Land management issues: Alternatives to traditional cattle ranching

     A big issue we spent some time looking at this summer is the effects of cattle ranching on the prairie ecosystem. Though there weren’t cows directly on the property this year, the signs that they had occupied the area were still visible from past years. As a society, Americans have what some would call an unhealthy obsession with beef (i.e. the iconic Cheeseburger). However, besides the generally less then healthy nutritional value of cheap beef, cattle and other livestock have a tremendous carbon footprint and a massively destructive impact on the land they occupy. With this knowledge, I decided to research some alternatives to traditional cattle ranching.

     One alternative proposed is the idea that the pre-modern system of pastoralism is actually a healthier option than the ranching that has developed in North America. This practice is an ancient livestock technique used by some of the earliest humans and has been shown to damage the land less than modern cattle ranching. The technique is heavily labor intensive as, “Pastoralists conduct grazing activities and keep constant surveillance to prevent losses to predators and thieves and also to keep livestock from damaging crops. This is done through human presence and labor, not through technologies, and for pastoralists, fences are rather obstacles to the daily conduct of grazing”(LaRocque, 2014). This method is proposed especially in relation to the emergence of large natural predators, such as wolves and grizzly bears. It has become apparent that, “In the absence of predators, prey scatter and linger where they have no such expectation and proceed to use areas with the best forage to excess. Conversely, where apex predators like wolves are reintroduced after a long absence, their presence alone contributes to habitat restoration.” However, cattle ranching has become deeply ingrained in the socio-economic makeup of much of the west and it is not so simple just to switch every operation over to pastoralism. As one author puts it, “The tug of war is a recurrent one that has to do with an apparent incompatibility between the rights of nature and those of people making a living from it.”  

       Another alternative option to traditional cattle ranching is wildlife ranching. This is a proposed method to aid in the process of wildlife conservation as well as the demand from the big-game hunting community. “Fee-hunting,” or the leasing private land for hunting access came into existence during the early 1920s and now is the most common form of wildlife ranching in North America. The economic return to the private landowner from fee-hunting provides incentive to protect and manage for wildlife habitat and the welfare of wildlife populations. These economic gains from fee-hunting and wildlife farming and husbandry provide positive incentives to private landowners to conserve and protect wildlife and wildlife habitat. For many ranchers, “raising live-stock is not enough to make ends meet”(Ballard et al. 2005). Fee-hunting has protected landowners from revenue losses and even land sales. The revenues from wildlife ranching can provide positive incentives to private landowners, resulting in increased wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation and preservation. And because private landowners control a substantial amount of wildlife habitat, it is important to develop and pro mote methods of encouraging sound wildlife management on private lands. Economic incentives such as wildlife ranching can slow the rate of habitat destruction currently underway in North America. But it is crucial to maintain some state control in order to help prevent overexploitation.

     Nonetheless, There are several issues associated with this practice including the fact that many individuals from the general public as well as professional wildlife biologists fear that commercial activities associated with wildlife recreation and products ultimately will allow a shift from public to private ownership of wildlife, resulting in diminished public interest in wildlife. Another issue is the possibility with the introduction of exotics or artificial inflation of carrying capacity through supplemental feeding may overstress the land, causing irreparable harm. Many ranchers try to manage wildlife the same way they manage their livestock.” Other major concerns surrounding exotic big game ranching include “disease introduction and spread, competition with native wildlife, hybridization or genetic pollution of native wildlife populations, range degradation, associated predator control, and uncontrolled spread of exotics resulting in nuisance and pest problems. There are several other potential problems associated with exotic big game: range degradation, poaching, redirection of focus and funds from native wildlife, and commercialization may jeopardize conservation of some species such as predators.”

       Neither of these alternatives are the perfect solution to cattle ranching. But they useful ideas to take into consideration as society moves forward into an unfamiliar world that climate change will produce. Further research is necessary to prove whether or not these are viable options, but hopefully these options will inspire others to continue to search for healthier alternatives to traditional cattle ranching. That is, if society can move away from its obsession with beef and the holy Cheeseburger.

 Some cattle just past the property line

 fences guard our camp from the destruction of the cattle

 a little rodent near an old cow pie

we went to a rodeo, which is a traditional cattle ranching cultural phenomenom 

Articles referenced: 

    LaRocque, Olivier. "Revisiting distinctions between ranching and pastoralism: A matter of interspecies relations between livestock, people, and predators"Critique of Anthropology, McGill University. 2014.

    Ballard, Warren B. et al. "Wildlife ranching in North America- arguments, issues and perspectives" BioOne, The Wildlife Society. 2005.