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Show Interesting For Livestock Men Speech Delivered Bsfore Utah Cattle & Horse Growers Ass'n at Salt Lake City, April 7th By R. H. Rutledge, Regional Forester Forest Service, Ogdtn, Utah The livestock industry of Utah is one of the most important. The extent to which farming can be carried on in the State is limited. Of 52,0 00,000 acres, total State area, less than 2,000,000 acres are now under cultivation, and with the very best of planning for the conservation of the water resources, resour-ces, it is estimated that not to exceed 3,000,000 acres can ever be put under cultivation, and it will be many years before 2,000,00 acres are exceeded. This situation definitely limits the amount of farm pasturage which can be produced, pro-duced, and also limits the amount of forage which can be raised for winter feeding. The livestock industry in-dustry is, therefore, dependent upon up-on the use and the condition of the natural range. There are in the State about 400,000 head ol range cattle and nearly 3,000,000 head of sheep. These livestock normally produce a gross return of twenty to twenty-five million dollars. It is evident, therefore, that the welfare of the stock industry in-dustry which uses the bulk of the land of the State is of great importance. im-portance. The range lands of Utah are divided broadly Into three classes as governed by elevation and climate. cli-mate. To-wit, the high mountains and plateaus; the lower mountain foothills, and adjacent valley lands; and the deserts or flats and rolling country. For convenience conven-ience in this discussion these three classes will be called mountains, foothills and deserts. Broad Description of Classes Mountains This class of range land has a general elevation of from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. It has ' heavy snowfall ranging from three to eight feet; a short grazing season, roughly from June 1 to October 15, or less than four months. It is well watered, wa-tered, has a generally good supply of summer rain and largely good soil. Three-fourths of this class is timbered with open parks, meadows mead-ows and hillsides. It has a cool summer climate, and is naturally an ideal summer range for both cattle and sheep. It produces the most nutritious kinds of grasses and weeds and various sorts of browse. This desirable combination combina-tion of forage, water and physical physi-cal conditions permits the production produc-tion of the very highest grades ol beef, of wool and of lamb. Foothills This class of range land occupies occu-pies the area between the rim ol the mountain ranges or plateaus and the adjacent valley's on ont side, and the desert edge on th other. Often foothill ranges are the steepest and roughest of the range lands and are most cut by canyons and washes. The elevations eleva-tions are from four to seven thousand thou-sand feet. Snowfall is moderate from two to three feet. Summer rains are scant. This range has fair soil and is fairly well watered In its natural state, grass, weeds and scrub oak, and other browses arc plentiful. The annual plants grow less prolifically than on the mountains, and as a rule dry up early in the summer. The grazing season is roughly from April 15 to July 1, and October 1 to December Decem-ber 1. This is a very necessary-range necessary-range in the spring during the period from the feed lot or desert des-ert to the mountains. It also bridges the gap in range from the time cold weather forces stock ofl the mountains to the feed lot or to the winter range. Desert This range comprises the vast valley floors and low dry ranges of detached hills. It has an elevation ele-vation of from four to seven thousand feet. It is very poorly watered. Summer rains are very scant or entirely absent. Snowfall is from nothing to 1- feet. Water, Wa-ter, rain and snow are very poorly poor-ly distributed and uncertain. Soil is generally poor. Range plants consist -of some grasses; with short browse of the salt bush and sage species. The land is valuable for range use when winter win-ter storms furnish water and so soften fie harsh vegetation that the stock can utilize it readily. Present Condition Mountains This class of range is mostly within the National Forests, and has been under administration for nearly thirty years. Extremely heavy unregulated use prior to the creation of the forests had depreciated this range severely. The best forage plants were beginning be-ginning to disappear, non-forage plants were coming in; the top or humas soil was being lost, and conditions were in general bad. When these lands were placed plac-ed under administration, the new science of range management was developed. Research was instituted institut-ed to determine the natural laws affecting the development ot plants when under grazing use. The effect of different seasons of grazing . and different kinds of grazing was determined, and best methods of grazing for the production pro-duction of livestock and the protection pro-tection and improvement of the range were worked out. These laws and results were applied through the cooperation of th. stockmen and by officers trained in range management. The remu . has been a very great improve-; ment in the condition of tms. class of ranse. All su-h .im.s "'i improving in carrying capacity,, and many of them are back to, normal production. Foothills This class of land is almost entirely en-tirely outside the National Forests and has, therefore, had no public control. Some of this land is privately pri-vately owned. In but few instances, in-stances, however, is enough owned to provide