Blog
Notes from the range
Field notes: the gather that came up six head shortA fall gather comes up six head light. The cause turns out to be a wire that's been down since June, not a rustler or a coyote.
How to read a forage utilization map before moving cattleA plain-language guide to reading a forage utilization map: what the color bands mean, residual stubble, and when the numbers say move cattle.
Reconciling a brand inspection tally against your own herd count
How to work through a mismatch between a brand inspection tally and your own herd count, pasture by pasture.
What is a grazing lease head cap, and how does anyone actually check it?
A plain explanation of grazing lease head caps, AUMs, and how BLM and private lessors enforce stocking limits in practice.
- Drone count vs satellite count for cattle on big pastures
How drone counts and satellite counts stack up for tallying cattle across pastures too big to cover on foot, and when each one works.
Cattle vs. deer in satellite imagery: reading mixed-use range rightHow to tell cattle from deer, elk, and pronghorn in VHR satellite imagery on mixed-use range, so your head count isn't counting someone else's wildlife.
- Early signs of overgrazing before the bare ground shows
Bare ground means the damage is already done. Here's what to watch for on a pasture walk weeks before that, and what it costs you if you miss it.
How many cows per acre does rangeland actually support?The real answer to cattle per acre isn't one number. Here's how animal units per section work on open range, and why it shifts year to year.
- How to calculate carrying capacity for a cattle pasture
A rancher's walkthrough of the carrying capacity formula: AUMs, animal unit conversion, and forage per acre, with where the math drifts on open range.
- What is an animal unit month (AUM)? A plain explanation for lease math
AUM definition, animal unit equivalents, and how to run the grazing lease math ranch managers use to set stocking rate on open range.