Montana: Chapter 3
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Sarah Stewart
In Montana, agriculture – specifically beef cattle – is king. Nothing has stayed as constant as this since the early days of Montana’s history – not mining, not energy development, but cows. Since cattle production is so very important to the local economy, there must be a heavy emphasis from ranchers on the health and nutrition of their herds. This was our focus for our most recent lecture section, led by Clemson professor Dr. Tom Scott. Instead of discussing range management exclusively, like we did last week, our attention was mostly directed towards the individual cows themselves. We traveled all around the state to obtain an overview of all the science and research that goes into raising the perfect range animal, and it was equally fascinating and eye-opening.
On our first day with Dr. Scott, we eased into the topic of cattle nutrition with a visit from Gary Ellingston, a private forestry consultant. Although we had already learned about forest management from a few Bureau of Land Management employees last week, it was interesting to hear about it from someone who works on private land as well. Getting perspectives from both the public and private consultants really rounded out our knowledge about forest management, especially as it pertains to the well-being of the cattle on Frosty Creek Ranch. Although we were not able to interact much with the cows much on the ranch, we got very close-up and personal with some the next day, when we took a trip to Fort Keogh. Fort Keogh is a retired military fort that has been converted into a Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, or an LRRL. Located outside of Miles City, Montana, this 50,000 acre research facility houses state of the art research laboratories, where cattle nutrition is both studied and improved by a team of scientists. Everyone there was extremely nice, and seemed to be excited that a group of students were expressing interest in their projects. We toured part of the property, met a research team taking forage samples, and were introduced to topics like water quality and cow reproductive health by some of the staff. However, the most memorable part of the day – and possibly even the trip – was being able to stick my hand inside of a cannulated cow’s rumen! Doing this right after lunch may have been a mistake, since only half the class was willing to do so, but I knew it was a unique experience that I didn’t want to pass up. How often do you get to tell people you’ve had your arm elbow-deep in the stomach of a cow? It may have been uncomfortably warm and smelled dreadful, but I thought it was very interesting.
My favorite day of this section was when we drove 3 hours west from the ranch to Bozeman and Montana State University. As we drove through the beautiful valleys neighboring the town, my jaw dropped at the beauty. This landscape was very different than the eastern side of the state; it was lush, green, and had towering, snow-capped mountains that you could see from any angle. Once we got into the town’s downtown area, I believe we all fell even more in love with Bozeman. There were lots of interesting shops and restaurants, and there was a quaint atmosphere that could charm any visitor – including us. Montana State University campus is located just a couple of blocks from the center of town, and as we toured it throughout the day, the words “grad school” kept flashing through my head. I began envisioning myself walking through campus, living in Bozeman, and taking day trips to Yellowstone – although I will admit I got ahead of myself a bit. Still, it was wonderful to spend the day there. We received a tour of the animal bioscience building, their one of a kind wool lab, a horseshoeing school, and a couple of the on-campus research farms. We even got to spend some time around their sheep, which - I must admit - was a nice change from all of the cows. Meeting so many people from the animal science department was very interesting, but I can’t help but wish we were able to talk with grad students and professors from MSU’s wildlife biology program. Especially if grad school is on the table, it would have been very helpful to make such important connections early.
All in all, I enjoyed this lecture section and having Dr. Scott journey with us around the state. He and his wife are lovely people, and were even kind enough to invite the class over for barbeque and s’mores. I really appreciate any opportunity to get to know my professors outside of strictly academic settings. They are all such interesting people with so many stories to tell, and I think that is one of the best parts about this course: it’s not just about building knowledge, it’s about building relationships as well.
In Montana, agriculture – specifically beef cattle – is king. Nothing has stayed as constant as this since the early days of Montana’s history – not mining, not energy development, but cows. Since cattle production is so very important to the local economy, there must be a heavy emphasis from ranchers on the health and nutrition of their herds. This was our focus for our most recent lecture section, led by Clemson professor Dr. Tom Scott. Instead of discussing range management exclusively, like we did last week, our attention was mostly directed towards the individual cows themselves. We traveled all around the state to obtain an overview of all the science and research that goes into raising the perfect range animal, and it was equally fascinating and eye-opening.
On our first day with Dr. Scott, we eased into the topic of cattle nutrition with a visit from Gary Ellingston, a private forestry consultant. Although we had already learned about forest management from a few Bureau of Land Management employees last week, it was interesting to hear about it from someone who works on private land as well. Getting perspectives from both the public and private consultants really rounded out our knowledge about forest management, especially as it pertains to the well-being of the cattle on Frosty Creek Ranch. Although we were not able to interact much with the cows much on the ranch, we got very close-up and personal with some the next day, when we took a trip to Fort Keogh. Fort Keogh is a retired military fort that has been converted into a Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, or an LRRL. Located outside of Miles City, Montana, this 50,000 acre research facility houses state of the art research laboratories, where cattle nutrition is both studied and improved by a team of scientists. Everyone there was extremely nice, and seemed to be excited that a group of students were expressing interest in their projects. We toured part of the property, met a research team taking forage samples, and were introduced to topics like water quality and cow reproductive health by some of the staff. However, the most memorable part of the day – and possibly even the trip – was being able to stick my hand inside of a cannulated cow’s rumen! Doing this right after lunch may have been a mistake, since only half the class was willing to do so, but I knew it was a unique experience that I didn’t want to pass up. How often do you get to tell people you’ve had your arm elbow-deep in the stomach of a cow? It may have been uncomfortably warm and smelled dreadful, but I thought it was very interesting.
My favorite day of this section was when we drove 3 hours west from the ranch to Bozeman and Montana State University. As we drove through the beautiful valleys neighboring the town, my jaw dropped at the beauty. This landscape was very different than the eastern side of the state; it was lush, green, and had towering, snow-capped mountains that you could see from any angle. Once we got into the town’s downtown area, I believe we all fell even more in love with Bozeman. There were lots of interesting shops and restaurants, and there was a quaint atmosphere that could charm any visitor – including us. Montana State University campus is located just a couple of blocks from the center of town, and as we toured it throughout the day, the words “grad school” kept flashing through my head. I began envisioning myself walking through campus, living in Bozeman, and taking day trips to Yellowstone – although I will admit I got ahead of myself a bit. Still, it was wonderful to spend the day there. We received a tour of the animal bioscience building, their one of a kind wool lab, a horseshoeing school, and a couple of the on-campus research farms. We even got to spend some time around their sheep, which - I must admit - was a nice change from all of the cows. Meeting so many people from the animal science department was very interesting, but I can’t help but wish we were able to talk with grad students and professors from MSU’s wildlife biology program. Especially if grad school is on the table, it would have been very helpful to make such important connections early. 
All in all, I enjoyed this lecture section and having Dr. Scott journey with us around the state. He and his wife are lovely people, and were even kind enough to invite the class over for barbeque and s’mores. I really appreciate any opportunity to get to know my professors outside of strictly academic settings. They are all such interesting people with so many stories to tell, and I think that is one of the best parts about this course: it’s not just about building knowledge, it’s about building relationships as well.
