The human role on the world and the land.

[Sierraman]

Let me begin by admitting, I'm not a rancher. I'm currently a student with a desire to help ranchers.
I am asking: What is your view on the human role on the world and the land? As ranchers why do you care about the land and why do you think you can use it?
My view (you may differ, I want to know your views, but here comes mine) is that God gave us the world. We have certain priveleges and responsibilities. We use the land, and we care for it. As ranchers you use the land to grow food. Yet you care for it and keep it healthy. You're motivated by your future and probably by your family's to keep your land useful.
What applications are there? First of all, not everyone should be a rancher, that is not the best way to support our agriculture system. Concrete slabs are okay, but we do seem to be a bit wild with our use of concrete in America, and in building shiny subdivisions on the best lands.

 

[Jinglebob]

Let me begin by admitting, I'm not a rancher. I'm currently a student with a desire to help ranchers.
I am asking: What is your view on the human role on the world and the land? As ranchers why do you care about the land and why do you think you can use it?
My view (you may differ, I want to know your views, but here comes mine) is that God gave us the world. We have certain priveleges and responsibilities. We use the land, and we care for it. As ranchers you use the land to grow food. Yet you care for it and keep it healthy. You're motivated by your future and probably by your family's to keep your land useful.
What applications are there? First of all, not everyone should be a rancher, that is not the best way to support our agriculture system. Concrete slabs are okay, but we do seem to be a bit wild with our use of concrete in America, and in building shiny subdivisions on the best lands.

I live on the land that my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father built into a ranch. If I were to sell out, it would be like selling my ancestors graves.

I try to work with the land and not against it. There are no short term gains that are worth despoiling the land! Many practices that have been around for a while are now being looked at more closely, as they are turning out to not being the best, in the long run.

For example, fly control. It has been found that if cattle are moved every 5 days or so, that you will have a lower rate of flies per animal.

Truning a few cows into a pasture for a long time is harder on the good grasses than turning a large number on the same pasture for a short time. Competition amongst the cattle make them eat grasses they would not choose so all grasses and forbs are eaten at about the same rate.

I have heard of a man in Montana who will leave cows in a pasture until they have knocked down and eaten the sagebrush. He then doesn't graze the pasture again for several years. In this way, he is getting more grass and less sagebrush. I'm not sure if he has upped his stocking rate, but am sure that he doesn't run less. The feller that told me about it claimed that it seems to be working. Tho' I don't know what kind of gains he is getting.

I try to treat my land as a hay field, with cattle as the harvester. When the graze is cut off, I get the cattle off and don't come back untill it grows back. Much the same as haying fields and meadows, other than the fact that my harvesting system also fertalizes! :lol:

I would say that the human role is much the same as the creed of the doctor, "first, do no harm."

It is up to us to sustain and wisely use, that which has been set before us, so as to pass it on to the next generation, in as good of shape or better, as we recieved it.

Animals, trees, grass all need to be harvested or nature will harvest for us and most people don't appreciate the way that nature will do the harvesting! :shock:

As for your comment on not everyone being ranchers, thats why our life is difficult at times, if ranching was easy, everyone would be a rancher! :lol:

 

[Clarence]

Sierraman, you pose a question what we all should give considerable thought to. What is man's role in the nature of things? I believe God created the world and gave us the resources, and the means to provide food and shelter for his people.

In the first place let us remember that man is a part of nature. Just because we have the ability to think and reason, does not mean we are something separate. Who really owns the land is perhaps a question. Resources unused is wasteful. It seems there is a belief that we took the land in America from the Indians, I don't know if they ever had an ownership rights to the land. In their culture and their way of life, they provided a meager and difficult livelyhood for themselves. The white man saw this land as being more resourceful.

We have made some mistakes in our use of the land, but then too, that might be part of nature. It seems that in time nature heals it's own. We can spend years building things to combat natures forces, then in just one day or night, nature can destroy all of that. Maybe it all goes back to the words in Ecclesiastes, "All Things is Vanity".

We as ranchers, believe we are harvesting resources that man can not use in there present form, and converting them to something man can use. I suppose we like our way of life, and are comfortable with our role. We don't like to see it change. It seems to me, that if you can look far enough back, you will see that in most cases those of us who have been in the cattle business have left the land in better condition than it was before. In my particular area, when you look back as far to the writings of the first settlers here, it is obious that we have more wildlife now than was here then. Of course wildlife is only one thing we can use for an example, but I think there are more.

 

[BRG]

I like to think that Donnell Brown's theory is what we are all trying to achieve "We are striving to improve the efficiency of converting God's forage into healthy, nutritious, great tasting BEEF to better feed His people".

