Show 41 o gt 41 Zbe 5nit gnkr Tribunt— Sunday Morning 5 rmoun 3 1 e 3 c" January 3 1913 a F' L ‘11b0 t r ' - VI Only Cie western stockman who has had to rely on the Hi whims of the weather to provide water for his his range stock can appreciate the 4rue significance of a stock-wate- r reservoir such as this one 'constructs !4: - cattle can be accommodated at this Important Utah range outpost known as the Poverty Flat development Here are water facilities corrals and loading chutes where stock can be held until A thousand The - horizon-sweepin- g public grazing ctstricts found in the Inland western livestock empire are being put to highly important new war uses in addition to the valuable service of producing range livestock for warneeds reports Director of Grazing R IL Rutledge of Salt Lake City "These grazing districts have literally gone to war" he said "They are gaining new uses in this war for they now are being adapted to practice aerial gunnery and bombing ranges Strategic miners and metals also are being dug from them" Prom the millions of acres of public range lands administered by the United States grazing service in the western United States the nation already gets a large portion of the meat wool leather and products of the livestock industry so essential to production and military - - services Range Revitalization Eight years of range regulation and improvement since the passage of the Taylor act and better growing grazing seasons have achieved a revitalization of the range which means increased production of livestock when the need is greatest and re- - newed confidence of stockmen A true test of range administration is a direct comparison on the one hand of production of meat and fiber and on the other of livestock death losses with and without range administration Reports received this year from 1 per cent of the grazing district operators in the 10 western states indctate relative current production trends of livestock which graze a substantial portion of the year in grazing districts These 200 stockmen report a decrease of 33 per cent in losses of cattle and sheep on the range from all causes—a decided decrease from previous years The elimination of any part of the losa' leaves more animals for production The same better range situation encouraged good husbandry on the raege and led to measurable increases bf production These reports indicate that the percentage of calves from cattle herds has increased 15 ner cent and the percentage of lambs from range sheep has increased over 9 per cent The same d va n t a gpo Is conditions have increased the clip of wool from grazing district sheep by one pound per head in the past few years according to these re- ports Over 1800000 cattle and 8 874000 sheep were licensed to use grazing district ranges in 1942 Any increase due to more calves and lambs adds to the number of enimals which go to market in the months that follow all grazing districts permit 4 trucked to the railhead or driven over a fenced driveway to the shipping point The development was built by the grazing service with money supplied by the 50 per cent grazing fee fund developments on unwatered areas stock trails which open new grazing areas to use and reduced extensive trailing truck trails that provide more rapid transportation of stock from range to market fences and other Improvements constructed by the grazing service for better control of range and stock' and protection from predatory animals rodents fire and other destructive Influences As one Idaho stockman puts It: "The range Is gradually Improving and weiehts are increasing a few pounds each year—we would not want to go back to the old way of operating? Lands Reseeded For more grass in this and futuLe year s approximately 200000 acres of land in grazing districts were reseeded during 1942 and additional areas have been designated for reseeding as the proper seasons roll around Favorable growing years and conservative practices have lately permitted the natural vege- tstion to improve and the necespity for reseeding in some local- ities has been diminished Live-- 1 stock operators who hsve seen results of nstural and artificiall reseeding of grazing district areas have voluntarily reseeded uncounted press of range land Nearly 5 0 0 0 0 0 acres of ranges within grazing districts have been treated for rodent control Since the advent of war areas of undeveloped range which will respond most rapidly to development have been given prior con- sideration timber-destro- y ' Ing range fires are a formidable menace as the conservation of' range leaves more vegetation on fairly constant numbers of ant- mals year after year Weights of animals of marketable ages reported by the 200 operators also reflect improved conditions The increase in weights of calves and steers Is approximately 10 per cent and the increase in weight of marketable lambs is 8 per cent This cumulative improvement makes a very considerable addition to the meat supply Increased Output Grazing district ranges are now producing well above the 10 per cent additional national quota of meat production and are taking a lead in the largest production of meat ever recorded for the nation Rationing of meat is necessery not because of a shortage of meat but because these products are being sent to men In the armed forces and to our allies and Mr Average Citizen Is consuming more meat than in previous years Stockmen attribute these gains directly to more feed on the range brought about by better range - management prac- tices and Improved range conditions additional stock water Forage- - and I c Tiesiern Range Lands :lay 'Essential Ro e As Nation's Wartime Steck Needs Rise ' ed on arid ranges Like many another peacetime development on the ranges this one is serving a use in war by making possible maximum ultilization of the surrounding range forage grazing areas Fire presents a problem of paramount Importance to range men and special action and vigilance marked the year 1942 Ranchers and townspeople of the range country worked under specially trained leaders recruited among their own number and with grazing service men who devoted their time to fire prevention and suppression A thoroughly 'vigilant and patriotic group they worked with the office of civilian defense in fire control Fire lookouts were posted at strategic points In critical fire- -' hazard areas in grazing districts and patrolmen were stationed in areas where heavy highway and railroad traffic presented serious fire risks Although there were more fires reported in 1942 and favorable seasons Increased the hazard the average acreage burned per fire was 50 per cent less and the total area burned was some 200000 acres less than zw I $$ av 1 1 24 44 fire-fighti- - t' The wool clip from sheep like these was one pound heavier per head last year than in former years—in terms of the number of sheep licensed on grazing dis Vexkw trict ranges this means an additional 900010:0 pounds of wool for khaki uniforms and blankets In 1941 By reason of the great extent and sparse population of the 10 western range states which comprise about 33 per cent of the entire area of the United States but only 7 per cent of its population the need for protection against sabotage and - unpatriotic acts was early recognized Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor grazing district advisory boards the national advisory board council and other ranchers organ ized voluntarily to help protect forage and timber resources and to promote citizen participation In a war program throughout the range country Proper authorities have been advised of the location of men and facilities such as saddle and pack tractors and horses cars planes for protective and rescue services when planes are flOrced down in the rough and uninhabited range country Army Needs Mg Area The rapid expansion of milicalls for wide areas tary forces in which to train pilots bombardiers aerial and ground gunnery crews chemical warfare and eavalry troops and naval gunners Public lands are suitable to the establishment of such training areas which require extensive facilities and military installations Nearly 13 million acres in grazing districts have been designated for mili9000- tary uses inapproximately 000 acres the year 1942 These land needs of the war and navy denertments have been supplied with the least possible disturbance of the livestock industry Alternate periods of the year for grazing ' and military use have been devised in many (Continued on Page 64) 74 v A :ZtIts t el Ai f5GAWA4b14'6'4: With the restoration of an old trail the range on fop of this mesa is made availabre to livestock and thousands ok of acres of good forage is made economically and seasonally usable by the development1 - 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