Opinion: Virtual cattle fencing offers a multiple-benefit solution for ranchers and helps migrating wildlife

Ranchers can easily move herd grazing lands with an app. 
(NoFence photo)

Western ranches in the United States include thousands of miles of barbed wire fencing, which has both positive and negative effects. GPS fencing could help ranchers strike a healthier balance while cutting business costs, writes Bruce M. Beehler in his opinion for The Washington Post.

Rangeland fencing is "an important tool for managing herds, rotating grazing areas, protecting environmentally sensitive wetlands and stream corridors, and keeping cows off highways," Beehler points out. "But it’s also harmful to wildlife populations, including deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and elk, as well as game birds such as the greater sage-grouse."

The idea behind GPS-based virtual fences is similar to "Invisible Fence," which uses buried wire to keep dogs in their yards. Similarly, virtual cattle fencing "uses GPS, cellular technology and a mapping app that allows ranchers to draw cow-proof fence lines on their computer or tablet," Beehler explains.

While the new system requires an initial investment in collars and cell service to install, Beehler believes it offers ranchers enough benefits to justify the initial price tag. For one, they won't have to repair nearly as much fencing, which is time-consuming and expensive for farmers and tax payers. 

For wildlife, removing barbed wire fencing from migration corridors will prevent animal suffering and death. Beehler adds, "One study in Montana found that, on average, one wild ungulate got tangled in fencing every 2.5 miles of fencing per year."

While the system is designed to keep herds within designated grazing lands, it offers a huge secondary benefit. Beehler writes, "With a glimpse at the mapping app, ranchers can see the exact location of every one of their cows in real time."

Virtual fencing collars could be replaced with ear tags.
(Photo by Chad Boyd via USDA)

Virtual fencing won't replace all physical fencing, "especially along highways and to keep bulls from wandering into a neighboring herd," Beehler explains. 

But for every mile of barbed wire that virtual fencing replaces "costs will decline. . . and as a result the annual cost of maintaining a herd will fall, increasing profit margins," Beehler adds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers more insight on virtual fencing benefits for farmers, the environment and wildlife here. 

Quick hits: Using a pay phone; hated Halloween candy; oral health is part of overall health; dude ranches for all

Finding and using a pay phone is a modern curiosity.
(Photo by Darin Epperly, Flatwater Free Press)

Smartphones may be the way of today, but pay phones still exist, and a call can cost a mere quarter. "Lane Handke called his wife to tell her he was bringing home the shelves they needed to finish their cabinet. The call cost him 25 cents," reports of Kevin Warneke of Flatwater Free Press. "Then, he phoned a friend just to say hello. . . . Handke made his calls from a pay telephone standing outside the Pierce Telephone Co. building. He felt drawn to this pay phone by curiosity. Pulled toward it by nostalgia." He told Warneke, “I hadn’t used a pay phone in decades. People were looking and wondering what I was doing. I thought it was kind of cool.”

While wind, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels are all part of the U.S. energy grid, geothermal power may be the next source to enter the mix. "The promise of new engineering techniques for geothermal energy – heat from the Earth itself – has attracted rising levels of investment to this reliable, low-emission power source that can provide continuous electricity almost anywhere on the planet," writes geophysicist Moones Alamooti for The Conversation. "That includes ways to harness geothermal energy from idle or abandoned oil and gas wells. . . . In the first quarter of 2025, North American geothermal installations attracted $1.7 billion in public funding – compared with $2 billion for all of 2024."

Do you know which Halloween candies are the most
disliked? (Adobe Stock photo)

As Halloween gets closer, adults and kids out shopping are met with store shelves packed with chewy eyeballs, glow-in-the-dark worms, bat-shaped candy bars, corn that's not real corn, and festive fall packaging. But some people find the  sweet, sticky world of Oct. 31 candy disgusting -- so much so, there's a list of the 10 most despised Halloween candies. Guesses go here.

Oral health and overall health are closely linked, and some "practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed," reports Lola Butcher for Knowable magazine. "Dentistry and medicine have operated as parallel fields: Dentists take care of the mouth, physicians the rest of the body. That is starting to change. . . . Dental hygienists have started working in medical clinics; physicians and dentists have started a professional association to promote working together; and a new kind of clinic — with dentists and doctors under one roof — is emerging. . . . The list of connections between oral health and systemic health — conditions that affect the entire body — is remarkable."

Triangle X Ranch, inside Grand Teton National Park, has been in the Turner family for nearly a century. 
(Triangle X Ranch photo via The New York Times)

Saddle up or relax at one of these six dude ranches. "All-inclusive guest ranches let you connect with nature, as well as your inner cowpoke, on the trail, around the campfire and under the starry skies," reports Ruffin Prevost for The New York Times. Whether honing horse skills, seeking majestic views, or simply wanting to leave technology and stress behind by heading out to the American West, Prevost's list offers suggestions and resources for a rural getaway.

Here a seed, there a seed, everywhere a company selling or consolidating to sell seeds. "Keeping track of [seed] brands — especially corn and soybeans — can be daunting," reports of Chris Torres of Farm Progress. "Knowing who owns what can provide crucial insights into what companies are behind the brands you buy, how they source and develop genetics, and what sorts of technology may be available to you." A compact seed chart and a listing of university variety seed trials are found here.

Each piano was tuned slightly differently to produce 11,000 Strings.
(Photo by Stephanie Berg via the Smithsonian)

When 100 pianos at the Hailun piano factory in China were all played together to test their performance before being shipped out, conductor Peter Paul Kainrath was there to experience the "massive sound," reports Ella Feldman for Smithsonian magazine. "The cacophonic scene left Kainrath so inspired that he called Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas to discuss its potential. . . .The next morning, Haas told Kainrath that if he brought him 50 pianos, he would compose a piece. The resulting composition is Haas’ 11,000 Strings."

