The Salmon River was starting to swell with the first release of spring snow melt, and it flowed like a ribbon of liquid cold steel. Twelve-year old Melanie and I stood horseback, wordless, in the spitting rain on the rocky shoreline and eyed the 20 or so cattle on the opposite …
When Beef Goes Wrong
“Do you guys ever process cull dairy cows from big dairies for beef?” I waited patiently for Amber’s answer. “No, we don’t. We occasionally do a dairy type cow, usually like somebody’s family milk cow that somebody fed out to fat for their own beef consumption, …
The Way of the Wolf
The wolves are back in force. Jerry, a wildlife biologist friend of many years, cut the fresh tracks of a large pack on the snowy deck of the Hat Creek Bridge yesterday. Just hours before he arrived there, they quietly padded over the wooden structure that spanned the …
Ranching and the Whims of Weather
The weather flipped to fall. Snow blanketed the high country over the last few nights, and the aspens and cottonwoods are gilded with gold. The air is thick and clear. I love this time of year. I fired up the wood stove for the first time this year with daughter Emily …