From the article:
The BLM says the public range can support around 4,000 cattle but only 400 or so horses.
Uhm ... WRONG
.
Cattle / Acre
www.cattlepages.com...
Different areas have different stocking rates. Central Missouri has a rate of 1 cow/calf pair per 2.5 acres. SE Kansas is 6 acres per pair, so as you
can see you'll need to check out the area you are in. There are differing ways to pasture, too. We use Management Intensive Grazing & we're able to
run 13 pairs on 10 acres.
So basically around 3 acres per head on average. My first job was for a local rancher who had the contract for running cattle on the numerous
Battlefield farms and others in and around Gettysburg. To my recollection we kept each and every at around the 3 acres per head ratio to ensure proper
and sufficient grazing
I've also had a Lot of experience breeding and raising Trotters and Pacers here in southcentral PA and our yearling fields, one for the colts and one
for the fillies, were each about 50 acres a piece ... with nary more than 10 to a dozen in either.
Mares with foals, for the first few weeks at least, were each given their own "turn out" paddock of about an acre or so. Once turned out to a field,
3-4 acres per pair minimum.
Now Granted these were rather lush, prime pastures, and Yes horses are a bit more "hard" on the land.
BUT ... there's just no way in Hell a given range can support up to
4,000 cattle ... yet only
400 horses.
No matter the range. No matter the quality nor amount of available vegetation.
They're flat out lying ... OR ... fudging the numbers and data to support their claim.
[speeling]
[edit on 22-7-2010 by 12m8keall2c]