Analysis: Rural Coloradans feel ignored and 'looked down on.' A policy expert looks at how and why.

Colorado ranchers asked the state’s wildlife commission to delay wolf releases in 2024. 
Their petition was denied. (Photo by Hyoung Chang, Getty Images via The Conversation CC)

In a tale as old as the American West, farming and ranching Coloradans resent being ignored and dismissed as "dumb" by city folk. "Many rural Coloradans, especially in agricultural communities, feel looked down on by their urban counterparts," writes policy scholar Kayla Gabehart for The Conversation. "One cattle rancher I spoke to put it plainly: 'It’s an attitude. . .We are the idiots. . .We are the dumb farmers . . . We don’t really matter.'"

To help understand attitudes and cultural differences between rural and urban Coloradans, she began by looking at each group's response to certain policies. Gabehart explains, "A designated day to forgo eating meat. . . and the ongoing wolf reintroduction. . . .These policies, while specific to Colorado, are symptoms of something larger. Namely, an ever-urbanizing, globalized world that rural, agricultural citizens feel is leaving them behind."

The "MeatOut Day" was declared by Colorado's governor as a way to draw attention to the health and environmental impacts of farming food animals by abstaining from a day of eating meat. The day received minimal attention from more urban Coloradans, but those from rural areas were incensed. Gabehart writes, "Neighbors in Elbert County promptly responded with outrage, flying banners and flags declaring their support for agriculture and a carnivorous diet. . . . There are nearly 36,000 cattle in Elbert County. This is relatively typical of a rural Colorado county."

Wolves were hunted into extinction in Colorado during the 1940s. And yet, in 2020, urban voters, who were by geography unlikely to encounter or be economically impacted by wolves, voted for wolf reintroduction. "Rural residents voted decidedly against the initiative. Despite much legislative and grassroots action to oppose it, wolves were reintroduced in December 2023," Gabehart adds. "Several cattle have since been killed by wolves."

"Rural residents in Colorado have told me they feel excluded. This is not new or exclusive to Colorado, but a story as old as America itself,” Gabehart explains. The American caste system "is entirely constructed and designed by the American upper class to intentionally exploit resentment of working-class white people. . . .The result is what sociologist Michael M. Bell calls a 'spatial patriarchy' that characterizes rural America as dumb, incapable, racist, poor and degraded."

When it comes to who American rural voters support, maybe part of it is tied to which candidate mirrors some of the resentment and isolation of rural living. "Rural communities have the distinct feeling that urban America doesn’t care whether they fail or flourish," Gabehart writes. "Nearly 70% of rural voters supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election. He won 93% of rural counties. Rural Americans feel left behind, and for them, Trump might be their last hope."

Farm updates: Eradicating screwworms; air detecting for bird flu; John Deere suit continues; Farm Dog of the Year!

Tusk-like mandibles can rasp the flesh of living warm-
blooded animals. (USDA photo via Successful Farming)

Despite its eradication from the U.S. in 1966, the New World Screwworm has returned to Mexico, which means the aggressive, flesh-eating flies could re-enter the U.S. 

While the NWS could prey on any warm-blooded animal, its return would be devastating for the U.S. cattle industry. Angie Stump Denton reports for Farm Journal, "The larvae can kill an animal in just four to seven days if not quickly detected and treated."

Experts believe Texas would be the most likely place for NWS to enter the U.S. from Mexico. In late April, after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to suspend cattle imports from Mexico to the U.S. as she did in November 2024, the two countries were able to agree on a strategy to control the NWS. Listen to more details on the NWS and USDA approaches for "complete eradication" here.

New bird flu detection sensors are fast. By testing air from exhaust vents, the systems monitor for
 bird flu 24/7. (ASC Publications graphic)

Bird flu remains a significant concern for egg and poultry industries as well as backyard and small chicken or turkey farms. The virus presents numerous difficulties, one of which is a lack of "any 'early warning' system," reports Alfred Poor for Offrange. "Testing requires a lab and can take days to deliver results. … A new detection technology can produce results in minutes and is designed to be installed on-site, right in the flock housing buildings, to provide continuous monitoring. … The system samples air from the exhaust vents from the animals’ housing. The researchers have described their results in a paper in ACS Sensors."

The new detection technology doesn't require any technical training to run and it's accurate. Poor adds, "According to the team’s own published results, the system’s results showed a 90% correlation with the standard PCR lab results."

Even though U.S. farmers can now legally repair their tractors, a lawsuit addressing John Deere's past repair policies and tactics with farmers will still make its way through the court system. "The Agriculture equipment giant must face a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs," reports Mike Scarcella of Reuters. "U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston in the federal court in Rockford, Illinois, ruled for now to reject Deere’s effort to end the lawsuit."

Deere countered the suit saying that "it does not compete in the market for repair services," Scarella reports. "The company also challenged the lawfulness of the structure of the FTC. … Deere alleged that restrictions against removing FTC commissioners illegally bar the president from exercising lawful oversight."

We don't know how we missed it, but it's our pleasure to introduce "Sirius," the amazing and lovable 2025 Farm Bureau Dog of the Year. "Livestock guardian dog Sirius is a 'hero behind the heroes' – a herd of miniature therapy horses that bring comfort to those who have experienced traumatic events," the American Farm Bureau Federation reports. 

The mini-horses that Sirius and his fellow Maremma sheep dogs help protect from behind the scenes have given people joy during some of their worst experiences. They visited families after the Sandy Hook school shooting and comforted victim families and first responders after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. They make people smile and laugh in children and veteran hospitals wherever they go. 

