Of the many working pieces to running a successful cattle operation, one cog in the machine must be top-notch in order to achieve a natural ebb and flow: quality grass.

Spring has finally sprung in the northern Rockies. Grass is growing, irrigation water is flowing, and it will look green as Ireland for about another four to six weeks till we start going dormant and dry again.

The arid Western states are prone to seasonal wildfires, especially during drought conditions. Targeted grazing can provide forage for cattle and create firebreaks to slow a wildfire’s momentum.

“He can paint the light off horse hide shining, the great passing herds of the buffalo. A cow camp cold on a windy morning, the twisting wrist of the Houlihan throw”

Most cattle producers can tell you the body condition score of their cattle, but do they know the condition of their pastures?

Assessing the health of rangelands is often difficult to quantify and evaluate because of inherent spatial and temporal variability across our native landscapes. The overall goal is to create an environment where native rangelands are resilient to disturbances and sustainable in forage production.

To a forage-hungry cow, the great sagebrush sea of the West embodies the famous paraphrasing of a Coleridge quotation: water, water, everywhere – but not a drop to drink.