With saying that. This world is perfect the God made it. All we can do is try to keep it that way.

 

[Sierraman]

As for your comment on not everyone being ranchers, thats why our life is difficult at times, if ranching was easy, everyone would be a rancher! :lol:[/quote]

I am 18 and will be going to college in the fall to study Animal Science (Production/Management). What can someone like me do to help you (anyone can answer), in anyway? Do you find that Agricultural agents of the county help, hinder, what? I don't know what I want to do to help, but I just do.

 

[Jinglebob]

I think getting the rest of the non-ranching public, the truth about how we take care of our land and try to improve it, would do the most good.

There seems to be a movement by the eco-terrorist to get ranchers and farmers and loggers off from the land. I think they want it all for themselves. They use any means that they can and purport to be what they are not, namely enviromentilists. Real enviromentilist live with and on the land and have a much better intellegince level about what really is going on day to day and how to help perpetuate the land and animals who live with it.

Ag agents do as they must to get the pay from their job. If it works in favor of the landholder it's good, if not it's bad.

Good luck in your studies and don't believe everything they try to teach you until you've checked out all sides to an issue or story! :lol:

 

[TXTibbs]

The only thing I can say to you Sierraman is to seriously consider a different major in college! I myself double majored in Animal Science and Range Science getting a B.S. Degree in both. If i could go back now there is no way in hell I'd get those same degrees. The jobs and money involved with the career opportunities for Animal Science majors are not out there. I'm 25 now and so it wasn't very long ago I made my mistake of choosing the wrong major! You'd be better off going into Business or something. Most Animal Science majors end up going into banking, ranching, sales (pharmaceutical, etc..), or federal agencies. Anyway, just that while I was in the job search I told myself if anyone ever asked I would discourage them from choosing Animal Science. Now days its not where the money is at or the opportunities!!! And you have to look out for Numero Uno!!!!!!!

 

[Sierraman]

Well, I know what you mean about career options being low with an animal science major. What about a veterinary option or agribusiness? People have to be so young and stupid when they make the most important decisions in their life. It's sad isn't it? Before I'm 25, I'll need to choose a college, major, wife, and locale. Those things will effect the rest of my life. The only other decision people make that effect them so greatly is made at birth, and that's yer gender. >flustered< . Anyways, thanks for your advice Tx.

 

[Mike]

Well, I know what you mean about career options being low with an animal science major. What about a veterinary option or agribusiness? People have to be so young and stupid when they make the most important decisions in their life. It's sad isn't it? Before I'm 25, I'll need to choose a college, major, wife, and locale. Those things will effect the rest of my life. The only other decision people make that effect them so greatly is made at birth, and that's yer gender. >flustered< . Anyways, thanks for your advice Tx.

Sierraman, The vet option might be a good call. Was talking to the Prof. at Auburn Univ. vet school the other day that interviews all potential vet students. He said there are very few males going in the large animal veterinary business. First of all he said the males that have the grades are going into engineering because the school exit pay is about double. Second, most girls are going into to horse or small animal practices.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

As for your comment on not everyone being ranchers, thats why our life is difficult at times, if ranching was easy, everyone would be a rancher! :lol:

I am 18 and will be going to college in the fall to study Animal Science (Production/Management). What can someone like me do to help you (anyone can answer), in anyway? Do you find that Agricultural agents of the county help, hinder, what? I don't know what I want to do to help, but I just do. [/quote]Sierraman - you asked what you can do to help.There are so many answers to that question it would take Libraries Full of books to catalog them. You seem to have a great beginning in finding your own answer: Your ATTITUDE. It appears to me that your attitude is more mature than most of the 18 year old people I have counselled - and it has been a few! I have Great- grand-children, and when one has experienced all the - - - - -stuff and things - - - in a life time of - -staggering experiences - one has to learn a few things. Keep an open mind and don't let HUBRIS people negatively influence your goals. Establish GOALS in all of your endeavors and modify them as circumstances dictate as you learn and become wise (not just 'smart'). Don't try to "change the whole rotten World" in one semester. You will very probably get very discouraged in your second semester Sophomore year. But have Faith, Confidence and Belief that you really can make a difference if you keep your head, don't let ANYONE - friend, TEACHER, or con artist dissuade or intimidate you from accomplishing your goals and objectives. The best way you can help ALL of us right now is to LEARN - LEARN - LEARN. And one more thing: Make an enlarged copy of this POST and put it on the wall of your room and read it at least once every week - especially in your second semester of your Sophomore year!! God Bless You. Four years from now you will KNOW what you can do to help! DOC HARRIS