While Sirius and his fellow canine guardians stay home at the farm, they help owners Jorge and Debbie Garcia-Bengochea know the horses are safe. Jorge told FB, "The Maremma breed is intended to bond with the herd. When these dogs are on alert and watching the herd, I feel like it's a  24/7 security system."

Farmers are encouraged to enter their tremendous farm dog here for the 2026 award.

Conservation pays off for Oklahoma farmers: clean streams, healthy cattle, lower costs and visiting eagles

Horse Creek Cove, Grand Lake, Oklahoma.
 (grandlake.com photo)

Making the tough decision to protect private property water sources helped Oklahoma farmers address contamination, produce healthier livestock and save money. "A big part of the solution was simple: Give cows clean drinking water and keep them out of the streams," reports Cara Buckley of The New York Times. "About 100 Oklahoman streams once polluted by runoff predominantly from farmland have been restored to health. That’s more than in any other state, according to the Environmental Protection Agency."

The choice to restrict farm animals from streams took farmers like Grant Victor, who wanted to clean up his property's creek, even if it meant breaking with ranching tradition. Buckley writes, "Working with a conservation program, he installed fencing around Horse Creek, creating a protective riparian buffer, even though it meant keeping his animals off 220 acres, about 6% of his family’s land."

He waited and nature did not disappoint. "The benefits of a healthier waterway exceeded his hopes," Buckley reports. "Within just a couple of years, the banks were transformed into verdant corridors of grasses and shrubs. Wildlife appeared, including white-tailed deer, bobcats, coyotes and bald eagles that return each year to a sprawling nest to rear their young."

But that's not all. Victor was rewarded with healthier cattle. Buckley adds, "Victor installed pipes and wells in the pastures, allowing his cattle to drink water unsullied by sediment and their own waste. They put on more weight and suffered fewer respiratory ailments, and that resulted in lower veterinary bills."

Other Oklahoma farmers have adopted methods that support nature while increasing farming profits. Steve Glasgow, a recently retired Oklahoma state resource conservationist, "estimates that nearly a third of Oklahoma’s crop farmers employ conservation practices, up from roughly one-fifth 25 years ago. . . . Conservation practices can also increase yields and reduce labor and fuel costs."

Victor knows some of his neighboring farmers remain conservation skeptics and scoff at his choices but he's OK with that. He told Buckley, "I’m sure at the coffee shop, they were all laughing at me. . . . My dad always taught me there’s some things you can’t afford to do and there’s other things you can’t afford not to do. This was one of the things I couldn’t afford not to do."

Opinion: Americans should be alarmed at the 'dangerous idea' Congress is floating, which could 'kill' rural America

A couple cares for fencing in Dark Sky, Oregon, an area
that is mostly comprised of public lands. (Instagram)

 

Inside a recent congressional budget reconciliation discussion, an alarming suggestion was made: Allow Congress to sell public lands to private investors, writes Tim David in his opinion for The Daily Yonder. Although lawmakers indicate sale proceeds would increase federal revenue, the loss of public lands would devastate some rural economies "where public lands aren’t just a backdrop, they’re the backbone of the economy and the way of life."

Even as lawmakers say they care about rural livelihoods, selling public assets would harm many rural communities, particularly those in the West. "From grazing and outfitting to hunting, fishing, and tourism, these lands sustain small businesses, support working families, and keep rural economies afloat," David explains. "If Congress truly wants to support rural America, it can start by investing in the agencies that manage these lands, not liquidating the lands themselves."

Congress has spent years asking the Bureau of Land Management "to do more with less," David writes. "Some of the loudest voices criticizing the BLM are the same ones voting to strip its funding. It’s a political double standard: criticize the agency for being slow or ineffective, then gut the very budget that allows it to function, and turn around and blame it again when things don’t get done."

Considering its ever-shrinking budget, it's unsurprising that "public lands and the rural communities that depend on them are feeling the strain," David adds. "Across the West, deteriorating roads, neglected infrastructure, and staff shortages are leaving public access routes impassable and economic opportunities squandered. Local businesses are losing revenue right when tourism and recreation seasons should be ramping up."

What those in Washington may see as a budget line that needs reduction, are real Americans working and serving in the communities where they live. "These are folks who know every rancher by name, who raise their families in the same towns, and who show up for volunteer projects and community events," David explains. "When Congress cuts funding, it’s not just abstract numbers. It’s fewer people to maintain campgrounds, issue grazing permits, support outfitters, and help prevent wildfires. It’s not the agency that suffers, it’s rural America."

Congress needs to seek out different solutions. "If Congress truly wants to help rural America, it starts with two things: fund the BLM like it matters, and keep our public lands public," David writes. "If Congress continues to underfund the BLM and entertains a wholesale sell-off of public lands, it won’t just hurt rural America. It will kill it."

Residents and ranchers in Canadian, Texas, are still recovering a year after the Smokehouse Creek Fire

Heavy smoke crossing a road on the Smokehouse Creek Fire on Feb. 27, 2024. (Wikipedia photo)

It has been a year since the Smokehouse Fire burned millions of acres across the Texas Panhandle. The blaze took the lives of three people, killed thousands of cattle and left a trail of scorched earth that was once bucolic lands.

In Canadian, Texas, a town of 2,300 residents in the Panhandle's northeast corner, where the fire decimated thousands of acres, residents are still working through the disaster's trauma and what the town's future might look like, reports Jayme Lozano Carver of The Texas Tribune. "As resilient as Canadians are, they are coping through trauma — and have been for a long time. The latest fire challenged residents to once again find a way to recover — mentally, physically, and financially."

Wendie Cook, a Canadian council member, told Carver, "It feels as if there’s a shadow. We all know it’s coming. Some days it’s just harder to take in than others.” Carver adds, "It’s difficult to focus on the future when you’re haunted by the past. Black scorch marks cover the splintered trees for miles. . . .Bundles of melted chairs and broken glass are scattered outside what was a community center."

