numbers in western states corresponded with the major drought periods . I 

 wonder if they still do. In the last 20 years there have been excellent 

 talks at range society meetings by ranchers, speaking from their own ex- 

 perience, on how they learned the hard way that it pays to adjust numbers 

 promptly in droughts instead of first grazing their own range into the 

 groiond and then hunting range elsewhere or buying and hauling roughage. 



I think drought problems on the range almost always begin in the wet 

 years. The abundant growth is an almost irresistible invitation to a 

 stockman to increase the size of his herd or flock. Good stockmen are not 

 necessarily good rangemen. Abiindant ungrazed growth can look like "wasted 

 grass" to a pure stockman; but, if he is also a rangeman, and sees which 

 species are gaining ground, and which are losing, he may see a golden op- 

 portunity in these wet years to let nature restore the potential vegetation 

 — a chance to get average annual production into high gear with the least 

 possible expense; and, a chance to build up some old growth for drought 

 roughage or for mulch to cover bare soil so it won't puddle and seal under 

 raindrop impact. 



After wet years, the return of drought is not immediately apparent. 

 There is always a chance and a hope that it will start raining. The man 

 who stocks to the hilt in the wet years takes the biggest chance and needs 

 the most hope. But, finally we all agree that we are in another drought. 

 By then livestock that should have been sold earlier, in order to prevent 

 overuse of the range, are very difficult to sell. Slaughter prices are de- 

 pressed with drought cattle, and few want breeding animals or stockers when 

 animals must depend on old growth or harvested feeds. It _is a good time to 

 buy and I know one rancher that was always ready for drought cattle with 

 large pastures of native tall grasses that had been ungrazed for a year, 

 plus a reserve of native hay cut from deferred range pastures (Wolff Bros., 

 Albion, Nebraska) . 



Overuse while going into and during a drought is only part of the story 

 of drought in relation to range deterioration. As rains return after dro\ights, 

 the stockman who is not a rangeman may not wait for ranges to recover from 

 drought. Instead, he may ignore range condition and rush to buy livestock 

 while prices are still depressed because of drought. At the extreme. 



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