Environmental groups are filing
multiple lawsuits in several western states preventing ranchers from
turning out on their leases. In part, these litigations stem from
ranchers not meeting stubble height and riparian regulations. Until
we can get these grazing requirements changed, the only thing we can
do to circumvent more lawsuits is to follow these regulations as
closely as possible.
Trying to control cattle on allotments
using temporary electric fence has proven to be only partially
effective, and barely worth the cost of fencing, let alone extra
labor.
In order to precisely control grazing
to meet federal regulations for stubble height and riparian usage in
an effective way, cattle need to be acting as a herd. When they are
doing this, the cattle graze together and water together. With this
behavior it is a simple matter of a rider catching cattle on their
way to water and deflecting them to a new drinking spot each day,
then sending them out to a new place to graze. My stockmanship
schools are specifically designed for students to learn how to
instill herd instinct so they may easily meet federal allotment
grazing requirements.
Limited to eight riders per class,
classes are entirely hands on. Early morning and late afternoon
sessions students will work on actually instilling herd instinct into
cattle in the pasture. In between pasture sessions students will
concentrate on working cattle in pens. Unlike other schools, we
concentrate on natural reactions cattle have to what we do with our
horses, as well as the horsemanship involved in taking full advantage
of these reactions. By the end of the five days, the pasture cattle will be acting and handling as a herd, and the students will have the pasture cattle acting as a herd like the 500+ cows in the picture below.
The following short video show the changes of behavior between the first and fifth day of the school.
