Pearl Snaps

Stories of a cowgirl living life by her own lights


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Range rider needed for innovative grazing study in Montana

RI_Photo1Keystone Conservation, a rancher-conservation group, is working on an innovative management system for land improvement and control of big predators with electric fencing and herding livestock. This project is known as The Rodear Initiative (RI) and is based in southwestern Montana. Learn more about RI on my Beef Producer blog, Fodder for Thought, by clicking HERE.

The Rodear Initiative is currently seeking to hire a Range Technician/Rider to implement the project. The Technician will be a contract, full-time, seasonal position, beginning in early June and ending in mid October, with the potential to become permanent seasonal. An individual or couple may fill the position. The technician(s) will work independently, under the guidance of the RI Project Director and Keystone Conservation Field Director, and will take the lead role in implementing the grazing plan on a day-to-day basis, including rodearing and fencing. Stockmanship skills including low-stress livestock handling and horsemanship are essential.

For more information about the Rodear Initiative, see their Facebook page. A position description is available at http://www.keystoneconservation.us/RIrangetechposition.pdf. For further information, contact Garl Germann at garl.germann@gmail.com.


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Ranch Land Monitoring Boosts Profitability

Well-done monitoring of ranch land should lead to improved rangeland health, better animal performance and more black ink on the bottom line. In addition, as can be seen in the photos below, it provides an excellent means of documenting changes in ecological health due to management changes over time. Learn how by reading my Beef Producer blog, Fodder for Thought found HERE

Taken in September 2007 following grazing on a Montana ranch, this photo shows 750 pounds of forage per acre with 10 inches rainfall.

In September 2011 at the same transect and photo point good grazing management plus a 2008 seeding of some native warm-season grass produced 2,500 pounds of forage on 11 inches of rainfall.


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Online publication offers graziers practical information

By Jesse Bussard

There’s a lot of great information out on the web about grazing and grass-based livestock systems. However, most of this information is located in a multitude of locations and not always readily accessible or obvious to individuals seeking it. This becomes even more difficult for individuals just getting into grazing and not sure where to find reliable and accurate information.

Kathy Voth of Livestock for Landscapes recognized this issue about a year ago when she started talking to other grazing conference speakers about how hard it was for farmers and ranchers to sort through all the available research and grazing practices to figure out what might work best for them.

To solve this problem, Kathy decided to create a publication that would sift through the piles of research and grazing practices, translate them into ideas that can work, and then put together the simple steps for getting started. This new online publication is known as On Pasture and offers graziers, beginning and experienced, the practical, no-nonsense explanations on the latest in grazing research and experience that you can use on your farm or ranch.

Check out their first official issue available on their website here: http://onpasture.com/

Also be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter (@OnPasture).

Watch this YouTube video to learn what On Pasture is all about!

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