RANGE CATTLE mere II ft( '..4.)-111.!;;, N4V'' 4,k; 40i,ts ' , ' , Extension Bulletin 690 Revised April 1957 Federal Cooperative Extension Service Oregon State College Corvallis Foreword At an annual meeting of the then Oregon Cattle and Horse Raisers Association (present Oregon Cattle- men's Association), former president Herman Oliver of John Day, one of the most progressive of the State's range livestock operators, delivered an address covering important factors in range cattle management. This address contained so much valuable subject matter based on sound application of proved scientific prin- ciples that there was insistent demand for its wider distribution. Accordingly, the Federal Cooperative Ex- tension Service of Oregon State College was pleased to include the material presented in its regular series of bulletins,in the belief thatit was a valuable and scientific contribution to informative literature on live- stock production. Because of heavy demand, this bulletin is out of print. Request was made of Mr. Oliver for a revision, which is somewhat more comprehensive than the origi- nal bulletin, with discussion of later developments in range management. F. L. BALLARD Associate Director OSC Extension Service RANGE CATTLE Wedweicienteat by HERMAN OLIVER Grant County livestock producer and Member, Oregon State Board of Higher Education What constitutes a successful live- To be successful in operating a live- stock operation ? To be well qualifiedstock plant or any other kind of busi- in the art of livestock production, aness, a man must devote his knowledge stockman should know: and energy to that business. He should Ranch management look ,at it as a long range program and Range management plan accordingly. I believe that to succeed one must Livestock management be adapted to his particular type of Feed requirements business. The one who fails missed his What constitutes a good animal calling somewhere along the line but Good marketing procedures. he might have succeeded in some other business. Sometime in life opportunity These points are so intermingledknocks at the door of every person. If and depend so much on circumstances hegraspsthatopportunity andis and eachotherthatperhapstheyadapted to what has presented itself, he should be lumped together and calledwill be successful. `good livestock knowledge with good Businessoperatorscome under cow sense." three categories :the successful, the FIGURE 1. Wild meadow hay in stacks, with irrigation water stored in the hills. 13 failures, and those who just get by. Awide swings in forage production from portion of the last group could be moreyear to year. If moisture conditions prosperous, but seem content just toare favorable, the year-round grazing make a living. They have the ability,areas succeed, but there is always the but not the incentive to go farther. element of uncertainty. Every livestock-producing section Considering all kinds of farming, I has its advantages and disadvantages.believe the raising of cattle requires Areas with long winter-feeding periodsmore planning, good sound judgment, require more capital for hay-producingand farsightedness than do most others. lands. This in turn results in moreThe production of livestock is not like taxes, more irrigating, and more ex-raising wheat, corn, potatoes, or other pense in putting up and feeding hay.crops grown and harvested within a All this takes more managerial abilityyear. While raising such crops requires than the type of ranch that can pasturework and good management, coupled out all year. The former type of, live-with knowledge of good farming prac- stock country seems more stable thantices, such operations do not require the sections with year-round grazing.several years to produce a marketable Many of the latter are confronted with crop. Range Management Practices The first thing to think about inmanaged so there is always ample feed, raising livestock is feed. A livestockthereby conserving the stand and vigor owner perennially short of feed is anof grasses, and maintaining the carry- ex-livestock man quite soon. He has a factory, but no raw material. A man who has to buy feed can succeed only in boom times. It matters not whether the livestock plantisinalocation where there are severe winter months, or in a milder climate with year-round grazing. Livestock eat every day. Therefore, the year-round feed program must be recognized. A weakness anywhere can be fatal. There must be enough hay to feed through the winter season with spring, summer, and fall ranges to balance out the operation. Since this is the foundation of a good livestock plant, good judgment should be exer- cisedwhich is only another name for good management. Ranges and pastures must not be grazed to the extent that roots and FIGURE 2. Spreader ditches add to range pro- crowns are weakened. They should be duction. -4 II FIGURE 3. Fence line photo depicts good and questionable range management. ing