the necessary amount of seasonal grazing. The area of this class of range is less than that needed and in demand. The ;now disappears from this range early in spring, and when the desert des-ert waters fail or when feed on the farms gives out there is a strong tendency to turn stock on this foothill range before the plants are properly developed. Without control, it is the range to which the transient owner cr those with no other place to graze their stock naturally turn. Consequently, Conse-quently, much of this range is us:d for summer grazing which should be saved for spring-fall. As a result of such use and abuse- too early use, summer use. and too heavy use this range has been seriously depleted. The top soil or humas has in many cases been largely washed off. Many gullies have been cut, and in thousands of places one can set-the set-the gravel deposits that are befng brought down from these lands and left near or upon the farms and roads. These lands have deteriorated de-teriorated as much as 60 per cent, or in other words they are not now producing more than 40 per cent of what they are capable of producing. Desert This range has no control of any sort. The forage . on this class of range is naturally rather scant and its value is almost altogether for winter use. Any uae of this range is dependent upon widely scatered water holes and upon winter storms, especially snow. This use has been so governed by the presence of water that heavy grazing has occurred in the vicinity vi-cinity of water. Also there have been attempts to summer grazing by transients. This unnatural seasonal use has depleted large areas. A gradual decline of the range has resulted. The finer and foliage has been removed, and livestock gradually forced to exist upon the more fibrous, woody substances. sub-stances. Winter losses from malnutrition have gradually increased. The productive capacity of this range is probably not more than 50 to 65 per cent of that of its natural state. Present Methods and Difficulties Diffi-culties of Handling Livestock From the above description of the three classes of range, it is evident that 'seasonal use is a necessity. There are very few lands upon which a stockman can carry on yearlong operations. Most stock operations are migratory migra-tory in character. Nearly all stock must move from 20 to 200 miles during a year to secure proper summer, spring-fall, and winter range or feed lot handling. In their migrations the stock often cross State lines. The stockman must have all three classes ol ; land available for his use. Much : of the land over which he must . run in his migrations is of very . low carrying capacity. He must l shift at times long distances from his regular route of travel. In carrying car-rying on operations over such a . large territory and adversity of conditions it appears evident that ' it is impossible for many stock- i men- to own the necessary ranges. The operator is now secure as to , his range on the forest. He has his summer feed and knows when he arrives there that it will not haVe been taken by someone else. He is not secure, however, on his other seasonal ranges. He may find his spring-fall range eaten out or occupied by transients, or even by permanent stockmen. The variation or lack of water or of snow on the desert may make great shifts of winter location or of plans necessary. His neighbors are all affected the same way. Under present conditions the results re-sults are confusion and uncertainty, uncer-tainty, i These practices on th open ranges are not now susceptible to ( orrective measures because of lai'k of any po ;sie;)Uy for controlling control-ling t'.ie movenient of distribution ot the stock. Kcpard'ess of how much the individual may desire to protect and use wisely the range resources, any effort that ne might make to this end is offset by the needs or desire of another. The livestock man, most of all, recognizes the need for some plan whereby it would be possible to correlate' the use of the various seasonal ranges, and thereby eliminate eli-minate much of the hazard and uncertainty that now exists as he moves from his summer to the winter range. The individual with his summer range onprivate land or within a National Forest is in a position properly to regulate the use thereon In order to safeguard safe-guard range interests. When he leaves these lands in the fall he must go to the open spring-fall and winter ranges where he must take a chance on his ability to get his share of what forage Is found thereon in competition with others attempting to do the same thing. More or less chaos exists and it is simply a survival of the fittest and there is no time to give consideration to the needs or welfare of the range. When weath er conditions are favorable on th. winter range, the situation is somewhat relieved, as it creates an opportunity for wider distribution distribu-tion over a large area. Even here during periods of lack of snow congestion in the vicinity of water is inevitable. The isolated settler and small towns and communities in the outlying regions present a special and an acute problem. These settlements set-tlements usually are located at the foot of the mountains in the foothill range or. near the junction of that range with desert. Hay production is not now, nor can it be made very heavy. These settlements were built up on the basis of the use of the three seasonal sea-sonal ranges herein discussed. They still have their summer (National Forest) range, but in many instances they have lost their spring-fall or winter range in whole or in part through their occupancy by other and stronger outfits who