Most of the time when communities are hit by natural disasters, they can begin clean-up and recovery processes immediately. That's not an option for Canadians. Carver explains, "Visitors can't go to Lake Marvin Lodge, a community center that once sat in the Black Kettle National Grasslands Park. The damage from the fire hasn’t been cleaned up. . . . It’s federal property, and local officials are not allowed to rehabilitate it."

Even as life goes on, it isn't the same Canadian. It was "business as usual two weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary of the wildfires," Carver writes. "Ranchers in the Panhandle were getting ready for the annual bull sale. . . There were about 217 people there, but a big portion of the usual customers were absent. James Henderson, a Memphis rancher told Carver, "Our customers lost a lot. So they weren’t here to buy bulls. They don’t need bulls, they don’t have any fences.”

Early week quick hits: Addressing mental health issues; finding funny stories; using lasers to make birds leave

Colorado Department of Agriculture photo via Successful Farming

Farming and ranching are two livelihoods that are tough on the human body and mind. For men and women in either or both professions, seeking help for mental stress can mean overcoming social stigmas and a lack of access. A new film, Legacy, from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Farm Bureau aims to break down social barriers for farmers and ranchers who experience isolation and mental health issues, reports Lisa Foust Prater of Successful Farming. The film takes viewers into the stories of "several farmers and ranchers who share glimpses into their lives, including losing a loved one to suicide or facing their own struggles with mental health. . . .They speak candidly about the struggles faced by those working in agriculture and the difficulties with finding help." Watch the film here.

Cancer used to be a disease people mostly over 50 had to worry about. Now, many younger people are turning up with aggressive cancers, and researchers can't yet explain what has changed. "Adults in the prime of their lives, often otherwise outwardly healthy, are dying of cancers that appear to develop more quickly and be more deadly than in the past, for reasons that scientists cannot adequately explain, reports Dylan Scott of Vox. "Scientific authorities around the world see this as one of the most pressing questions for modern medicine."

Reading a funny book can make life sweeter.
(Adobe Stock photo)

One of The Rural Blog writers insists that the world needs more laughter. With that idea in mind, here are 22 books that could help you giggle, guffaw, chortle and even snort out loud. "The humor these authors embrace traverses the gamut, from sardonic to screwball, mordant to madcap, droll to deranged," report Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs and Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times. "The critic Albert Murray understood that wit is power, and that knowing where the funny is takes us closer to the nub of things. Best of all, it's available to anyone. As Murray wrote, 'It is always open season on the truth.'"

As many rural hospitals and clinics have closed or limited services, getting medical care or chronic health treatment services has become an uphill battle for residents. The American Heart Association visited Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, the Dakotas and West Virginia to shed light on rural health challenges and how residents and communities are working to overcome obstacles. Their exploration and discussions are presented in the docuseries, "Health Wanted: Find Care in Rural America." Click here for each state's episode.

Lasers can deter birds.
(Bird Control Group photo via SF)

Some Wisconsin farmers use lasers to keep wild birds away from their animals, reducing their chance of avian flu exposure. "When the human eye examines one of Craig Duhr's lasers at a Wisconsin farm, only a green dot is visible. But to birds, a variety of green beams and shifting patterns appear," reports Jonah Beleckis of Wisconsin Public Radio. Laser beams do not harm birds, but the birds "simply see the lasers as a threat and leave the area. . . . Wisconsin's agriculture department recommends farmers use biosecurity measures, such as lasers, to protect poultry flocks."

Maine Monitor analysis,
from State Fire Marshal data

Maine firefighters have the cool trucks and trademark hats, and some even have a station dog. But fighting fires is not what they spend most of their time doing. Amber Stone of The Maine Monitor reports, "A mere 4.5 percent of the 160,435 calls for service in 2022 were for fires, according to a Monitor analysis of State Fire Marshal data. Seventy percent of those calls were for emergency medical response. More than half of Maine's 338 registered fire departments are also licensed at some level to provide emergency medical services, according to Maine EMS, and more are considering doing so."

Dude ranches offer guests 'authentic Western experiences' and support local communities

Dude ranches teach city folk about Western living and promote
land conservation. (Nine Quarter Circle Ranch photo)

Windswept, vast and timeless, the American dude ranch is where guests learn to be cowboys and explore the  outdoors while supporting a Western business that has gained popularity over the past century.

"The very first 'dudes,' as visitors were called, were mostly folks from East Coast cities enamored with the Western lifestyle. They felt drawn to the romantic image of the cowboy, a figure somehow unchanged by the quickening urban sprawl of eastern cities," reports Graham Marema for Western Confluence. "While some forms of outdoor recreation balance negative and positive impacts on local systems by introducing something new — dude ranches contend with all three pillars of sustainability by embracing something old, traditional, and relatively unchanged."

Bryce Albright, director of the Dude Ranchers' Association, which provides membership to more than 90 dude ranches across the West, told Marema, "It's a different type of vacation. They're more of an authentic Western experience, which you can't get anywhere else. When people come out West, yes, you'll see the cowboys, and you'll see the rodeos, but until you get immersed in that kind of culture, you won't really have respect for it."

Dude ranch visitors come away with a different sense of why these parts are worth saving or may need protection. Sally Kelsey of Nine Quarter Circle Ranch, a Montana dude ranch near Yellowstone National Park, told Marema, "Something that is undervalued when it comes to our impact on conservation is our guests get to take rides in the country and learn to value a place that's very different from where they come from."

