Back in November, the USDA and the Department of the Interior announced a partnership promising something many Western cattle producers haven’t heard in years: more opportunity for grazing on public lands, not less.

Most of us grew up learning about the dangers of wildfire from a cartoon bear in a ranger hat, saying, “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”

Graeme Finn could have been happy raising cattle anywhere in the world, so long as there was grass to graze and land to improve. Where he and his family ended up raising cattle, grazing grass and improving land is in the foothill country of western Alberta near the town of Madden.

Resting a pasture for two growing seasons postburn is a common recommendation in the Intermountain West since at least the ’80s. “The question is, ‘Is there a real reason two full years rest are needed after fire?’” says University of Idaho (U of I) area extension range educator K. Scott Jensen. “Can it occur sooner than that without delay or harm to postfire recovery? We wanted to put some science to it.”

Whether up north in last summer’s ash or down south in the dust, winter feeding is nearing its end, and the need for a grazing plan is mounting. Year over year, producer efforts to balance grazing and growth will hopefully result in profitable calf crops as well as healthy grasslands.

Pastures rarely fail overnight – and with strategic management and interseeding, they don’t need a full reset to recover.

Cattle production is often at the mercy of major influences, such as market volatility, government regulations and feed supplies and shortages. These prominent factors undeniably shape the industry and impact producer success on a broad scale.