have been forced, through the exigencies of their own conditions, to invade the settlers' set-tlers' range. The range necessities of these settlers cannot be met by owning or controlling a limited area right around them. The variationc in snowfall and otherwater supplies sup-plies make it necessary that their range use be elastic so that they may be able to shift long distances dis-tances for winter forage. Where the settler has lost one or more of his seasonal range . units by lack of any kind of legal control, his situation is indeed desperate. He is facing certain and not far extinguishment if some solution is not reached. Solution The solution of this situation is one involving land use, a subject which is attracting the attention of economists throughout the Nation. Na-tion. There should be kept clearly in mind the fact that the use ol the three classes of range discussed discus-sed are all one operation; that any plan set up must fit theuses of these ranges into each other to form an integral whole. There must be worked out of it some regularity and system. A stockman must know where he is going for any season of the year, in order that he may construct necessary improvements, develop water, look ahead for supplemental feeds, if necessary, and have places !n which to store such feeds. It must be recognized that the solution ot this matter is a long-time job, and that definite policy should be established under such supervision as insures continuity in progress toward the desired end. In working this matter out, present land owners might find it desirable to exchange lands with the Government or possibly to reconvey in some instances. The three classes : of land are not balanced at the present time There are roughly 10,000,000 acres ac-res of mountain or summer range 9,000,000 acres of spring-fall range and 24,000,000 acres of winter range. The spring-fall range is the stem of the hour glass through which all stock operations opera-tions must pass from summer to winter or vice versa. This stem must be enlarged. To balance, it i?nUnnnnbr,e tacreased to at least 12,000,000 acres. This is entirely some winter range and some feasible since unseasonal use of spring-fall range for summer range ran-ge can be worked out. Lines between be-tween the classes of range are not clearly defined. A realization of a need for balancing the areas will point a way to this solution. In considering the administration for these combined ranges, it is evi-dent evi-dent that upon the National For- o'therif1"6 there are ma"y other than grazing, the intensity of administration now in effect is-probably is-probably justified. As we move on to the foothill and desert ranges n!Kare ?Wer conflicting uses! and the administration need not be nearly so intensive. Such administration ad-ministration should provide for the greatest possible elasticity in the location of use by the permittee, per-mittee, recognizing that the presence pres-ence or absence of stock water or feed may make it necessary to shift long distances for grazing The ranges other than the Na- t thFrSt are ln such cation ca-tion that a good many years and nlnlTT WT fr Wncn? and plans to be worked out During this hdjustmcnt period whether it be five or ten years' a stockman could not be expected to pay any fee for the use of h' lange, since there would be no results justifying such chargt. il After adjustments are worked out jjs s the fee should be very low, com- parable to the cost of adminls. fji & tration. It should be kept in mind $ js that if other fees are paid addi. tiounal taxes or lease charges to ft! the State, there is but one soura jj: from which they can come, and jgjss that is from the stockmen occupy. U1 ing these ranges. The main ob- isc ject should be the building up ot p& t the sustaining of a permanent p. stock industry instead of. such jffi action as might indicate tht S greatest immediate benefits to bt r;!ii derived, irrespecive of ultimate welfare. jta Summarizing A system of regulation should !'sj include : F'Z (1 The working out of the GF- present chaotic condition in 'tte lij1 use of range and installing I '? scheme that will eliminate waste- iac: ful traveling and wandering about of flocks and herds. aM' (2) Obtain proper correlatior. between the three classes c' T-range. T-range. (3) Enough elasticity to meet vji changeable feed and water condl- tions. i (4) Protection of local settlen gj-y ; and communities without lncon- t j 1 venience to legitimate migrator; intprpKts . - '5) The development of water j-j-v- and other range improvements. B'j;". (6) Administration resigned to j,c'i-protect j,c'i-protect and perpetuate the range resource on a long-time basis to the end that will permanently jj-j maintain a stable and profitable '-l.. livestock, industry. .",' Finally, I should like to call to , , your attention the fact that the El' "National Conference on Land Uilization" held in Chicago last IaI November gave careful consider tion to this problem and passed almost unanimously as the first d y, c. seventeen recommendations, the u,1 f" following: -l "Recommendation No. 1 Ad- ministration of Public Domain. k It is recommended that in order E to obtain conservation and rehi- jJ bilitation of the grazing ranges ot the public domain these lands to Jr" be organized into public ranges to 5s . be administered by a Federal ag- : ency in a manner similiar to and rp in coordination with the Nations! Forests. Such public ranges should include lands withdrawn for rnin- jrj erals or for other purposes when the use of such lands for grazing j ! is not inconsistent with the pur- If poses of withdrawal." p ' IClJt |