“These are the times that try men's souls.” | We run on BLM and FS in the summer in Idaho on our bulk of cattle. Winter in Utah with all the cattle except coming 2 yearolds & old cows that are kept to graze stubble, and supplement feed at the ranch. The winter range is BLM with our private winter range ground bordering it. So if I get snowed out we trail to it, and can supplement feed for 60 days or what ever it takes till we can turn back out on BLM. I've been snowed out two times in the last 17 years. When that happens it takes over a week to get the cattle off the winter range. The county will send a patrol to plow a road out for us(six ranches that run together on the BLM) to trail them to a corral to sort and ship them home. We use snowmobiles, horses, to gather them.
Most all our cows don't see any supplemental feed or trucking for most of their life, only as weaned calves and a two yearolds. What I would give for all private pasture for cattle, but you can't afford it here. Summer country is costing over 20-25 dollars a AUM. And those guys totally over stock their ranges, and the cows come home looking like crap. These current land valves here are crazy here in Utah, I've seen poor range ground sell for $4,300 a acre for summer country with no water on it. These investers are trying to buy everything up, I'm thinking some of them might get burned here with the housing slump that is coming.
How far are you from Altruras, Ca. or Lakeview, Or. I spent about 5 years their as a kid in the late 70's. My dad worked for the BLM so they moved us about every five years. I had fun going to watch wild horse roundups in the Susanville area. I remember a great Basque restaurant, there in Altruras. I remember going with dad to Inyo lake as they built the town site for Clint Eastwoods movie High Plains Drifter, they where painting it red, just before they burned it.
Also did a little time in Sacramento, Bakersfeild, Bishop. I had quite a tour of the western states as a kid. By the time I got out of college, I had moved over 10 times, I told my wife when I got married I was going to settle down and never move again. I did my time as a traveling salesman out of college and when first married. I was lucky, and able to by my in-laws place in Idaho, and run my dad's in Utah as well. I don't reget any of it, I'm just glad I don't work for the Fed. gov. as well. I keep telling myself I need to my family on a tour of Ca. to show my boys, where I used to live. I've taken them to the Southern part of Ca. but not up to Northern part. But running a dairy as well just seems to take all our free time as well. |
Pics of winter grazing in Utah
