Understanding Working Rangelands: A Year in the Life of a Beef Cow

Abstract

Advisor, Sonoma County; and LISA BUSH, Rangeland ConsultantWorking rangelands are public or privately owned open-space lands that are managed with livestock grazing and rancher stewardship. Their management contributes to the production of a variety of ecosystem services, including food, clean water, weed control, wildlife habitat, fire fuel reduction, carbon sequestration, pollination, aesthetic views, cultural heritage, recreational and educational opportunities, and open space conservation. 'm just doing my job, which is to give birth each year to a calf and raise it for beef production and eat weeds and grass to help maintain wildlife habitat and a healthy park landscape.My "cowleagues," the other mother cows and I, and our calves make up the cow-calf herd in this park. You might ask how we got here. Like many of you, my bovine ancestors immigrated to California from Europe and Africa. The early Spanish brought livestock along with them as their food supply and the foundation for an economy in the New World. Under Mexican rule, the land was divided into "ranchos," and cattle were raised for food as well as for tallow and hides. These products supported the beginnings of a new state and were exported and traded. The Gold Rush brought thousands of people to California. They brought their livestock and cattle with them and the demand for beef soared. Spanish breeds of cattle, Corrientes, were replaced with English breeds, like Angus and Hereford. The ranchos were gradually transformed into ranches (see UC ANR Publication 8528 in this series, Bay Area Ranching Heritage, http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8528).Most park and open space preserves in California were former ranches. Vegetation on much of this land is still managed by my cowleagues and I, much like it was when it was a privately owned ranch.

Climate Vulnerability Assessment of California Rangelands

“…The public image of ranching in California is somewhat mixed, despite recent research demonstrating ranching's potential ecological benefits (Cameron et al 2014;Byrd et al 2015) and sociocultural importance (e.g., . Public education campaigns (e.g., Barry et al 2016) may in time garner more support for grazing on public lands, but some environmental organizations highlight negative consequences of grazing and campaign against it (e.g., CBD, 2002;Glaser et al, 2015). Public perception can ultimately affect land use policies and funding, thus becoming a major factor (and a major unknown) in determining the sustainability of ranching in California.…”