When it comes to improving pasture and rangeland health, ranch management consultant Dave Pratt says to stay away from agronomic principles and instead apply ecological principles to land management. At the recent Ranching For Profit School held Jan. 19-25 in Billings, Montana, Pratt and his associate Dallas Mount of the University of Wyoming discussed various methods to improve range health, among many other aspects of a ranch business.

I’m what you might call an unconventional cattlewoman. When I tell folks I hail from south-central Pennsylvania, cattle country isn’t the first thing they think of. They find it hard to believe that Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the nation for beef production and is home to approximately 1.6 million head of cattle.