Over the past few decades, dude ranching has become a growing sector in ranching communities. Marema explains, "For some ranches, opening their doors to guests has provided an economically viable alternative or supplement to raising cattle. 'Agritourism,' which invites guests to vacation on farms and ranches, has grown in popularity among tourists and their hosts with revenue tripling in the U.S. between 2002 and 2017."

Marema writes, "Dude ranch guests spend most of their time on private land, partaking in low-impact activities like horseback riding or branding their initials into leather belts. They aren't as likely to leave trash on public trails or overburden the infrastructure of small mountain towns to the extent of other industries that rely on those towns to house, feed, and sustain their guests."

Younger people might not think that beef is 'what's for dinner,' so marketers try new ways to promote consumption

With jaunty music playing in the background, beef ads
promote red meat as a way to "elevate" meals. (NCBA photo)

In 1992, the Beef Industry Council launched its marketing campaign: "Beef. It's what's for dinner." In the decades since the mantra's kick-off, beef has remained an iconic American meal centerpiece. However, younger generations might not necessarily share a love of red meat, and the industry is preparing to shift its focus to keep younger consumers eating beef for dinner.

Earlier this year, a study from Tulane University in New Orleans found that "a relatively small number of Americans are responsible for the lion's share of beef consumption — and those eaters tend to skew older and male," reports Matt Reynolds of Wired. Hillary Makens, senior executive director of public relations at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, "disputes the study's findings. She shared data from the NCBA's beef tracking survey that found that Gen Z and millennials were more likely than older respondents to have reported eating beef the previous day."

Despite conflicting evidence, one thing is clear, "The beef industry is paying closer attention to younger Americans. The meat marketing agency Midan Marketing has published blog posts calling Gen Z 'tomorrow's meat industry' and urging beef marketers to tout their meat's high protein content to appeal to younger consumers," Reynolds writes. "The rise of marketing beef as 'low carbon' might also be a way for the industry to appeal to younger generations who tend to be more engaged than older consumers with climate change."

Daniel Rosenfeld, a Ph.D. student at the University of California who studies the psychology of meat-eating, told Reynolds, "Unless beef consumption becomes remarkably sustainable, I think younger generations will always have a stronger moral opposition to eating beef on purely environmental grounds."

Tulane study researcher Diego Rose "coauthored a paper sketching out the greenhouse gas reductions that would happen if Americans significantly cut their meat intake," Reynolds reports. Some groups viewed the study's suggestion as anti-beef and claimed that President Joe Biden's climate change policies could limit Americans to "one hamburger a month." Commenting on the polarized interpretation, Rose told Reynolds: "It's silly. You can continue to eat beef but in lower quantities."

‘Conservation grazing’ uses cattle to protect prairies and reestablish native ecosystems

Cattle graze during a fresh pasture rotation, part of conservation
grazing. (Photo by Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times)

A small group of ranchers in northwestern Washington state are successfully using carefully planned cattle grazing as land conservation. “The idea of cattle trampling some of Western Washington’s most vulnerable landscapes is ordinarily enough to make environmentalists shudder,” reports Sandi Doughton of Pacific NW magazine. But these cattlemen are “practicing a more ecologically sensitive type of grazing that minimizes damage and actually can improve habitat and biodiversity in some situations. . . . You might call it cows for conservation.”

Rancher Jake Yancey is Doughton’s object example: “Working with landowners, agencies and conservation groups, the Olympia-area cattleman deploys his animals with multiple goals in mind. One is to produce grass-fed beef as sustainably as possible. Others include protecting prairies, expanding the range of rare species, and keeping agricultural lands from being turned into condos and strip malls. . . . Yancey laughingly calls his cows "workers," here to do a job. As they fatten up on the lush grass, the cows are helping control rattail fescue, an invasive species that chokes out native prairie plants.”

“Cows for conservation” is formally called “conservation grazing,” and its success is all about the right timing. “When and how long cattle are on specific pastures — to ensure the animals do more good than harm. Rattail fescue is an early-season grass, so Yancey’s cows are here in May to knock it back before it goes to seed,” Doughton explains. “Native perennials bounce back quickly from light grazing, and by the time the desirable species flower and reseed, the cows will be gone."

Taylor's checkspot butterfly
(Wash. Fish & Wildlife photo)

Doughton reports, "Sarah Hamman, science director for the nonprofit EcoStudies Institute, says only about three percent of the Pacific Northwest’s historic westside prairie remains. . . .Several species native to the ecosystem, like Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and the streaked horned lark, are threatened with extinction. Prairie preserves serve as refuges but are mostly small and widely scattered." Hamman told Doughton, “We’ve recognized that if we want to protect and recover these ecosystems, we need to look beyond protected preserves to private lands — farming and grazing lands."

Flash droughts are becoming more common; they can put crops and herds at risk; experts working on predicting them

A flash drought developed in a few weeks in 2019. (NASA Earth Observatory image)

As Earth warms, flash droughts they are becoming more common and can have a devastating ripple effect; understanding where and when they might occur could help farmers and ranchers plan, Jeff Basara and Jordan Christian report for The Conversation, a platform for journalism by academics: "In a new study, we found that the risk of flash droughts, which can develop in the span of a few weeks, is on pace to rise in every major agriculture region around the world in the coming decades. . . . In North America and Europe, cropland that had a 32% annual chance of a flash drought a few years ago could have as much as a 53% annual chance of a flash drought by the final decades of this century. The result would put food production, energy and water supplies under increasing pressure. . . . A flash drought in the Dakotas and Montana in 2017 caused $2.6 billion in agricultural damage in the U.S. alone."

What is a flash drought? "All droughts begin when precipitation stops. What's interesting about flash droughts is how fast they reinforce themselves, with some help from the warming climate," Basara and Christian explain. "When the weather is hot and dry, soil loses moisture rapidly. Dry air extracts moisture from the land, and rising temperatures can increase this 'evaporative demand.' The lack of rain during a flash drought can further contribute to the feedback processes. Under these conditions, crops and vegetation begin to die much more quickly than they do during typical long-term droughts."

