Roaring Springs Ranch—
Having a Blast Managing One Million Acres BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
R
oaring Springs Ranch, near Frenchglen, Oregon, is one of the larger extensive grazing operations in Oregon. This cow/calf and stocker operation utilizes more than one million acres for year-round grazing. The ranch goal is to be economically and ecologically sustainable, eliminating the use of harvested and stored feeds. The ranch is managed by Stacy Davies, who is also involved in Country Natural Beef—a natural beef program begun by Holistic Management practitioners Doc and Connie Hatfield. “The cattle industry in Harney County was the original industry in this area, beginning in the 1870s, and continues to be the stable industry in the county,” says Davies. “Timber came and went, tourism is good when the economy is good, but drops off immediately when the economy falters. Tourism as an industry is not dependable, whereas the cow/calf operations continue on,” he says. “The cattle industry in the West began with the cattle barons and their large herds, feeding miners, followed by homesteaders and their herds. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of homesteaders came to our part of the country to farm and failed, and the only ones that stayed were the ones who relied upon livestock,” says Davies. “The reason that stock-raising continues to be sustainable is bunchgrass. That’s what nature provides in southeastern Oregon. It’s a renewable resource that can be harvested on an annual basis. The best way to harvest this is with livestock. Sheep, cattle and horses are hardy enough to survive here, and cattle are the most abundantly marketable,” he explains.
Grass Farmers Make a Difference
Because the growing season is short, native grasses are what do best in this area. “Typically we have about 70 frost-free days, about 12 inches of precipitation and limited irrigation water. The high desert is bitterly cold in winter and snow depth can vary. The high elevation and cold is what drives our climate and the native bunch grasses are hardy enough
to thrive and produce strong forage. Livestock do well on it,” says Davies. “In our climate the valleys are open enough that we can graze through winter, so we save forage in the valley floor for cattle to graze all winter. Some operations put up hay and feed hay, and we do some of that as well. But we are mainly using what nature provides, as a renewable resource—converting grass into a saleable product which is meat. This is the key to our high desert economy,” he explains. “It is beautiful how well ranching dovetails with nature. As a result, healthy ranching economies preserve the wide-open spaces that wildlife depend on. Ranching is the only use that harvests what nature provides, in a harmonious manner that allows the natural process to continue around us.” Ranching can enhance rather than disrupt the environment because proper grazing is necessary to a healthy native plant community. The grass and the grazer exist in a symbiotic relationship. “Ranching works with Nature instead of against her. All other uses of the land disrupt Nature or fight Nature or completely change the landscape—whether it’s farming where you plow it under or wind farms where you put up big towers, power lines and roads to get to them. Even recreational activities are disruptive, compared to grazing animals.” Even bicycle trails or the facilities that people use for recreational use change the landscape. “The intrusion of people, and the fossil fuels required to get them there are more intrusive than livestock. Grazing animals are the least
Stacy Davies has been managing the Roaring Springs Ranch for 20 years.
disruptive. If we wanted to, on our operation, we could eliminate all fossil fuel use. We could put another 10 cowboys on the payroll and go back to doing everything on horseback. We could do that, and there are no other economic uses of the land that could completely eliminate use of fossil fuels,” he explains. “The biggest shift in my thinking, in embracing Holistic Management, was when I accepted the fact that we are simply grass farmers, harnessing the sun’s energy, harvesting it with cattle and selling it as beef rather than being cowboys. In that context, recognizing that we play a little different role than what we might have earlier envisioned—that we are not just cowboys herding cattle around on the land—was a major mind shift for me. Profitability comes from either growing more grass, harvesting it more efficiently with our cattle, or marketing it better through our beef,” he says. Technology plays a role, but we can’t allow it to override what’s best for Nature. “If we fight with Nature, we are going to lose. Thinking about the whole—everything from photosynthesis in plants to the end consumer eating protein—is much broader than just being a cowboy and raising calves. The opportunity for economic gain is much broader when you look at the larger In the first 10 years of managing holistically, Roaring Springs Ranch CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 was able to double their carrying capacity. Num ber 170
h IN PRACTICE
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