RANGE AISTD CATTLE MANAGEMENT DURING DROUGHT. 49 



out question in the past, however, because of the demand for heifers 

 to replace culls in the breeding herd to improve both grade and age. 

 These steers, while not in condition to go as feeders, have supplied 

 a demand each year in the past to go to northern and middle western 

 pastures and have always been handled at a profit. Producing 

 feeder steers, as discussed later under feeding, may prove in the 

 future to be good business, and if so the holding over of more steers 

 rather than heifers may be advisable. 



There is usually a good demand for well-bred calves at weaning 

 time in the fall, and the sale of an entire calf crop is a possibility 

 if the range is fully stocked and the market is not right for the 

 surplus stock already being held. 



The number of surplus stock, therefore, should be adjusted care- 

 fully to the available range forage not needed for the breeding herd, 

 and the class of stock held to use this surplus forage will be gov- 

 erned by demand and market price for the different classes. Over a 

 period of years the demand and price will probably be in favor of 

 steers. 



As in the past, the temptation will be to overstock before the range 

 has fully recovered after drought and not to reduce the stock prior 

 to the drought. This overstocking comes by holding all heifers to 

 increase the breeding herd after drought and holding steers at least 

 to 1 year old. In the Southwest this policy has been expensive in the 

 past and will be equally or more expensive in future unless due care 

 is taken to keep the total stock each year well within the probable 

 grazing capacity of the range unit involved. Until data over a 

 longer period are available, therefore, it is believed that the varia- 

 tion in forage crop and in numbers of stock by classes as presented 

 in figure 9 should be followed as a guide in stocking southern New 

 Mexico and similar range. 



RANGE MANAGEMENT TO OBTAIN MAXIMUM FORAGE PRODUCTION AND 



PROPER USE. 



Along with the study of the effects of time and degree of grazing 

 upon the stand of forage on the range on the Jornada Range Reserve 

 the plan has been to work out a system of grazing management and 

 handling stock that will meet the growth requirements of the forage 

 as determined, and at the same time meet the practical demands of 

 the stock. To be both sound and practical such a plan must secure 

 maximum utilization of the forage consistent with its growth require- 

 ments and have an adequate supply of range forage available for the 

 stock at all times of the year. Management of grazing to have a 

 range available during April, May, June, and the early part of July 

 especially, is important in the Southwest, where these months are 



74514°— 22— Bull. 1031 4 



