we are working. Held in proper perspective, a ranch is indeed a grass fac- 

 tory. Our success relatively speaking, will be reflected by our ability to 

 manipulate the range using livestock as the tool. It is my feeling that a 

 ranch unit must be viewed as a total unit with problems and thus solutions 

 which are unique. If we can agree in principle then we are all set to de- 

 velop some sort of management plan which should have as it's goal: to im- 

 prove or prevent the deterioration of one or more factors involving range; 

 improved forage production, changes in species composition, improved water 

 quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, improved recreational opportunities 



and aesthetics using domestic livestock as the tool. The deterioration, 



it has been said, of the western rangelands was brought about by the con- 

 tinuing overgrazing at the wrong season of use, by the stockman. We are, 

 however, now at the crossroads. We know that the rangelands are in need of 

 better management. We know we must graze these rangelands in order to im- 

 prove them. And finally, the public also has a stake in the management of 

 these lands as a "multiple user". 



Those charged with developing use alternatives and objectives are duty 

 bound to not create conflicts which do not exist. There can be no real un- 

 resolvable conflicts in improving the forage production on the western 

 rangelands. It cannot be argued that what is good for livestock is bad for 

 wildlife, or what is good for watershed is bad for livestock. Most of 



these uses tend to compliment one another . Let me show you an example: 



If you have a piece of rangeland that is in "poor" condition, stable but 

 poor. With the production of usable forage amounting to between 200 and 

 400 lbs. per acre. Because of the amount of bare ground and other factors 

 you will have (I) higher soil temperatures, (2) increased erosion or stream 

 sedimentation and (3) obviously reduced grazing capacity because of low pro- 

 duction. If you improve the rangeland using some sort of range management 

 system then all the potential users will benefit. In our example taken from 

 personal experience, usable forage jumped to 2,000 lbs. per acre. The live- 

 stock have contributed to the long term stability of this range. They har- 

 vest 40 to 50 percent of the forage leaving 1,000 lbs. or more after use. 

 This amovtnts to almost three times the original total production. It might 

 be said that some of this improvement should be passed on to the rancher in 

 the form of increased ADM's. Without arguing the relative merits of the 



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