PANEL DISCUSSION 



RANGE MANAGEMENT TODAY 



Roy Cornell 



I would like to relate to you how the Craig Cornell Company put this 

 range improvement plan together and how we have used the help and coordin- 

 ation of the various agencies in the management of the Range Resources. The 

 Cornell Ranch was a sheep operation since the early 1860's until 1971 when 

 labor and predator problems prompted a change to the cattle operation. Per- 

 haps we didn't smile through the entire process, but certainly the matter of 

 better range practices must come into everyone's operation sooner or later 

 and I feel the sooner the better. Our range lies in two areas, one is the 

 Sagebrush-Bluebunch wheatgrass type between 6 and 8,000 feet elevation and 

 the other is forest grassland type between 7 and 10,000 feet in elevation. 

 The ownership pattern of our Brown Ranch \init , the former of these two areas 

 is an obvious reason why cooperation is a pre-requisite to any effective 

 range plan. 



Our range plan began in 1966 when Mitch Boken of Beaverhead Soil and 

 Water Conservation District and myself became enthused about the potential 

 for range improvement of the area. 



We took the BLM fellas for a ride and showed them what our ideas were. 

 At that time the BLM was free to act on this kind of thing and it was amaz- 

 ing how fast they began making plans to develop a Cooperative Agreement and 

 range plan. 



Here the Montana Fish and Game Biologist is working with the BLM to 

 preserve some sagegrouse strutting grounds that are in this area. 



Prom the BLM Cooperative Agreement and Boken' s Conservation Plan, we 

 put togehter a range plan that included several other projects. This in- 

 cluded sprinkler irrigation and new haying methods for more hay production. 

 This helped tie things together. 



The range plan included an inventory of fences on this unit. We had 

 a good boundary fence and a good cross fence dividing it into two pastures. 

 Two additional fences were constructed making a four pasture rest-rotation 

 grazing system possible. These fences were laid out by the BLM and myself. 



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