capacity. Better still, endeavor toand rebuilt to follow the contours of increasetheproduction ofgrazingthe land. This could also be accom- areas whenever possible. Always con-plished among neighbors by the ex- sider pounds of beef rather than num-change of .acres for grazing purposes. bers of cattle.A good productive rangeThis change would make the range will always turn off more pounds ofmore accessible to water, feed, and beef thin a range going downhill. salt. Water development and proper We have often heard the expressionplacement of salt add to better utiliza- "grass is flesh." This is very true. It istion of ranges. the reason why a livestock operator The time to begin grazing spring should be conscientious in his rangepastures should be considered. Give management. On many grazing areasthe ground an opportunity to settle, the acres producing grasses are rough,and permit the grass to get a good and the terrain does not permit thestartbeforegrazing begins.Grass grass to be harvested in any mannershould have sufficient growth to keep except by grazing livestock. ahead of the animals. Much of what is On grazing areas where the terrainknown as "over-grazing"is actually is hilly and rough, it would be a greatbrought about by grazing too early. advantage to the livestockiffences Controlled grazing produces good were removed from the section linesresults for two major reasons; namely, 5 the conservation of soil and the con-'in the summer we see parched ranges, servation of water. Proper grazing re-and remember the surplus of water in tards erosion, and that in turn gets theeach drainage that spring. Range lands, water into the soil instead of into theproducing feeds that can be harvested sea. Once soil is eroded into the largeonly by livestock, supply the most eco- streams and oceans, it is gone forever. nomical pounds of meat that can be Protection of soil is the very founda-produced. The livestock business makes tion of our existence. A landownerits greatest progress during the sum- once said to a soil expert who wasmer months on good grass range. endeavoring to demonstrate to him Since the economy of the West and the importance ofsoil conservation,its livestock industry are tied largely to "You can'ttell me anything aboutits vast acres of range land, and since soil.I have already worn out threemany of these acres would be hard or farms!" Wise grazing methods willnearly impossible to reseed, it is very conserve soil and water. important that livestock operators prac- There are areas, involving consid-tice good range management. A good erable acreage, where much can be ac-range can be kept good forever, but complished through water spreading,once badly hurt, healing may be too utilizing the early runoff. How oftenexpensive or even impossible. Winter Feed reduce the tonnage of hay produced that season. As soon as the frost is out of the soil and meadows begin to "green up," livestock should be re- moved. All these practices add to ton- nage produced. Time of harvesting and manner of handling of hay crop need special at- tention to conserve the highest feeding FIGURE 4. Draining meadows for increased pro- value. Since protein is the most essen- duction and winter sanitation is very desirable. tial part of a range operator's feed, all Hay production is most important. Manage hay and other crop lands to secure the greatest production possible by raising feed best adapted to the soil. Crop land management may. include clearing, drainage, leveling, proper dis- tribution of water, use of adapted va- rieties, and in some cases the use of commercial fertilizers. Trampling may injure the alfalfa standespecially in late fall or winter. Spring pasturing of FIGURE 5. Land leveling for top hay production any meadow, either wild or tame, will and ease of irrigation. 6 FIGURE 6. Well-wintered cows produce strong, vigorous calves. hay crop and pasture management If more hay is produced than is should be geared to maximum proteinneeded, some of the tillable land could production. Letting any kind of hay,be used profitably for irrigated pas- more especially alfalfa, get over-ripe,tures, thereby relieving the load on the or letting it bleach after it is mowed,hill grazing land. One acre may pro- causes it to lose precious vitamins andduce as much feed as SO to 100 acres nutrients. of dry, rocky hill land. Winter Feeding In the transition from fall graz-in a larger percentage of early calves ing to winter feeding, the cattle shouldthe following year. not be left too long on short pasture. Too much emphasiscannotbe This may save some hay but there isplaced on the winter care of livestock. danger of the stock losing flesh. Main-They are at that time at the mercy taining their weight in the late fall orof the owner, especially if confined in early winter is important. Letting cat-enclosures. tle get thin before putting them on Feedingthehaycroprequires feed is not an economical procedure,thought and planning.