Timing is crucial for agriculture. "In 2022, a [harvest-time] flash drought slowed barge traffic on the Mississippi River, which carries more than 90% of U.S. agriculture exports. . . . If a flash drought occurs at a critical point in the growing season, it could devastate an entire crop," Basara and Christian explain. "During the huge flash drought in 2012 in the central U.S., cattle ran out of forage and water became scarcer. If rain doesn't fall during the growing season for natural grasses, cattle don't have food, and ranchers may have little choice but to sell off part of their herds."

Improving weather predictions can help sectors better plan and prepare for flash droughts. "When we talk with farmers and ranchers, they want to know what the weather will look like over the next one to six months," the study's authors add. "We're tackling the challenge of monitoring and improving the lead time and accuracy of forecasts for flash droughts, as are other scientists. For example, the U.S. Drought Monitor has developed an experimental short-term map that can display developing flash droughts. As scientists learn more about the conditions that cause flash droughts and about their frequency and intensity, forecasts and monitoring tools will improve. . . . Nothing is getting easier for farmers and ranchers as global temperatures rise. Understanding the risk from flash droughts will help them."

National Farm Medicine Center seeks farmers, ranchers for study about how they balance child-raising and work

U.S. Department of Agriculture photo

National Farm Medicine Center 

Farm and ranch parents know how challenging it can be to balance children and work, especially when child care options (paid or unpaid) are limited. These challenges can have consequences for the farm business, the safety of children, and the well-being of the family as a whole. To better understand farm and ranch families’ realities balancing children and work, researchers at the National Farm Medicine Center and The Ohio State University are asking farmers to share their experiences through a new national survey.

“We recognize that farmers often feel over-surveyed and have limited time and energy this time of year,” said Florence Becot, an associate research scientist at the center and an affiliate of its National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. “However, we also know that decisions are being made by local, state and national policymakers without a good grounding in the realities faced by actual farm families.”

The survey is especially timely, Becot said, because this is a Farm Bill year, and some farm organizations and policy makers are debating if affordable child care in rural areas should become a priority. “This is the first nationwide comprehensive survey focused on the realities of farmers and ranchers raising children,” said Shoshanah Inwood, an associate professor at Ohio State. The survey asks farmers not only about their child care and schooling arrangements but also about how their decisions are connected to farm safety, the economic viability of their farm business, and their household finances.

“Over the years the U.S. Department of Agriculture has invested significant resources to recruit and retain the next generation of farmers,” Inwood said. “Yet these programs and resources rarely consider or take into account the child-care needs of farm and ranch families, despite evidence of child-care challenges dating back to the 1980s.” As one Ohio farm parent told Becot and Inwood during a focus group last year: “If America wants farmers, we need help with child care.”

The results of the survey will be available later in the year and will be shared with farmers, farm organizations, state agencies, and policy makers. Families can respond to the survey online through this link: https://redcap.link/Survey2_FarmersRaisingChildren. They can also request a paper survey by contacting Becot (becot.florence@marshfieldresearch.org; 715-389-9379). For more information contact Dr. Florence Becot at becot.florence@marshfieldresearch.org or 715-389-9379.

Hi, there! Without phone books, getting to know your rural neighbors can take planning; maybe even a yard sale

Yonder image by Xandr Brown (Photos by Unsplash and Canva)

Yesterday the Rural Blog endorsed calling people up on the phone as a refreshing way to build rural connections. But to call someone, you at least need to know their phone number. "How do we get to be good neighbors to those whose paths never cross our own?" asks Donna Kallner of The Daily Yonder, "Once upon a time, if you knew someone’s last name, you could look them up in the phone book to call when their dog was in your yard or a package was delivered to your porch by mistake. . . . But now, how do you even know when is a good time to introduce yourself?"

Perhaps starting with the basics is best, and note that it's the effort that counts. Kallner has these suggestions:

Smile and wave. Whether you’re in your yard, on your deck, walking to the mailbox, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, in your vehicle, or on your bicycle – smile and wave at everyone. A cheerful greeting is never wasted, even on people just passing through. . . . Once you can recognize each other, it’s easier for one of you to pull up and introduce yourself. Keep it brief and casual: I’m so-and-so and I live at the place with the ______. I can see you’re busy but I wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

Offer your number. Anyone used to living where people draw curtains for privacy might need a little space to acclimate to a rural neighborhood. So unless you want them to start running background checks on you, don’t lead off with offers to watch their kids or pick up their mail. However, you can offer your cell phone number and a “feel free to call or text if you have any questions." They may not seem ready to be all-in as neighbors – yet – and let them set the pace for building this new relationship.

Need to know. There’s a fine line, sometimes, between helpful information and thinly veiled criticism or the kind of gossip that makes a neighbor wonder what you’re telling others about them. . . . But if you’re planning a big party, stop by to invite the neighbors to join you and to assure them the music will end at 10 p.m. . . . And if you’ve given someone permission to hunt on your land, let the neighbors know there may be a strange vehicle parked at a strange place at odd hours.

Join a neighborhood group. Whether you have questions to ask or advice to offer, meetings in real life and online groups or message boards are surprisingly good ways to connect with your community. Review and adhere to the rules of engagement for online groups, and the Golden Rule in all situations.

When neighbors aren’t people. Non-resident owners aren’t all cottage people. Farmland changes hands. Tracking down a phone number for forest cropland, family trusts, limited liability corporations, and other ownership entities isn’t easy. One way to do that is by using an app that integrates public records and maps. For example, OnX Hunt is a GPS mapping app that shows property boundaries. Snail mail isn’t the fastest way for a neighbor to report a concern to a non-resident owner, but at least it’s something.

