Keyword: livestock

Private ranchlands and public land grazing in the southern Rocky Mountains

In the western United States, Euro-American settlement was concentrated on the most fertile, best-watered, and most desirable sites, while the unsettled mountains and deserts remained in the public domain. As a result, the public and private halves of the western landscape are not interchangeable for conservation purposes.

Grass - the West’s greatest commodity

To the stockman there is no sight more beautiful than a range producing an abundant growth of good forage on which good livestock is making him a living. The above scene illustrates the luxuriant forage which can and should be obtained on most of our mountain ranges.

Return of abandoned fields to forage production can be hastened by reseeding

The favorable climate and natural beauty of the ponderosa pine zone throughout Colorado led to intensive settlement of most of the 4 million acres which it occupies. Along with settlement came agriculture and cultivation. The better lands were used for the production of potatoes, lettuce, grain and other crops adapted to the climate or needs of the settlers.

It pays to stock your ranges conservatively

If a section of your mountain grazing land yielded an income of $316, $592, or $478 in a given year, depending upon the manner in which it was stocked, you would have felt badly, indeed, if you hadn’t secured the maximum return. Yet many stockmen are still taking a limited return each year because they do not realize the importance of good grass management or because they are not aware of the land potentialities.

Efficient cattle production on Colorado ranges

As an aid to securing increased efficiency in range cattle production, this bulletin presents some of the latest results of investigations made in Colorado by the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. These results have been obtained on short-grass ranges and on ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ranges and are applicable in general to most of the plains and mountainous areas of the State.

Response of seeded ranges to different grazing intensities.in the ponderosa pine zone of Colorado

Valleys of open grassland parks interspersed among the mountains of the ponderosa pine zone of Colorado are suitable for the production of livestock. Unfortunately, during the late 1800's and early 1900's many of these grassland parks were cultivated and attempts made to raise row crops or hay.

The effect of grazing intensity on plant composition, vigor, and growth of pine-bunchgrass ranges in central Colorado

What happens to individual forage plants when subjected to different degrees of grazing by cattle? In what way does grazing change growth habits and composition of the herbaceous vegetation? Answers to these basic questions will help the range operator to properly evaluate his range management practices.

Supplements on fall range

Supplemental feeding of yearling heifers on fall range at the Manitou Experimental Forest during the fall season of 1953 increased weight gains 22.4 pounds per head, increased market values 75 cents per cwt., and resulted in $3.93 more value per animal after cost of feed had been deducted.

Don't overlook Russian wild rye

Have we been overlooking a good bet by not using more Russian wild rye in our range reseeding programs? The drought of the past few years has proved the ability of Russian wild rye to stay alive when other seeded grasses die.

Effect of grazing intensity upon vegetation and cattle gains on ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ranges of the Front Range of Colorado

Stockmen and managers of western range lands, both public and private, are vitally interested in stocking their ranges on a basis that will assure sustained forage and livestock production at a high level. It is recognized that if ranges are stocked too heavily, the vegetation deteriorates, producing less forage and less livestock.