Cattle cause two centuries of dust to pollute our air?

[Liberty Belle]

this study was just about the SW deserts - not everywhere else in the west & if you read closely, it's really about the early part of the 20th century and show that dust is lower now than in the past 100 yrs

Note that he is talking about the present day American West. Read Neff's lead sentence over again:

The American West is 600 percent dustier than it was two centuries ago.

And his conclusion:

The conclusion: The increased dustiness coincides with intensive land use, primarily grazing.

Neff said the 40 million head of livestock at the turn of the century caused "a massive and systematic degradation of the ecosystems."

Notice he doesn't give any examples of those degraded ecosystems. And how many cattle, sheep, horses and wildlife do we have now?

In the arid West, four acres of land can sustain one cow and calf pair

Really? How is that possible when here in the not-as-arid north it takes forty acres to run one cow-calf pair? I can see Neff has done some really in-depth research…. :???:

Neff said, "We still probably have four times the amount of dust now" as before settlement of the West.

That sure sounds to me like he's talking about here and now.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I liked this letter a cattleman sent Dean about his posting of the nutty grazing research. Read it through and then notice that Dean's answer to it is full of his usual spelling errors and disdain of ranchers.

If the author of this is one of us on ranchers.net I commend your effort!

Didn't Like Story about dust from Grazing

As an avid hunter and fisherman as well as a 5th generation rancher, I am highly offended by the garbage you saw fit to put on your website talking about dust pollution from cattle.

I would think that as a person who makes his living off of wildlife, you might have more respect for the people who are responsible for more habitat for wild things than any other vocation. I would think that you would have the common sense to know lies and propaganda when you see it and would refuse to further the cause of nutjobs by putting it up on your site.

Is your site truly a site for outdoorsmen or a poorly disguised liberal site that follows the far left agenda? The same far left who would gladly end all hunting, shooting, logging, mining and grazing? The same far left who doesn't think the 2nd amendment is valid for you or any of us?

When this garbage gets spread around enough it causes harm to honest, hard working families that happen to be ranchers, who happen to love the land and it's beauty and it's wildlife more than any do good liberal who professes to know what is best! When folks like you further that harm, all the while earning your living in a very like manner as ranchers, you come across as a hypocrite. Hard words to hear but true to me none the less.

I am a proud rancher who treasures private and public grazing lands. I have installed water troughs, developed springs, and improved countless acres of land for cattle and at the same time watched deer, elk, chuckars, turkeys, and nongame wildlife use those same projects. I have called stop poaching hotlines to report "sportsmen" like yourself spotlighting and poaching. I am sure you would not appreciate me lumping you in with poachers as I don't like your article calling ALL ranchers polluters.

I hope you will put more thought into what you put YOUR name on in the future. I hope you will join all of us that love and respect public land and fight for the privilege of using it. If I have offended you, I am sorry. I sure hope I got your attention though and hope to see a reply posted on your site soon. May you have a great year hunting and god bless.

Darrell Holden
Vernon, Utah

Darrell:

YOu haven't offended me. I am offering both sides of the story, in posting your email,

I must say though, in my travels west, I am often appalled at the condition of the public lands.

Also, while you suggest I am roasting all ranchers, I'm not. First, I didn't write the story that appeared in a Science magazing, second, you yourself suggest that you have reported sportsmen (like myself) for disobeying laws, etc.

I am reminded by your note that when you throw a stone into a pack of dogs, you can tell which ones were hit by the yelps.

And, I suggest that as a 5th generation rancher, you inherited, and didn't start from scratch in your operation. How many acres of "private" land do you graze as opposed to public lands?

Tony

http://www.tonydean.com/issues2.html?sectionid=9617

 

[leanin' H]

I was the rancher who posted the letter to Mr. Dean. I am amazed how clueless some folks can be. He says he is appalled at the shape most public land is in! Maybe right next to the freeway! Try getting into actual grazing areas Tony! He drove through Utah and saw the salt flats and decided we overgrazed them! Having a debate with people like him is a lot like wrestling a pig, both of ya get muddy but the pig loves it. If Mr. Dean ever asks for permission to hunt on your, land tell him to take a flying leap. And keep "YELPING" EVERY TIME some joker spouts off untrue, ill-logical, unrational BULL-LONEY!!!!! I would be offended by his comments if I cared what he thought but i don't. Good luck ya'll and keep your chin up. We are the lucky ones and these liberal jokers can hoot and holler but at the end of the day they will be eating OUR beef!

 

[Anonymous]

Good job leanin' H :clap:

 

[Faster horses]

Ditto to what OT said. Well-written, I might add.
Thanks for sticking up for YOU and US.

 

[Doug Thorson]

It is so nice to live in SD where that lunatic who has lost his mind is the mouthpiece for sportsman :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Thanks Leaning H. You wrote a good piece and at least got him to post it. Now if we could just get someone to give him a brain.

 

[jodywy]

Still wants to know how you can tell 200 year old dust from 100 year old dust and todays dust??????

 

[kolanuraven]

Still wants to know how you can tell 200 year old dust from 100 year old dust and todays dust??????

I'd say that would be the easy part.

You have different contaminants that will show up at different times.

You can even verify where that dust might have come from.

You'd be surprised just how many metric TONS of dust actually make it across the Atlantic from the Sahrara every year & land in your yard!!!

 

[SJ]

Tony Dean's quote--And, I suggest that as a 5th generation rancher, you inherited, and didn't start from scratch in your operation. How many acres of "private" land do you graze as opposed to public lands?

What happened to Tony's inheritance, he has stated he is a farmers son?

 

[SJ]

Ditto to what OT said.