If all else fails, hold a yard sale. Nothing draws curious neighbors like putting artifacts from your life up for sale. . . . what better way could there be to get to know folks than to hold up a find and say, “There must be a story that goes with this”?

Some final thoughts: "In some rural neighborhoods, showing up with baked goods to introduce yourself is still exactly the right thing. . . . Watching out for others is in the DNA of rural people. If it takes a little more effort to get acquainted with your neighbors, it’s worth it."

Where's the beef? most still ask; plant-based burgers turned out to be more trendy than upending; sales plummet

(Photo by Akiira, Bloomberg Businessweek)

With names like Beyond and Impossible, the makers of plant-based meat appealed to consumers' curiosity and desire for healthier diets. Ethan Brown, the founder of Beyond Meat, "said his goal was to replicate the 'blueprint of meat.' By the time he appeared at Builders & Innovators Summit 2019, he explained that his mission demanded the urgency and scale the U.S.  mustered for World War II," reports Deena Shanker of Bloomberg Businessweek. "And that his products would simultaneously help solve heart disease, diabetes, cancer, climate change, natural resource depletion and animal welfare. Just like technology had rendered the horse-drawn carriage obsolete. . . . so, too, would his system of breaking down plants transform the protein at the center of the plate."

After that intro, fame and fortune followed. Shanker writes: "Along with the venture capitalists came investors from every corner of culture—Leonardo DiCaprio, the Humane Society of the United States and former McDonald’s Corp. Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson. Even Tyson Foods Inc., the biggest maker of real meat in the US, invested and then invested again. . . . Bill Gates wanted in, too, backing not one but two companies with veggie burgers that “bleed” like real beef."

Pat Brown, who founded Impossible Foods, took his plant-based burger on the TEDMd circuit. Shanker writes,"while an assistant sizzled an Impossible Burger onstage beside him, Brown said, 'I know it sounds insane to replace a deeply entrenched, trillion-dollar-a-year global industry, but it has to be done.'”

Shanker notes that once launched, thousands of Americans, traditional meat eaters along with vegetarians and vegans, tried plant-based meats. The taster responses varied from "ultra-processed," to "mixed" to "this meat-eschewing Bloomberg reporter spit them out." Dr. David Katz, founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, noted to Shaker that Beyond Burger and its ilk are “ultraprocessed” and said, “At worst. It’s a lateral move.”

Since the 2019 Summit, though, plant-based product sales have wilted: "Supermarket sales of refrigerated plant-based meat plummeted 14% by volume for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 4, according to retail data company IRI. Orders of plant-based burgers at restaurants and other food-service outlets for the 12 months ended in November were down 9% from three years earlier, according to market researcher NPD Group," Shanker reports. "What remains looks more like a niche category than a meaningful displacement of an entrenched industry. After Beyond, Impossible and their copycats spent years trying to seduce everyone away from meat, it appears their best customers are, well, the 5% of the population who didn’t eat meat in the first place."

Farm Bureau backs farm-program boost, alliance with food advocates to pass Farm Bill as GOP plans non-defense cuts

The nation's largest organization of farmers and ranchers wants the new Farm Bill to expand funding for federal agriculture programs but that "may run into a roadblock in the House of Representatives," where Republicans in a new but thin majority "are calling for cutting up to 25% of spending in federal non-defense agencies," Chris Clayton reports for DTN/The Progressive Farmer.

American Farm Bureau Federation convention delegates in Puerto Rico "voted Tuesday to expand baseline funding for the Farm Bill and ask Congress to develop more flexible disaster-relief programs," Clayton notes. Most Farm Bill money funds nutrtion programs run by the Department of Agriculture, by far the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps. An alliance of farm and nutrition advocates has been key to passing farm and food programs, and delegates' voters confirmed that the lobbying interests "should stick together to get a Farm Bill passed," Clayton reports: Delegates "approved new policy to support access to nutrition programs including connecting farms directly with food banks, increasing the number of SNAP-approved food sales outlets, and other efforts to make produce available to families living in food deserts."

There will be less presure to get a five-year Farm Bill passed by Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year, than in past cases, because the current law lets nutrition and crop-insurance programs continue, DTN Political Correspondent Jerry Hagstrom reports.

On other issues, the delegates "also want to see more crop insurance options for specialty crops" and "more transparency" in the federal milk-pricing system," a Farm Bureau press release said. "Changes they would like to see in milk programs include more USDA audits of processing costs to ensure data remains accurate," Clayton reports. "Farm Bureau would also like to see the Federal Milk Marketing Orders voting procedure changed that would require 'cooperatives to communicate more clearly with members regarding proposed changes'."

Whom does Farm Bureau represent? AFBF said a poll of the 334 delegates found that 99% of those who cast votes "operate family farms and almost 65% represent small- to mid-size farms as defined by USDA," Clayton reports.

Texas and other conservative states embrace wind power, other renewables without acknowledging climate change

Illustration for The Economist by Brett Ryder

Red states are embracing wind power without acknowledging climate change. The Energy Information Administration predicts Texas will generate more electricity this year from renewables than from natural gas, but Texas conservatives are, well, conservative about terminology. “When someone says we are embracing green energy, it’s like shoving an ice pick through our ears,” says Matt Welch, head of Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation, told The Economist. “We just say clean energy.”

Welch spoke to The Economist's anonymous "Schumpeter" columnist, who writes, "You might think that California, which talks a good game about climate change and green energy, is on the forefront of renewables development. But Texas is far ahead." A study for Welch’s group found that in the second quarter of 2022, Texas "had three times more wind, solar and battery storage under construction than California."

