scientists can lick the weeds if the EPA will give them a chance. 



The most important and limiting factor in our area is water. I believe 

 the U.S. Forest Service has done a good job in the past. They have well 

 trained personnel and research to make improvements. However, several fed- 

 eral agencies in control of our watersheds may reduce our water supply. 

 Fifty years experience with building big dams has proven that more benefits 

 would accrue from small dams. This would mean more fishing, more local 

 boating, irrigation and better maintaining the underground water table. 



If everybody would fight big government, our Congress would put more 

 money into land resources rather than new bureaus. 



On this Bicentennial year we should not forget that 210 years ago King 

 George imposed a tax! 



Frank Sparks 



I would like to start my presentation by asking everyone to ask ques- 

 tions as we go. I do have 42 slides to show, however, I will go through 

 them fairly fast so as to not bore you. 



These slides are of our particular Range Management Program. I think 

 the best thing to do is get started. On this trip, we will be taking you 

 down to the Seven Up Ranch in Southeastern Montana, the Short Grass Country. 

 I will be giving a rancher's point of view of how we manage that particular 

 operation and I will point out some of the areas where we need research in 

 order to meet goals most of us have set. We have some current research te- 

 chniques there that we are using in our operation that probably are not new 

 to a lot of you, but maybe there is a twist in the way they are applied. I 

 hope that these may be beneficial to you. 



I would say that I am in the cattle business because they can utilize 

 grass as well in the area as anything and I am a grazer. I am in the cattle 

 business because I enjoy it, certainly it isn't for profit as you all know. 

 I consider the rangeland that I run on should be in as good condition as I 

 possibly know how to leave it when I leave that rangeland and I feel an ob- 

 ligation to do that. I also feel that every thinking man, woman, and child 

 on the face of this earth is no less obligated because when we consider the 

 fact that we owe our entire existence to the six inches of topsoil that covers 



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