"Make decisions with education, not emotion"
When we arrived, the knowledge of the great plains being home to an amazing distribution of species was evident, but the amount of research into the domestic animals as well as the wildlife was such an eye-opener. We traveled to the Midland Bull Testing facility first, and Mr. Steve McDonnell blew the curtain over my eyes off with such a force, I didn’t know what hit me. As soon as we walked in he began to go into detail of the importance of knowing the genes of each bull species that is sold to them, their job of measuring feed consumption daily by way of “Grow Safe” machines, and then ranking each bull based on the desired ultimate end product; being the bull that weighs the desired weight amount for beef production but who ate less feed altogether. That bull is most desired and auctioned off for more money than I’ve ever seen in my life (about $50k).It's so strange to me to think bull testing is such a big ordeal, but when it comes to the amount of feed the bull consumes, it makes perfect sense that the rancher would want to make more “bang-for-his-buck”; the bull that produces the same amount of beef but costs less to feed is a critical game changer. Ranches are historically seen as obstinate in the sense that they don’t care what it takes, they’ll just do any and everything to make the most money in the fastest way possible no matter the costs. But its not true in any way, here the ranchers are seen as competing for the bull who is more sustainable genetically by way of the newest technology and sharing it with each other. There seems to be more of a need to look with knowledge than to reach with passion.
When talking about grazing here in Montana, one has to take into account the extreme weather change. This far north and just over the Rocky Mountains, the plains are a desolate place for ice buildup in the winter and heat shocking drought in the summer. But as Dr. Delcurto from Montana State University proceeded to inform us, prices in feed during the winter are at their all time high. I personally am a little partial to the idea that this rise in price is a bad thing. Because without it, those daunting questions I mentioned earlier would never have been asked. The research opportunity his son in law and graduate student Sam was able to achieve focused on the grazing habits of the pregnant cows in the winter; which ultimately led to an associate of his, Hayley, who is seeing how the tremendous salt content in the supplemental feed in the winter may effect not only the cow but the birthing process later in the spring.
The health of the cattle far outweigh the amount of money these ranchers get. The cows are their life and it seems that with the youth being educated and then brought back home, renewable energy and sustainability are key in today’s cattle ranching. I loved to see so many young people my age, raised as a farmer/rancher, but with an education far beyond mine and a mindset to improve their homeland not “keep it the way it is because it’s always been that way.” Hayley, Francis, and David, the youngest researchers there, gave me the inspiration to accept change as a positive feat and encouragement to give it my all in researching; things from an ice trailer being made into a feeding station in remote locations, the side of a cow's rumen being opened and fished through to understand bacteria and the effects of excess salt ingestion, or even using sheep as organic substitute for pesticides and tilling. If there is any place where animal health is priority, Montana State University is where it’s at.
The state of Montana amazes me with how many people love and except the wild way of the landscape they live in, but still have such a population that won't even bat an eye in the direction of knowledge and improvement. The Montana State Agricultural Extension lit a fire in my heart on the basic understanding that there is no education of the essential wildlife management practices in this state. Not only is there little to no education, it’s plainly unwanted. Dr. John Pfester said the most remarkable and instrumental piece of information I have heard thus far. He said, “Make decisions with education, not emotion.” We discussed the spread of brucellosis in herds of bison that can be traced back to cattle in the first place. We spoke on the fear of GMOs in agriculture plants even though the story is never fully told but the half-truth is always believed. Even the fact that fire ecology is so hated out here in the west, when it so plainly is seen as an improvement in the East and on many occasions proven to work by forced recognition when whole houses are lost. Education is the key to the health and well being of the ranchers way of life. If they lose their agriculture, they lose their cattle, and when they lose their cattle, they’ll lose their livelihood.
Cattle-ranching has been the way of life for hundreds of years to these people and to our country. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn, history whispered through the wind telling of the extreme struggles people (both native and Euro-American) went through to keep their way of life in either grazing or agriculture. Now we know they must work hand-in-hand, but to see the amazing research and innovation of the ranchers in Montana today, gives me hope for the future of America. Animal health is of the utmost importance when it comes to raising cattle. Their cattle mean the world to them. And as I mentioned before, with the cattle comes agriculture, so finding the most sustainable ways to renew the rangelands in the field are at the top of the ranchers list here in the state of Montana.