That doesn't sit well with some in the energy trade for which Texas is known, oil and natural gas. "It is from their own Republican ranks that wind-energy ranchers face the most antagonism—especially from fossil-fuel producers who fear being undercut by renewables," Schumpeter reports. "Organizations like the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which lobbies on behalf of oil and gas, and the Texas Landowners Coalition, backed by right-wing beneficiaries of the fracking boom, are fighting tooth and nail to curb wind development. The TPPF’s battle extends to proposed offshore wind farms as far away as New England."

With money from the bill Democrats dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, Texas "expects to attract big hydrogen and carbon-sequestration projects. Other Republican states like Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee are welcoming billions of dollars of clean-energy investments spurred by the IRA," Schumpeter writes. "Even conservative businesses that lobby strongly for fossil fuels hope to benefit from the energy transition. For example, Koch Industries . . . supported a big investment by Freyr, a Norwegian firm, in a battery factory in Georgia that will benefit from the law. The upshot is that there are ways to promote clean energy that do not rely on convincing climate skeptics that they are bonkers. A better sales pitch may be to play up the cost advantages of renewables rather than the climate benefits, emphasise their contribution to cutting air pollution rather than carbon emissions, and acknowledge that, owing to intermittency factors, natural gas may have a role to play in power generation for years to come."

University of Texas energy professor Michael Webber told Schumpeter, “It’s not unusual for Texas to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons.” John Davis, a rancher near Austin, noted that many others in Texas have benefited from oil and gas for generations. Finally, he said, “We struck wind.”

Black cowboys and cowgirls are not unusual in California

A touring event for Black cowboys and cowgirls from across
California and the nation. (Photo by Jason Armond, Los Angeles Times)

Actors like the late John Wayne are considered quintessential American cowboys, but that view may be changing. "Black cowboys and cowgirls are finally getting their moment to shine in the mainstream," writes Tyrone Beason of the Los Angeles Times. "The recent films 'Nope,' 'The Harder They Fall' and 'Concrete Cowboy' have burned images of Black ranchers, settlers and riders into the public’s consciousness."

Thirty years ago, seeing a Black cowboy was thought 'odd' but "Ron Jennings grew up in Los Angeles, but he’s all country, right down to his cowboy hat and folksy twang," Beason writes. "The 42-year-old smiles when recounting the strange looks he got from fellow passengers during bus rides to his grandfather’s horse stable in Gardena or to participate in rodeos at Griffith Park when he was a teen. The cowboy hat, the bell clanging against the rodeo gear in his bull bag — he came across as an oddity in the city, even more so because he is Black." 

In California, there are Black rodeos that attract African Americans from all over the nation: "At the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo’s latest stop in Los Angeles, not only are all of the cowboys and cowgirls Black — so are most of the 3,500 spectators," Beason reports. "The air smells of catfish frying and barbecue simmering."

Spectators come from all over to enjoy horses and history. Kairis Chiaji, who belongs to a Black trail riding club outside Sacramento, told Beason, "There’s something special about Black people coming together to revel in this heritage. In these spaces, it’s safe to be us.” Beason writes, "Most of those gathered express a determination to expose Americans to another facet of the West — and the Black experience."

Byron Levy, whose wife also rides, told Beason: “What’s televised about our culture, it’s always negative — Black-on-Black murders, but none of this is ever televised — how we get together with four or five hundred Black cowboys and cowgirls and there’s no incidents. . . . Al Sharpton don’t have to show up."

Happy cows, happy farmers, and rosy-colored veal from Kentucky fields where tobacco once sustained a community

Joseph Monroe raises grass-fed calves in Henry County and
markets them with Our Home Place Meat. (Photo by The Berry Center)

When tobacco money largely disappeared in Henry County, Kentucky, it left an economic hole and an opportunity. Mary Berry, daughter of local farmer-activist-author-poet-philosopher Wendell Berry, saw hope in pasture and cattle and put her nonprofit on the case.

"The Berry Center began to think about ways small farmers could make more, and more predictable, money from their cattle operations and landed on the idea of producing veal," Jacalyn Carfagno reports for the Kentucky Lantern. The community did not want to raise the milky, white veal of the past. It chose to focus on the European model: "In Europe veal is different, a rosy-colored meat from calves raised outside, nursing and eating grass."

Thus, Our Home Place Meat was piloted in 2017 with sustaining funds from the nonprofit Berry Center. Its first challenge was "persuading farmers to raise the veal, guaranteeing them a price for it, and finding markets for it," Carfagno writes. “The program began with the principle of guaranteeing a price that took into account farmers’ expenses and added a reasonable profit." Program director Beth Douglas told Carfagno, “With the market you are gambling. We tell the farmers how many cattle we will purchase and at what price. That allows the farmers to plan for the year.”

The program has developed creative partnerships with wholesalers who value relationships such as What Chefs Want!, a Louisville-based wholesaler. They also addressed animal-welfare qualms about veal "by preparing a multi-course meal at The Berry Center in 2017 using rose veal, inviting chefs to taste the product," Carfagno reports. "He cooked sliders, ribeyes, strips and filets, even veal blanc, which he described as 'the national French hangover food' to demonstrate the flavor and versatility of rose veal."

Our Home Place Meat is thriving and John Logan Brent, a member of the Berry Center board and a farmer who sells to the program, "sees a future when this pilot program can grow up and become a full-fledged agricultural cooperative that can pay its own administrative costs," Carfagno writes, "but believes it will have to achieve a scale of about 1,000 head processed annually to get there."

The effort is driven by Wendell Berry's vision, and that of his late father and brother and father, John Berry Sr. and Jr., who founded and headed the now-defunct Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association: "prosperous, well-tended farms serving and supporting healthy local communities."